Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[Big Bri]

J J my blades turn opposite i think and i have the Y blades.

I think what help me break the belts was the fact that i might have been going to fast. i was in low 3rd and the fact that i wasn't up to full pto speed. Its a new tractor (less than 10hrs) so i was changing the rpm up and down about 800 to 1000 rpms. (the mfg. said not to run it at full speed for long periods of time during break in)

Parts store call me this morning and my belts are already in so i'll let ya'll know how things turn out

 

[Big Bri]

Big Bri. Don't beat yourself up. Some other new owners of Caroni had broken belts.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/124814-caroni-flail-belt-failure.html

NAPA had belts in stock. No failures after the first replacement set.

Reading this thread now. . . lots of good info. thanks for pointing it out

 

[jmfox]

J J I think what help me break the belts was the fact that i might have been going to fast.

The first thing you need to note with a new mower is its song, so you can keep it happy/singing while it works.

jmf

 

[Big Bri]

whats funny about this is i own a music store. . . but i can't keep a tune. at least one that won't make the dogs howl.

The first thing you need to note with a new mower is its song, so you can keep it happy/singing while it works.

jmf

 

[jmfox]

I'm not so good at making music either, but I know when someone is out of tune. Your flail has a distinct rhythm and its pitch will vary with the load, but its timbre should be consistent. If it works too hard it will yield to the load and the belts will scream.

jmf

 

[IslandTractor]

If it works too hard it will yield to the load and the belts will scream.

Or, it will just stall the tractor. Mine tends to stall rather than squeal. It tends to happen more when there is a very large load placed suddenly on the system. Happens to me when I dig into a ditch or run over a log that gets partially eaten and sucked into the flail or if I am too aggressive or too fast in heavy brush.

 

[jmfox]

Or, it will just stall the tractor. Mine tends to stall rather than squeal. It tends to happen more when there is a very large load placed suddenly on the system. Happens to me when I dig into a ditch or run over a log that gets partially eaten and sucked into the flail or if I am too aggressive or too fast in heavy brush.

Or if the flail is equipped with an automatic shut off it will just stop spinning.

jmf

 

[IslandTractor]

Or if the flail is equipped with an automatic shut off it will just stop spinning.

jmf

I hadn't heard of an automatic shut off before. Is this a feature on the higher priced flails?

 

[GinNB]

Big Bri, I think the belt trouble is that you're asking too much of them all at once. That's some seriously tall stuff to be cutting in one pass, especially if you're not in a creeper gear.

Try lifting the mower a foot off the ground for the first pass, and then lower it to, say, 4-6 inches for the second, and drop it down lower for the third if you need it cut really short. Make sure that you take lots of pics with your wife standing next to each pass.

 

[J_J]

Big Bri,

Did you happen to notice the brand name on the original belts? I would recommend belts
with Kevlar. With Kevlar, I don't think those belts would have snapped like that. I have run belts with Kevlar until just the Kevlar threads were showing. There are many different levels of belts, from automobile to garden tractors to large tractors, to industrial use. The belt materials varies quite a bit, and if you do your research, you can find what you want.