Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[Reg]

Went out and looked at my rotary mower and my rototiller and they're not equipped with a "dip stick", how will I know what is the correct oil level?

Fit a "sight glass" clear plastic tube to the drain plug as described above.
Release 2.0 - - REPLACE the drain plug with a 90 degree threaded male to hose barb instead of drilling and tapping it.
Added feature; use the sight glass hose as a drain hose when changing the oil.

From a simple $3.00 quick fix for the oil slinging problem to an "over-engineered" extension........... GEEEEEEEEZ

Awww, c'mon...
Ag tech is a valid pastime too, like muckin' about with old motorcycles that coulda/shoulda/mighta bin designed or built a bit better,,, Say, like this ?
(-:

 

[Reg]

Hey, don't complain. I know of people who use multi-thousand dollar guidance systems for mowing with their tractors. Seems like overkill, but the mowers are wider than the tractors and it eliminates missed strips and wasted mowing time for having too much overlap. Talk about overengineering a solution for a problem of just learning how to drive though.

I thought the only people who bought those guidance systems ($10K and up) were those who NEEDED to space seed rows very precisely so that when they come back to till between, harvest, or whatever, they don't run over the crops, but run between them. That plus I think they are then able to run in almost total darkness with equal precision. I doubt that they use them JUST for mowing, though I guess it is possible with fuel prices going the way they are.

 

[IslandTractor]

Fit a "sight glass" clear plastic tube to the drain plug as described above.
Release 2.0 - - REPLACE the drain plug with a 90 degree threaded male to hose barb instead of drilling and tapping it.
Added feature; use the sight glass hose as a drain hose when changing the oil.

Before anyone builds one of these sight glasses, make sure you take into account that backing into brush could rip if off and drain all your oil. I suppose having the sight glass on the front side, between the mower and tractor, would minimize that risk.

 

[GinNB]

True, the ones I've read about using them for mowing had them for other things (spraying, seeding, fertilizer, etc) rather than just mowing, but if you've got it why not use it? And they aren't necessarily $10k either. A Trimble EZGuide 250 with upgraded AG15 antenna is about $2k now and is probably good for 6" accuracy pass-to-pass. It is supposed to have the same accuracy as my EZGuide Plus that was over $3500 a few years ago. The Omnistar-capable EZGuides are under $6000 and they're good to about 2" pass-to-pass. They're kinda flakey though and I don't need the accuracy or have the desire to sit for half an hour while it recalculates my position after losing lock when passing under a tree.

I think I'm going to play with it a bit while mowing this fall and see if it can beat eyeballing it for accuracy on a 9' mower.

 

[Reg]

Before anyone builds one of these sight glasses, make sure you take into account that backing into brush could rip if off and drain all your oil. I suppose having the sight glass on the front side, between the mower and tractor, would minimize that risk.

On the Caroni flail mower the drain plug is on the right hand side, it would probably be best to arrange the fitting so that the hose barb is horizontal and pointing forwards, then route the hose up in front of the gear box to tie it off.
It would be visible when looking back to see where you're backing into brush.

I'm guessing that the drain plug is also BSPP,,,

 

[davitk]

On my cheapie Chinese flail all I have to do is unscrew the filler plug and look at the oil level. Me likes simple

 

[IslandTractor]

On my cheapie Chinese flail all I have to do is unscrew the filler plug and look at the oil level. Me likes simple

If I recall correctly, that is how my BushHog rotary cutter gearbox was checked too.

It makes me wonder whether you really need a vented cap on the Caroni gearbox. Why not just a plug? Or just plug up the vent on the Caroni cap? Or, if the venting is critical then some sort of internal baffle to protect the vent from being directly spattered with oil?

I did receive my BSPP male and female extenders today so will try them out over the next week.

 

[davitk]

It makes me wonder whether you really need a vented cap on the Caroni gearbox. Why not just a plug? Or just plug up the vent on the Caroni cap? Or, if the venting is critical then some sort of internal baffle to protect the vent from being directly spattered with oil?

My mower does have a vented cap, it spat a little oil when I first filled it but hasn't since. I am sure the vent is there for a reason....

 

[allen in texas]

I used my Rears yesterday for the first time.
Saying that I am impressed would be quite an understatement.
It was quiet. It cut everything I ran it through and made a pretty job of it.

The only time the tractor knew it was there (horsepower wise) was cutting some extremely thick common bermuda grass that was about 24 inches high.
It pulled down about 200 RPM but I got that back by just advancing the throttle.

I ran it through some never been cut before CRP grass and it just ate it up

The only restriction (it seemed) to my forward speed was how much bouncing around I was willing to subject myself to on the tractor. I stayed between 2.8 and 3.5 MPH.

For what I need the unit for, I have all I ever need and then some.
I'm a happy camper.

I'm still surprised at the "counter" rotation. Guess I just didn't know about that.

Now I gotta go find some more stuff to mow.

 

[John861]

I've got my Rears ready to go. First job this afternoon after I get off from my "day" job.

My mower turns against the direction of travel.
I thought it would turn with the direction of travel.

Which way does all of yours turn.

What's your definition of with or against the direction of travel? My old Ford 917 turns the rotor in the same direction as the tractor tires turn, so the knives swing down in front, cut the grass and eject material right at the rear roller. This, as I understand it, is the common rotation for flails, although some cut opposite (or can be switched). In theory, rotating in the same direction as the tires is beneficial, as it will help pick up the grass that has been flattened by the tractor tires.