?? About buying flail mower at auction

[AlbertC]

My local county is going to have an excess/obsolete equipment auction and I noticed they have several Alamo flail mowers.

If the mowers look complete and are not just a rusty pile of junk would they be worth buying and repairing? assuming that some major parts need replacing could I purchase the parts and stil make this a worthwhile purchase or could one or two major parts needing replacement make this not such a good deal. I am assuming at this point that I can purchase the mower for a pretty good price.

Thanks

 

[MultiMow]

Make sure the one(s) you buy have the following:

1- modular bearing assemblies (pillow block or any other type of bolt-on carrier)

2- no cracks in drive box

3- inspect the rotor and be sure that no balancing weights have come off... getting the rotor balanced is about the most expensive repair to be made on a flail, short of replacing the rotor

4- make sure the rotor isn't bent or cracked, and that all knife flanges are in serviceable condition

Anything else is fairly simple welding or cheap part replacement. Modular bearings ensure that you will be able to find bearings, even if they aren't available through OEM... and the fact that they're field serviceable is always a plus.

As a further note, I wouldn't buy a flail mower that doesn't have a rear roller. The reason is, most flail mowers without the rear roller are heavier than those with them, and the assembly sees A LOT more stress... ESPECIALLY with municipal/state use, as their operators don't own the equipment, nor do they practice any care in its use.

For just a couple hundred more, you can usually find brand new flail mowers on GovDeals.com that are still in the crate (minimal shipping cost) and avoid 99% of ownership/operating cost of a used one.

Equipment is an odd purchase at these auctions. Power units (tractors, etc.) are usually sold on a time of service basis. Implements/attachments however, are usually only sold when they have little to no serviceable life left in them... so buy with caution. If you plan on putting more than 40hrs a year on it, I'd suggest buying an overstocked new unit (check Proxibid or GovDeals)... as they can usually be had for only slightly more money.