Flail Mower Caroni vs. BEFCO Flail mower

   / Caroni vs. BEFCO Flail mower #1  

ArtVandelay

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Jun 22, 2007
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I was wondering who makes a better quality and more heavy duty flail mower, Caroni or BEFCO? I am comparing the Caroni 59" Flail mower to the BEFCO Hurricane H40 60" Flail mower. The BEFCO is nearly double the price of the Caroni.

And are the "Y" shaped blades the most heavy duty type?

Thanks.
 
   / Caroni vs. BEFCO Flail mower #2  
I own a Caroni TM1900 which is the bigger and heavier duty version of the TL1500. It still costs about half or even less than half of a Befco so I gotta assume the Befco is built even more sturdily. That said, my TM1900 has chewed up tires, springs, metal frames and chunks of concrete without a problem. It gives a great cut too.

If I were operating a mowing service to cut highway medians I think I would buy one of the very heaviest flails I could. For regular use, it's hard to beat the Caroni for price/performance.

Mine has the "hammer" or Y shaped blades. The TL has a finer blade intended more for grass. Personally, though I use mine on a 41hp tractor, I wouldn't hesitate to put it on a 30hp machine.
 

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   / Caroni vs. BEFCO Flail mower
  • Thread Starter
#3  
IslandTractor said:
I own a Caroni TM1900 which is the bigger and heavier duty version of the TL1500. It still costs about half or even less than half of a Befco so I gotta assume the Befco is built even more sturdily. That said, my TM1900 has chewed up tires, springs, metal frames and chunks of concrete without a problem. It gives a great cut too.

If I were operating a mowing service to cut highway medians I think I would buy one of the very heaviest flails I could. For regular use, it's hard to beat the Caroni for price/performance.

Mine has the "hammer" or Y shaped blades. The TL has a finer blade intended more for grass. Personally, though I use mine on a 41hp tractor, I wouldn't hesitate to put it on a 30hp machine.

The tractor I am thinking about buying is the Mahindra 3215. If I get the gear shift version I will get 27 PTO HP, but if I get the HST version I will get 25 PTO HP. I want my flail mower to be able to cut tall grass without getting bogged down. So would the extra 2 PTO HP from the gear shift version be a better choice? Or would the HST version be a better choice because of convenience? Also would I need a FEL to make the tractor heavier, or not? Because I am not sure if I need a FEL right away since I will be mostly be mowing with the tractor, and maybe doing some tilling once in a while.
 
   / Caroni vs. BEFCO Flail mower #4  
I have about 32 pto hp if I recall correctly. That is much more than needed to run the TM1900. I only run the engine at about 2000rpm (540PTO =2600)and don't really notice any change in rpm when doing bush clearing so I don't think tall grass should not be an issue for either 25 or 27hp. The TL1500 would be a breeze with 25hp at the PTO.

I've always had an FEL so cannot give you experience on the second question. You can certainly add weight to the tractor front without an FEL however. Suitcase weights on the brush guard are effective and you could also add weight to the front wheels.
 
   / Caroni vs. BEFCO Flail mower #5  
ArtVandelay:

I have had both a gear driven tractor and currently have a HST driven tractor. It really is a matter of personal preference, but for mowing with a rotary cutter, tilling, and FEL work I prefer HST. I did not have a FEL on my first tractor. I did not know what I was missing as to the benefits of a FEL until I got one. A word of advise- get a FEL. Jay :)
 
   / Caroni vs. BEFCO Flail mower #6  
ArtVandelay said:
And are the "Y" shaped blades the most heavy duty type?

No, but they are what you want for grass.

The most heavy duty type are these:

263.jpg


Followed by these:

246.jpg


Then "Y"s and

then "L"s.
 
   / Caroni vs. BEFCO Flail mower #7  
Hi Art

I have to agree with the advice you got from IslandTractor and jbrumberg.

First, I too have a Caroni TM1900 and my tractor is HST with 30PTO hp. It has no problem with thick grass hay so 5 hp less is not going to be an issue. Mowing is easier with HST. If you were going to plow fields, gear would be the better choice. That said, I plowed 2.5 acres that had not been plowed in 40 plus years with my HST drive tractor and it never broke a sweat, so while HST got the job done gear would have been the best set up.

As to the FEL, you will probably get the best price if you get it as a package when you get the tractor. Once you use it a few times you will find it indispensable.

So as to which mower to get, decide how many times a year you will use it. For most of us the Caroni is the ideal match of price/quality.

Al
 
 
 
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