Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[Nuru]

Having not used one of these, how much debris do they leave behind? (i.e. will I need to rake it up or will it just be so small it will be okay to leave on the grass?). I think it will be okay for the grass but if I use it to mutilate leaves it might not.

 

[swampvol]

I just priced out a Deere 72" flail for 4,025.00 and a Rhino 74" for about 5,000.00 (list is at 5,600.00). That Coroni is looking better all the time!

Makes me wonder why the Coroni is less than 1/2 the price of the others.

 

[davitk]

Makes me wonder why the Coroni is less than 1/2 the price of the others.

I just bought this Chinese one on flea bay for 800.00. (plus 210.00 shipping)




For that price I decided to be the guinea pig and will report back if it was a mistake.

 

[rankrank1]

Have enjoyed reading this thread.

Can anyone address the real world cutting capbilities of the 3 knife styles that Caroni offers on the TM models?

A) TM1900A (Normal cut knives, with 56 total knives)
I am guessing this is mostly for grass, but how tall of grass/weeds would this handle? What diameter brush?

B) TM1900F (Normal cut knives, with 112 total knives)
Obvioulsy would produce a superior finish cut in lawns, but would double the knives be a detriment in tall grass/weeds and in brush? Would more tractor hp be required due to the added knives?

C) TM1900B (Brush cut knives with shackles, with 56 total knives)
I think this is the knife style that Island tractor has based on his pics, but am not sure.

 

[Reg]

Makes me wonder why the Coroni is less than 1/2 the price of the others.

Brand name ?

CARONI (with an "A")

JD is now basically an importer/re-brander, apparently with the belief that their green paint somehow endows quality and justifies a hideous mark-up.
Forget the race to the bottom, Chryco already placed FIRST in that one, at least they re-branded some half decent Mitsubishi cars for a while.

 

[Reg]

Have enjoyed reading this thread.

Can anyone address the real world cutting capbilities of the 3 knife styles that Caroni offers on the TM models?

A) TM1900A (Normal cut knives, with 56 total knives)
I am guessing this is mostly for grass, but how tall of grass/weeds would this handle? What diameter brush?

B) TM1900F (Normal cut knives, with 112 total knives)
Obvioulsy would produce a superior finish cut in lawns, but would double the knives be a detriment in tall grass/weeds and in brush? Would more tractor hp be required due to the added knives?

C) TM1900B (Brush cut knives with shackles, with 56 total knives)
I think this is the knife style that Island tractor has based on his pics, but am not sure.

====================================
Addressed on the Caroni web site.

Yes, it is a trade-off between lawns and pastures.
LAWN and FINISH mowers are for "superior finish".
Yes, mowing tall thick weeds with twice as many blades presents a bigger load. Once you HAVE a given tractor your choice might be limited to a slower ground speed for an initial cut and/or mowing more frequently.

 

[greg_g]

I just bought this Chinese one on flea bay for 800.00. (plus 210.00 shipping)

There's no photo to actually help confirm this. https://www.ruralking.com/Store/detail.aspx?ID=38755 But I suspect that's the same Chinese model that Rural King is selling for $800. I also believe shipping (to a retail store) is included. I contacted them to check on the size range(s) available. Unfortunately they're currently only importing the 5 footer. So I'm still shopping for a reasonably priced medium duty in the 7-8 foot range.

//greg//

 

[IslandTractor]

Have enjoyed reading this thread.

Can anyone address the real world cutting capbilities of the 3 knife styles that Caroni offers on the TM models?

A) TM1900A (Normal cut knives, with 56 total knives)
I am guessing this is mostly for grass, but how tall of grass/weeds would this handle? What diameter brush?

B) TM1900F (Normal cut knives, with 112 total knives)
Obvioulsy would produce a superior finish cut in lawns, but would double the knives be a detriment in tall grass/weeds and in brush? Would more tractor hp be required due to the added knives?

C) TM1900B (Brush cut knives with shackles, with 56 total knives)
I think this is the knife style that Island tractor has based on his pics, but am not sure.

I have 56 knives and I recall they are shackled so it is probably the "B" model. Although the Caroni catalog lists a whole bunch of variations, I believe the only TM1900 model carried by AgriSupply is the one I have.

 

[IslandTractor]

Makes me wonder why the Coroni is less than 1/2 the price of the others.

I thought about that question too. I couple of possible answers:

1) Flail mowers are more common in Europe so they have high volume sales = lower prices

2) The major US flail makers build heavy duty models for highway crews etc for >$5000 so maybe when they build a medium duty version like the entry level JD they just knock off a little of that price

3) No demand in USA so no price competition for these medium duty mowers

I think it is mostly to do with volume and manufacturing efficiency. None of the US manufacturers feature flail mowers as a major volume item so they cannot sell them at the price point Caroni can and still make a profit.

 

[williamemack]

I have had a lot of experience with Mott (now Alamo) flail mowers. It is very important to recognize the difference between a reverse and a forward rotation flail. Reverse rotation is for lawns. Forward for heavier material. These are what are used for roadside mowing. It's waht I have. One advantage of the forward is the as your tires push over material, the forward rotating knives pick up the bent over material and then cut it off. If money is no object, check out the Kuhn ditchbank flail mower.

One last tip, use chains to connect your upper lift arms to your lower lift arms so that you will not twist the frame of the flail when going over uneven ground.