woodmaxx flail mower?

[blb078]

Does the Caroni have a hydraulic slide option? I think that's what most people are liking about the woodsmaxx is that it has that at a reasonable price.

 

[DieselBound]

Island, really appreciate your input. Wondering whether the PTO shaft can be swapped out for one with a shear bolt? (I've only got a shear bolt on my rotary cutter and would kind of like to have the clutch instead, I think). Can one retrofit clevises? What knives are you running on your Caroni (and why)?

As blb078 notes, the hydraulic side shift is a/the big draw.

 

[Fallon]

As long as they are the right length, right rating & have the right connectors, you can swap PTO shafts.

However a PTO for a rotary cutter will be way longer than for a flail.

A gearbox designed for a sheer pin will be round with a groove for a keeper pin so the PTO can spin but not fall off when the pin sheers. A gearbox designed for a clutch or nothing (like my old Ford 917 flail) will be splined. The replacement PTO shaft for my flail has a funky sheer pin in it but still connects to the spliced gearbox. It's a generic PTO shaft & I didn't care if it had the sheer pin on it because of the belts.

Generally unless you sheer bolts much, a sheer bolt is better. On my tiller every spring I have to spend half an hour loosening up the clutch bolts, spinning it to make sure it isn't rusted solid, then tighten everything back up. I was upset when I found my rotary cutter had a pin instead a clutch. However I have never sheared a pin or done a dam thing to it other than grease it (and pull off a shield to adjust the clutch only to find the pin instead of clutch).

 

[IslandTractor]

Does the Caroni have a hydraulic slide option? I think that's what most people are liking about the woodsmaxx is that it has that at a reasonable price.

Yes, there is a hydraulic kit for the TM1900. I never considered it myself but I believe it goes for something under $500 and can be purchased through AgriSupply.

For occasional use, it only takes about fifteen minutes to move the fixed mounts to the other offset position. Just takes a wrench or two.

 

[IslandTractor]

Island, really appreciate your input. Wondering whether the PTO shaft can be swapped out for one with a shear bolt? (I've only got a shear bolt on my rotary cutter and would kind of like to have the clutch instead, I think). Can one retrofit clevises? What knives are you running on your Caroni (and why)?

As blb078 notes, the hydraulic side shift is a/the big draw.

Fallon already answered the first part and I agree with his note. Regarding adding clevises, I suppose it could be done though it would significantly affect the cutting height. You'd still be able to adjust cutting height but depending on geometry you might be limited to fairly close cuts as the clevis would add and inch and a half or so to the swing. If I had the Woodmaxx I wouldn't do it unless experience showed me I needed the clevises.

 

[DieselBound]

As long as they are the right length, right rating & have the right connectors, you can swap PTO shafts.

However a PTO for a rotary cutter will be way longer than for a flail.

A gearbox designed for a sheer pin will be round with a groove for a keeper pin so the PTO can spin but not fall off when the pin sheers. A gearbox designed for a clutch or nothing (like my old Ford 917 flail) will be splined. The replacement PTO shaft for my flail has a funky sheer pin in it but still connects to the spliced gearbox. It's a generic PTO shaft & I didn't care if it had the sheer pin on it because of the belts.

Generally unless you sheer bolts much, a sheer bolt is better. On my tiller every spring I have to spend half an hour loosening up the clutch bolts, spinning it to make sure it isn't rusted solid, then tighten everything back up. I was upset when I found my rotary cutter had a pin instead a clutch. However I have never sheared a pin or done a dam thing to it other than grease it (and pull off a shield to adjust the clutch only to find the pin instead of clutch).

Mouth engaged before brain... I didn't stop to think about the necessary differences in PTO shaft length (duh!).

I've only sheared three bolts in nearing 6 years now. Tractor still seems to operate correctly, so I figure that shear bolts work!

Wondering whether one can forgo adjusting a slip clutch if the belts pretty much do the job of absorbing excess shock.

 

[DieselBound]

Yes, there is a hydraulic kit for the TM1900. I never considered it myself but I believe it goes for something under $500 and can be purchased through AgriSupply.

For occasional use, it only takes about fifteen minutes to move the fixed mounts to the other offset position. Just takes a wrench or two.

For my use the hydraulic side shift is pretty much necessary. I'm running around a lot of trees and having the ability to slide back as I pass them and then put the mower back out will mean a lot less swerving around with the tractor and mower (and now going to a bigger tractor the swerving won't be like it is with my nimble B7800). And then I've got ditches here and there, so if I were to have the mower shifted one way I'd end up hoping off and manually adjusting quite a bit: some ditches are only a couple hundred feet or so.

Just making comments so that others can understand the rational. Clearly, if these conditions don't apply to others then they need not be so concerned with a hydraulic side shift ($500 is a chunk of change that could be applied toward another implement- I am real cautious about how I spend my money; some folks more so, others less so).

 

[IslandTractor]

For my use the hydraulic side shift is pretty much necessary. I'm running around a lot of trees and having the ability to slide back as I pass them and then put the mower back out will mean a lot less swerving around with the tractor and mower (and now going to a bigger tractor the swerving won't be like it is with my nimble B7800). And then I've got ditches here and there, so if I were to have the mower shifted one way I'd end up hoping off and manually adjusting quite a bit: some ditches are only a couple hundred feet or so. Just making comments so that others can understand the rational. Clearly, if these conditions don't apply to others then they need not be so concerned with a hydraulic side shift ($500 is a chunk of change that could be applied toward another implement- I am real cautious about how I spend my money; some folks more so, others less so).

I also need to mow around trees and against hedgerows though the majority of mowing is in open fields. I find that even with my Caroni set in the "normal" position, that my 3PT has enough lateral adjustment that I can push the mower to the right and have 9-12" of offset. I find that adequate for getting around trees and preventing encroachment by the hedgerows. It also means that when I mow straight lines, I can line the left tire up in previously cut grass tight to the uncut grass and I get a full 75" of cut rather than losing 6+inches each way on overlap. Of course this means I mow in a clockwise racetrack pattern which may not suit everyone but it is efficient.

 

[DieselBound]

I also need to mow around trees and against hedgerows though the majority of mowing is in open fields. I find that even with my Caroni set in the "normal" position, that my 3PT has enough lateral adjustment that I can push the mower to the right and have 9-12" of offset. I find that adequate for getting around trees and preventing encroachment by the hedgerows. It also means that when I mow straight lines, I can line the left tire up in previously cut grass tight to the uncut grass and I get a full 75" of cut rather than losing 6+inches each way on overlap. Of course this means I mow in a clockwise racetrack pattern which may not suit everyone but it is efficient.

You're getting off the tractor to change the 3pt linkage, is this right?

 

[Fallon]

Mouth engaged before brain... I didn't stop to think about the necessary differences in PTO shaft length (duh!).

I've only sheared three bolts in nearing 6 years now. Tractor still seems to operate correctly, so I figure that shear bolts work!

Wondering whether one can forgo adjusting a slip clutch if the belts pretty much do the job of absorbing excess shock.

If your belts are properly set, a slip clutch is useless except when a gearbox seizes. Pretty much every failure I've heard of is the opposite where the gearbox either grenades or stop spinning the output shaft.

Personally I haven't heard of problems resulting in PTO damage. The PTO shaft always pretzels before the PTO gear in the tractor.

Takes what? 10 minutes to replace a sheer bolt? You've spent as much time replacing sheer bolts in 6 years as you'd have spent adjusting clutches every year. Not a bad deal I'd say.