Ford 917 flail mower

   / Ford 917 flail mower #1  

foote2floor

Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2012
Messages
46
Location
Spavinw, OK
Tractor
TYM 227hst
I picked up a ford 917 mower last week.
 

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   / Ford 917 flail mower
  • Thread Starter
#2  
The paint looks a little rough, but it seems mechanically sound. All the knives are there but a few are damaged. I am going to buy some new knives/blades for it and try it out this spring. Is there and quirks about this machine I should look out for?
 
   / Ford 917 flail mower #3  
Hello foote2floor,

I want to welcome you as the newest member of the Flail Mower Nation.


The Ford 917 is a very well well built flail mower.

If you could perhaps at some time upload some pictures of the mowers flailmower rotor and the underside of the mowers hood that would help us/me a lot as it will tell me what the underside looks like. and how many rows of knives you have as well as the number of mounting stations it has as well.

If you could also upload a picture of the rear of the flail mower with the roller prominently displayed that will be helpfull as well. this will also tell me if your Ford 917 has a trash door that aids in ejecting large amounts of clippings when mowing tall, thick underbrush loads.


The biggest issue is obtaining the right length propeller shaft for this implement as you have make sure it is the right length to prevent damage to the power train of the tractor and the gear box of the flail mower. There are many posts and links to sizing a new propeller/PTO shaft for powered implements on the forum here.

Plan on purchasing a brand new V belt or belts as the old ones are automatically suspect due to Ozone Damage as it spent its time out of doors aparently.
Be sure to purchase the Kevlar replacement belts for this size belt as th.ey are not that expensive and absorb shock loads much better than the conventional belting available

You will also need to change the gear oil in it for fresh gear oil. this is something that should be done annually if left outdoors under cover.


You will be able to purchase The knives, knive hangers, hanger straps and bolts from your local Ford New Holland dealer or from Clean Cutter Tiller Blades or from Flail-Master - Mower Replacement Parts, Commercial Riding Mower Parts, Rotary Cutter Parts, Blade grinders, Trimmer Line, Mowing Accessories - Flail Master - Flailmaster -

I would also attempt to find a manual on line or from the forum here as many members have this flail mower model in thier stables.


As far a greasing goes the flail rotor bearings and roller bearings will only require 6-7 pumps per mowing session. you have to be sure to remove the V belt guard to dig out the rubber dust and grease the bearing(s) there as well- belt tensioner, flat pulley, The rotor bearing if not exposed
on your model-meaning under the hood guard.

I can never emphasize this enough-never over grease the main bearings(flail mower rotor bearings) as you will blow out the dust seals on them and they will not last long after this has occured.

_________________________________________________________


Only 18,883 mowers to go

Once you go flail you never go back.
Pronovost or not at all!!!
 
   / Ford 917 flail mower #4  
I got a 917H for almost nothing at a farm auction, but it took a lot of time (and a few bucks) to rebuild it to acceptable operational status. One thing I missed was the rear roller bearings. I recently left the roller behind while mowing a section of pasture. Assuming yours are still there (and work) will stave that problem off temporarily. Otherwise repair/replace rear roller bearings and zerks, before you look back one day and see yours lying 50 feet behind the tractor as well.

//greg//
 
   / Ford 917 flail mower
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Here are the requested pictures. There appears to be four rows of 7 or 8 knives.
 

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   / Ford 917 flail mower #6  
Ah, it appears that you have the small trash door shield.
This is very good for when you have high grass overgrowth to deal with.

The rotor design with multiple mounting stations will also let you change
to a wide scoop knive if desired as well.


You have the good side slicers on this mower.

The slotted knives and the D ring mounts permit the knives to flatten out and
the knives when rotating at speed become airfoils and level out creating a beautiful cutting job
better than a rotary mower.

My flail mower has the slotted side slicers and when I mow with it its a very nice cut with little to no clippings.



You will also be able to mount dethatching blades on this rotor with textra D rings
as well using the entire width to properly lace and overlap the dethatching blades on all four
rows.

Happy Mowing
 
   / Ford 917 flail mower
  • Thread Starter
#7  
I see that the rotor has holes about very 2 inches. The current brackets for the knives are not mounted in these holes though. The current brackets are only about 3/4 of a inch from the hole next to it. Does anyone happen to know why?
 
   / Ford 917 flail mower #8  
I found an old 907 just rusting away behind my neighbor's house. Looks almost the same as 917. What is the difference in the two?
 
   / Ford 917 flail mower #9  
I see that the rotor has holes about very 2 inches. The current brackets for the knives are not mounted in these holes though. The current brackets are only about 3/4 of a inch from the hole next to it. Does anyone happen to know why?
That's if you switch to finish knives. There are more finish knives per inch of swath than there are the current T-type knives you have. Leon calls them scoop knives. But I'm not sure about the 4 row business. If there are any labels you can read, is there a model number (something starting with 22)? My 74 incher has 3 rows of 11 T-type knives for a total of 66 cutting edges over the 74" swath. The 48" has 3 rows of 7, the 62" has 3 rows of 9, and the 88" has 3 rows of 13.
 
   / Ford 917 flail mower #10  
I found an old 907 just rusting away behind my neighbor's house. Looks almost the same as 917. What is the difference in the two?
Age. First came the 907, then the 917, then the 918, then Ford became New Holland.

//greg//
 
 
 
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