Flail Mower Top link vs flail mower

[Bill the Elder]

I go through a top link each season with my Caroni TM1900 flail mower. I'm running it on an old Ford 4600. I use the slot attachment point rather than the fixed point.

My pastures do have areas where the tractor is going up while the mower is going down and I suspect that is the heart of the problem. Just thought I'd check in and see if that is anything I can do to minimize the damage. If not, well a top link a year isn't a horrible price to pay I just hate sending anything into the waste stream I can avoid sending.

 

[Fallon]

With my rotary cutter & quick hitch, the flex link would often pop out of the QH hook. I'd only put it back at the end of the job or if I needed to lift the mower. It ran fine on just the lift arms. Lots of people use chain instead of a toplink.

Both my flails are the same way. You only need the toplink for lifting it off the ground. They'd mow just fine with only the lift arms connected & the roller on the ground.

 

[Bill the Elder]

Sounds great, how does one use a chain rather than a toplink. I was at a party last night and someone mentioned your solution, I was too embarrassed to admit my ignorance. You'd think at my age I'd have worked past that, but apparently no.

 

[Fallon]

Just replace the toplink with a chain. Just get a chain as long as your current toplink. Put a pin through the chain where you would the same as a normal toplink.

When you lift a 3pt impliment the toplink is in tension (pulling) not compression (pushing). So it pulls the chain tight when you lift things. When the 3pt is lowered the chain goes slack.

 

[Xfaxman]

Sounds great, how does one use a chain rather than a toplink.
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Like this:

And from member Gordon Gould one that is easy to change the length:

 

[houser52]

I have run the same set up as Gordon for the last couple of years on my TM1900 and it works great. I also have used a chain for the top link on my 5' and 10' rotary cutters for years without any problems.

 

[JimCan]

That simply makes just too much sense - no wonder I have not yet done it. Thanks, guys.

Jim