doneill127
Gold Member
My new Woodmaxx FM 54 mower was delivered last week and after setting it up and putting in a couple hours cutting the lawn and some brush I thought I'd share what I've learned. Let me start by saying that I did a lot of research including reading the very long Flail Mower thread and couldn't really find what I needed to make a clear decision on whether the mower would meet my needs based on conflicting information and little experience on smaller low hp tractors. I have a Mahindra Max 22 that has a little over 16pto hp. below the rating for this mower. It has a 3pt lift capacity of 1300 lbs. It came with a 60"MMM that does a good job on the 1 acre lawn, I have another 6 acres of woodlands and overgrown brush.
The FM54 was in stock and it was delivered about 3 weeks after I placed the order. I opted for the lift gate service. It was very well packed in an all metal frame and shrink wrapped.
After unloading the mower I noticed that there were a few things that weren't what I thought I ordered. As it turns out, the pictures on the Woodmaxx website and the written description appear to be for 2 different versions of the same mower. So if your considering one pay attention.
1. The biggest issue is the the weight. The website lists it at 410 lbs. The nameplate on the mower says it's 590 lbs, the bill of lading showed 690 lbs, so I believe 590 lbs is accurate. Thats a big difference. I personally don't have an issue in fact I think heavier is good and the tractor can handle it.
2. There is no hinged rear panel. it's solid with a rubber debris shield over the roller.
3. No automatic belt tensioner like the picture. It's manual. I'm ok with that too.
4. The pictures show 3 rear roller locations, it only has 2. I'm ok with that too and will explain in the set up.
Overall I'd have to say the thing is built like a tank and the quality , fit and finish are very good, even the welds look nice. However couple of minor issues during set up and shake down.
1. The gearbox ships empty and you need to add oil. The instructions show you how with pictures of the fill, drain, and oil level plugs. However, there's no drain and oil level plugs only a fill. A call to Woodmaxx and they confirmed the arrangement and gave me the quantity of oil to add.
2 Check the bolts. I was having some pto shaft noise clanging whenever I raised the mower off the ground even a little bit. Couldn't figure it out. Turns out the bolts mounting the top link bracket to the mower were all loose so the drive line angle got a little steep when I went to raise it. Also found a few other bolts loose.
3.The Pot/gearbox shield is impossible to put back on once the shaft is mounted. I had to cut one side of the shield to be able to get it back on. So now you slide one side over the bolt and then insert the second bolt. Still a pia but it works.
After playing round I ended up with the skids set at upper holes (lowest setting) to prevent gouging on uneven ground and making turns. I set the rear roller in the lowest hole (highest cut) and measured the following heights versus top link adjustment measured by level on the mower.
0 degree = 2 1/2" cut
10 degree = 3 1/4" cut
15 degree = 4 1/2"cut
As far as performance. most of the forums said that with the 16 pto hp the biggest I could run would be 48". Didn't want to hear that because didn't really want to go from 60" to 48" as I was hoping to use the mower for both the lawn and brush. While I really like the MMM and it's relatively easy to put it on and off, it's still a pain to take the FEL off, crawl under blah blah blah. One of the goals of the flail was to be able to leave the loader on, back up with the QH hitch and get it done ! So the Woodmaxx 54 seemed like the perfect size for the Mahindra Max 22 with an outside turf tire dimension of 52". On the left the mower is about center tread and extends about 6-8 " on the right side due to the offset.
Mowed the lawn with it no problem with power Grass was way longer than usual about 8". I have to say it does OK on the grass. Does not mulch it to a fine consistency but it's acceptable to me. It痴 clearly not as good as a finish mower but due to the y blade configuration I wouldn't expect it to be. I may end up keeping the MMM and using it every other or third mowing.
Using it for rough cutting I'd have to say the thing is awesome. The 16 hp has been more than enough not even the slightest drop in rpms. I do have to get used to the sound of hitting rocks and stump though.
Overall very happy
The FM54 was in stock and it was delivered about 3 weeks after I placed the order. I opted for the lift gate service. It was very well packed in an all metal frame and shrink wrapped.
After unloading the mower I noticed that there were a few things that weren't what I thought I ordered. As it turns out, the pictures on the Woodmaxx website and the written description appear to be for 2 different versions of the same mower. So if your considering one pay attention.
1. The biggest issue is the the weight. The website lists it at 410 lbs. The nameplate on the mower says it's 590 lbs, the bill of lading showed 690 lbs, so I believe 590 lbs is accurate. Thats a big difference. I personally don't have an issue in fact I think heavier is good and the tractor can handle it.
2. There is no hinged rear panel. it's solid with a rubber debris shield over the roller.
3. No automatic belt tensioner like the picture. It's manual. I'm ok with that too.
4. The pictures show 3 rear roller locations, it only has 2. I'm ok with that too and will explain in the set up.
Overall I'd have to say the thing is built like a tank and the quality , fit and finish are very good, even the welds look nice. However couple of minor issues during set up and shake down.
1. The gearbox ships empty and you need to add oil. The instructions show you how with pictures of the fill, drain, and oil level plugs. However, there's no drain and oil level plugs only a fill. A call to Woodmaxx and they confirmed the arrangement and gave me the quantity of oil to add.
2 Check the bolts. I was having some pto shaft noise clanging whenever I raised the mower off the ground even a little bit. Couldn't figure it out. Turns out the bolts mounting the top link bracket to the mower were all loose so the drive line angle got a little steep when I went to raise it. Also found a few other bolts loose.
3.The Pot/gearbox shield is impossible to put back on once the shaft is mounted. I had to cut one side of the shield to be able to get it back on. So now you slide one side over the bolt and then insert the second bolt. Still a pia but it works.
After playing round I ended up with the skids set at upper holes (lowest setting) to prevent gouging on uneven ground and making turns. I set the rear roller in the lowest hole (highest cut) and measured the following heights versus top link adjustment measured by level on the mower.
0 degree = 2 1/2" cut
10 degree = 3 1/4" cut
15 degree = 4 1/2"cut
As far as performance. most of the forums said that with the 16 pto hp the biggest I could run would be 48". Didn't want to hear that because didn't really want to go from 60" to 48" as I was hoping to use the mower for both the lawn and brush. While I really like the MMM and it's relatively easy to put it on and off, it's still a pain to take the FEL off, crawl under blah blah blah. One of the goals of the flail was to be able to leave the loader on, back up with the QH hitch and get it done ! So the Woodmaxx 54 seemed like the perfect size for the Mahindra Max 22 with an outside turf tire dimension of 52". On the left the mower is about center tread and extends about 6-8 " on the right side due to the offset.
Mowed the lawn with it no problem with power Grass was way longer than usual about 8". I have to say it does OK on the grass. Does not mulch it to a fine consistency but it's acceptable to me. It痴 clearly not as good as a finish mower but due to the y blade configuration I wouldn't expect it to be. I may end up keeping the MMM and using it every other or third mowing.
Using it for rough cutting I'd have to say the thing is awesome. The 16 hp has been more than enough not even the slightest drop in rpms. I do have to get used to the sound of hitting rocks and stump though.
Overall very happy
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