Flail Mower Mathews 88CL Flail mower parts

[JoeBo]

Does anyone know if parts are available for Mathews 88CL flail mowers. I'm looking for cutter blades. The hangers are definitely different than Alamo, but I'm not sure about the cutter blades. Just for clarification, the Mathews 88CL is similar to an Alamo SHD88. This is NOT the Mathews MC Rotary scythe flail mower. Anyway, I have found a nice looking 88CL, but don't want to buy it if parts aren't available. The knife part number is 131 4465 and the knife hanger number is 101 8701. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Halftrack]

You can call MC at 800-323-7045 and ask away. In the past when I have needed parts, I usually go through a local dealer and order there. MC may be shipping straight to the customer now, but in the past they have shipped to a local NH dealer. I think you will find them eager to please.

 

[JoeBo]

I gave them a call. They referred me to Messick's who handles parts in our area. Halftrack, do you have the 88CL? If so, (and if you know) how do they compare to Alamo flail mowers. I was looking for a good used Alamo mower and came across this MC. If one is clearly a "better" machine, then that is what I'll try to buy. Thanks for your input.

 

[Halftrack]

I have a MC Lawn Genie LG72 which I use mainly to collect and shred leaves. I did some digging and found that it uses the same blades as your 88CL. If you are going to use the mower as a finish mower, I would recommend it. If you are rough shredding saplings, brush, etc. I would go with the Alamo with the 2 piece Y blades which will stand up to the abuse of heavy shredding. A single blade from the Alamo probably weighs 3 times the 131 4465 blade. You can buy the Alamo blade a lot cheaper on line than the MC blade, and I'm not aware of an aftermarket source for the MC blade. Let us know what you decide.

 

[JoeBo]

Thanks Halftrack. Maybe I'm missing something, it looks like it has the 2 piece Y blades. I haven't seen the mower yet, but the manual on Mathews website shows that each hanger takes 2 of the 131 4465 blades that you mentioned which gives it the Y configuration. I won't be mowing saplings, just old tall worthless grass/hay. Not any finish mowing, just making the unused field look better. Some Mathews parts are still available for it, the knife is $2.57 each and the hangers are $2.00 each. Not sure how that compares to Alamo. Here is the link to the section of Mathews web site that has the mowers Manual Archives - Mathews CompanyMathews Company . Scroll down to Flailmaster mower and click SHOW. There you will see the link for the PDF of the manual for the 88CL.

We used to have a 7' MC Rotary Scythe which was a very well built machine. Because of our history with it, I would consider the 88CL. I'm not brand loyal to it though, and will pass if it isn't equally as good of a machine as the Alamo. If I had to find a complaint with Alamo, I don't care for how the top of the machine has a crotch the length of it which catches hay dust/seeds and holds the rain. You see that area rusted on many of them. I realize that I'm being nit picky.

 

[Halftrack]

I think I was mistaken when comparing the two knives. I weighed one of the MC knives today at 2 ounces and I think the Alamo's standard are about 3 ounces. So not so much difference between the 2. The MC has 200+ knives and the Alamo is 96, so a set for the MC is $500+ and the Alamo is maybe $200. I think quality for either is top notch and the leak link on either is the single drive belt.

 

[JoeBo]

Thanks for the input. Any idea if I could use Alamo knives on the MC mower? I realize that the length of the knife may be different and I thought maybe I could just adjust the height adjustments on the mower to make up for it.

 

[Halftrack]

I would avoid using a heavier knife on the MC for 2 reasons. The hanger is not built to handle the heavier knife and the MC rotor is a larger diameter than the Alamo. What the MC loses in knife weight it makes up in rotor rpm. It would be interesting to see what the rotor speeds are on the 3 machines and rotor diameters also.

 

[JoeBo]

Thanks for all the info Halftrack. I'll probably play it safe and try to find a deal on an Alamo.