Flail Mower Questions on Flail Mowers

   / Questions on Flail Mowers #1  

TO_Bud

Silver Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2004
Messages
200
Location
St. Clair, Michigan
Tractor
2000 TC40D, TnT, 758B BH
Every now and then I need to cut about 3 acres of grass and weeds. The terrain is somewhat bumpy and there are quite a few trees around. I have a 6 foot brush hog that I have used but it seems to be overkill and doesn't offer a nice finish cut. I don't like using my zero turn mower there either because of the chance of striking some hidden branches that always fall from the trees. Got my eye on a used Ford 907 Flail mower. I don't know much about them (flail mowers), is this unit stout enough? Can I cut most everything that the brush hog cuts with the flail mower? Last question...I promise, can I use the flail to de-thatch a lawn effectively from time to time?

Thanks, Bud
 
   / Questions on Flail Mowers #2  
Flail mower saga begins


Every now and then I need to cut about 3 acres of grass and weeds.]quote

Not an issue


The terrain is somewhat bumpy and there are quite a few trees around. said:
quote

not an issue



[qoute=I have a 6 foot brush hog that I have used but it seems to be overkill and doesn't offer a nice finish cut.]quote


all depends on how heavy the brush and weeds are too




I don't like using my zero turn mower there either because of the chance of striking some hidden branches that always fall from the trees. said:
quote


Always a potential problem with rotary and belly mowers

[qoute=Got my eye on a used Ford 907 Flail mower. I don't know much about them (flail mowers), is this unit stout enough? Can I cut most everything that the brush hog cuts with the flail mower? Last question...I promise, can I use the flail to de-thatch a lawn effectively from time to time?]quote


Flail mowers are very well built so the only issue is examining it to be sure there are no broken welds or rusted through steel on the shroud or the side weldments and make sure rotor turns freely and the rear roller is in good condition- rolls and is intact, the gear box turns freely, the belt guard comes off, and you can check the adjuster/snubber; make sure the belt pulleys are intact and tight,
plan on changing the belts, if the PTO shaft is intact be sure the sleeve moves in and out and ALL the grease fittings take grease.

The grass slicer flailmower will cut every thing a brush hog can cut except for very thick saplings.


About thatching/overseeding;

If you have a flail mower has cup knives the knives will have to be removed to install the dethatching/overseeding blades if the hanger will accept them as the knives are commercially available- you just have cross reference the model with the right size knive for mowing and dethatching/overseeding.


Flail-Master - Mower Replacement Parts, Commercial Riding Mower Parts, Rotary Cutter Parts, Blade grinders, Trimmer Line, Mowing Accessories - Flail Master - Flailmaster -


Clean Cutter Tiller Blades


Wasco Hardfacing Company Inc, tillage tools, cultivating equipment distributors, manufacturers



Ford New Holland


You have to determine the knife type before we go any further. :cool:




Thanks, Bud
 
Last edited:
   / Questions on Flail Mowers
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Thanks for the reply leonz. Sounds like my questions have been asked before lol. I did a search on flail mowers and not much came up, probably didn't have the right keywords. Anyhow, I'll check all the areas you have mentioned and make my decision. The seller no longer has the tractor to run the unit for me so the other observations will have to be my guide. I'll check it out this weekend.

Bud
 
   / Questions on Flail Mowers #4  
I did a search on flail mowers and not much came up, probably didn't have the right keywords.

:D:D:D That's a good one. You might have used different terms but there is a long running flail mower discussion entitled something like "let's talk flail mowers" that should answer about every conceivable question you have.

Bottom line is that for your proposed use a medium duty rough cut flail would be fine. You can read about different available mowers depending on tractor size etc. The least expensive flails are now Chinese and some TBN members have reported good experiences. Quite a few of us own the Caroni TM1900 which costs a bit more but has a stable parts supply chain and established US importer (AgriSupply). USA built flails are for the most part about double the cost of the Caroni and are used more in commercial settings although a bunch of guys have found used ones for cheap money and fixed them up.
 
   / Questions on Flail Mowers
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Wow, embarrassed to say I did another search and the flail flood gates opened. 98 pages is quite a discussion. I'll do some reading and to see what I can glean.

Bud
 
   / Questions on Flail Mowers #6  
flail mower saga begins.


Wow, embarrassed to say I did another search and the flail flood gates opened. 98 pages is quite a discussion. I'll do some reading and to see what I can glean.

Bud

Be sure to look at iron horse posts and threads first so you can understand how a flail mower is much safer to use and why.
 
   / Questions on Flail Mowers #7  
Wow, embarrassed to say I did another search and the flail flood gates opened. 98 pages is quite a discussion. I'll do some reading and to see what I can glean.

Bud

Don't feel bad, TO_Bud. You aren't the first person to, ahem, miss flail mowers when searching, and you won't be the last.

Next April Fool's, I think I'll start a new thread..."Searched for flail mowers, but can't find any info, need help". I'd bet I could get four pages of responses (some wouldn't be friendly). "Nope, I searched again, still nothin'"...;):laughing:
 
   / Questions on Flail Mowers
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Thanks for all the replies guys. I literally didn't have time to read through all the posts but I think I get it. My biggest wish for using a flail was for dethatching my two acre lawn. I've got creeping bentgrass taking over in my Kentucky bluegrass lawn. The bentgrass does its' summer die out around July and leaves the unsightly brown hue throughout the lawn. After much reading on the subject the best idea is to aggressively dethatch once it dies to try and pull it up. Welllll, after walking behind a 20 inch knife type dethatcher for six hours (I'm too old for this) I decided I needed a better way. I'm not sure I want to spend $2000+ on a new Caroni flail so I have been looking at a 40+ year old Ford 907. It's in OK shape but I'm worried about parts availability (and cost) and it only has 33 knives across a 72 inch rotor. Means a knife every 2 inches or so. Any advice on how good a unit it is and will it do what I need it to do?
 
   / Questions on Flail Mowers #9  
so I have been looking at a 40+ year old Ford 907. It's in OK shape but I'm worried about parts availability (and cost) and it only has 33 knives across a 72 inch rotor. Means a knife every 2 inches or so. Any advice on how good a unit it is and will it do what I need it to do?

Having used a 907 for several years, what i've found is overall they are pretty trouble free. Based on personal experience, a couple of observations,
Check the drive belt regularly, being a single belt drive, tension is critical. If the belt stretches a little they are prone to slippage.
Model specific parts for the most part are not available from FNH, but the mowers are built like a tank. The only major part on them that one would have to worry about replacement not being available is the rotor, should it get bent. Even the rear roller could easily be fabbed in most home shops.
Cutter replacement is a bit of a pain, instead of each knife being mounted on a seperate stirrup, each row of knives is mounted on a common rod threaded through the drum via a hanger/stirrup arrangement and the rod has to slide out the end opposite the drive belts. It takes a couple of hours to change them out, but they are easily sharpened.
Check the model number on the back of the mower to the right and a little below the gear box, there will be a number such as 22-xxx. The 6 foot models were either 22-108, built from about 1957 to 1979, 22-124 built from 64-72, and a 907 without the 22-xxx model number was built from 62-72. (per FNH website)
FNH website also shows that dethatching knives were available, though like cutters will probably only be available aftermarket, from someone such as flailmaster. Rough cut and finish cut knives are also available though the flail won't have the capability of cutting brush as heavy as a bush hog type cutter can handle.
Finish cut knives do a decent job though not the same quality cut as a finish mower, you also dont have the windrowing of cut grass behind the mower that a rotary cutter can give.
Bottom line really is the purchase price vs any repairs needed. As an example when i picked up my 5 ft 907 several years ago, i replaced gearbox seals, one bearing on the cross drive, and the belt. Since then i've replaced the roller bearings and cutters for a total investment of around $300, including the cost of the mower.
If the mower is in decent operating condition, mowing 3 acres you should get many years of service, and if you can purchase it at a fair price, should a non repairable break down eventually occur, with scrap iron prices being what they are, you'll recover most of the purchase price.
 
   / Questions on Flail Mowers #10  
The ford should have no problem running the vertucut knives for dethatching;

The issue is buying the new dethatcing blades as you willl most likely need 5 inch dethatching knives; the flailmaster,clean cuttter and wasco hardfacing home pages have some or most of these parts and you have to find out what type of knife hanger the mower has first.

aftwer that and measuring the hole size for the grass slicer knife we can tell you what or where you can buy a dethatching blade- or if you have a Ford New Holland dealer near by the parts counter can do this quickly for you.

The new dethatching blades will remove the roots and kill the invasive weeds.


leon

edit:

If the dethacthing blades have a a 3/8 mounting hole you will be able to mount them on the caroni b or f rotor if youy wish to do that too- you just have to find the right length blades
 
 
 
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