Flail Mower BEFCO H80 Flail Mower Review

[tonyoz]

Just a couple of tips folks. Cone lock nuts may be better than nylock nuts especially in heaver going (vines, timber etc). Heat can cause the nylon in the nuts to soften and come loose. Also take note of the direction the bolts have been fitted. If you fit the bolts the opposite way they will come loose.:thumbsup:

PS That looks to be a good bit of gear

 

[leonz]

I am a first time flail mower user, and recently purchased a used BEFCO H80, which is a heavy duty flail mower. I have read all the previous post on TBN regarding flail mowers and for my situation it seemed like the right answer. I have a 3 acre field that I have been mowing with a Woods PRD7200 Finish Mower. It did a great job but did have some drawbacks. The field is not always smooth in all areas, I would mow once a month so the length would typically be around one foot tall. The finish mower did a great job, but did tend to leave rows of grass, and would tend to shoot rocks out the back from the many mole hills. The field is also on the edge of an Alder forest, which means lots of branches after a strong wind. The finish mower did not like branches and I found myself picking up anything over 3/4". The field would have soft spots in the Spring that the mower would tend to sink into, as it has all it's weight on 4 tires. On uneven ground it tended to hit high spots (they do make a roller for the front of the mower that would of helped, but I didn't have one). If I had a smooth yard, I would probably have stuck with the finish mower, because I already own it. The "Y" blades are a more heavy duty blade than the finish blades, so I can't equally compare finish quality on a lawn. After using the flail mower, for my situation, I would not go back to a finish mower. The flail does a nice job evenly/uniformly laying the cut material behind it, not in windrows. I can certainly cut up to 2" material with this flail without any issues. I like the fact that it has a 72" roller behind it so it tends to distribute the weight much better on soft ground. My flail weighs 1200lbs, so after working through a mole hill, it compresses the dirt back down. It's not as loud as the finish mower, and it leaves a nice cut (especially for a field). The added bonus is I can take it in the woods to manage brush.

As far as the BEFCO H80, it's their heavy duty model, and at 1200lbs, it is definitely heavy. It's rated for 40 - 80hp tractors. I have a New Holland T2320 (TC45DA) from a power standpoint no trouble running it, 3pt has no trouble picking it up, but you know it's back there. It has the "Y" blades which are very thick. Someone mentioned they are $6 - $7 each for blades, but I can't imagine replacing these very often. When comparing specs, I assume this is equivalent to a Alamo SHD72. If I was to buy one new, I would buy a medium duty unit (or even light duty if I was only cutting grass), again this thing is so massive, I don't think I will ever give it much of a challenge. It run's dual belts that are V-Groove belts and has a heavy duty belt tensioner. I got this used and it was a good deal, so bigger is better

I included some pictures. The field picture, I should have stopped and showed where I had already cut, but I was having too much fun. Most of the grass was ankle to knee high.

Hello and Good Morning Dreamin Tractors,

I am very happy in that you are very well satisfied
with your BEFCO Flail Nower proving once again
that a flail mower is up to the job and goes above
and beyond and provides you with a quality
cut and good managable turf.

Your Side slicers are the hardened type of knive and
you wll only need to replace them when they break.


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


When you need V belts you can purchase them anywhere
pretty much as all V belts are metric like ball and roller bearings.
The gren kevlar belts will give you the most life and are very strong
due to the kevlar thread weaved into the belts contruction.


You will find that your mowing job will go quickly and you can mow
wet grass with zero issues as well.


If I may ask you Dreamin Tractors, How far are you from either Stampede Pass or Stevens Pass Washington?



Happy mowing,


leonZ


Only 18,989 mowers to go


_________________________________________________________________
Once you go flail you never go back:thumbsup::licking::drool:
Pronovost or not at all!!!:thumbsup::licking::drool:

 

[Walter63]

This is an old thread at this point, but I'd like to add my comments in case someone may be reading this for Befco flail information.
I've used many types of flails over the last 15 years, Alamo, Rears, Trimax, etc. The Befco is giving better results because the housing is taller than the other flails I've used. This is important because it allows taller grass and weeds to stand up inside the flail and get cut. With many flails the taller material gets pushed over and stays down, then springs back up after the mower has passed.
There has been much written about flail rotation on this and other forums. I was using an 8 foot flail with reverse rotation (opposite of the tractor wheel rotation) with a 100 HP tractor. In tall hay grass it would need to be run at the lowest gear, and still the cut wasn't the best. I reversed the rotation within the gearbox, and and now I can mow at a reasonable pace with a 50 HP tractor, and get a better cut.
So just to be clear, I found forward rotation (same as the tractor wheels) to be much better in all ways. That's how the Befco comes standard. Not all flails do.