Flail Mower chain for top link, flail mower

[ovrszd]

Don't start flailing at each other!

I wish I'd said that!!!

 

[Grrrr]

I have attached a picture showing how I would suggest a flail mower is set on the tractor.

The top link is not designed to take any weight or much strain. It is a levelling, and supporting device. On smaller tractors they may seem pretty strong, but trust me, if you saw how quickly a wrongly set top link on a 200HP gets pretzled, and the cost to replace it, you would make sure there was as little stress as possible!

That flail mower in my picture weighs nearly 2 tonnes. It is a great lump and nearly 3.5 metres wide.


There should also be no need to adjust the top link between work and travel. In work, the float should be in the middle of it's travel when on flat ground. Then when you pick the implement up, the top link will 'float' to it's extreme position and the rear of the flail will then lift off the ground.

As for the problem of the roller scuffing when turning - that is simply cured - drive in straight lines, and lift it up at the headlands to turn, do a 180 and go back again.

 

[Grrrr]

You either don't have a floating toplink bracket, or don't understand what it's for. When adjusted for the mowing position, there is no "stress going through the toplink" - and it is excellent on hills. In fact, my property is ALL hills.

Look at the photos below. This particular style of flexible toplink bracket locks in the upright position. The left photo shows the transport position with the toplink shortened until the bracket hits its stop. At that point, the implement is picked up for transport. Now look at the right photo, which depicts the mowing position. Note that the toplink is lengthened, rotating the bracket back to the 45 degree position. Now when the front of the tractor is lower than the rear, the toplink pulls the bracket forward. But it's pivoting on a pin, so the mower deck never moves. Then when the front of the tractor is higher than the rear, the toplink pivots the bracket rearward. But it's only the bracket that moves, not the mower deck. That floating bracket will pivot through a full 90 degree arc, moving back and forth as the tractor goes up and down. Yet the mower deck stays parallel with the ground.

Same principle applies to the floating toplink bracket on my flail mower. I just didn't have any photos handy. The flail bracket is the U-type , and it pivots inside the A-frame instead of above it. Whereas the RC bracket has a 90 degree arc, the flail bracket will pivot nearly 180 degrees. And now that I have a hydraulic toplink, I don't even have to get off the tractor like I did in the past - to adjust the rigid toplink between transport length and mowing length.

//greg//

Greg G, reading your post again, this is exactly what I am suggesting is the right way to do it. Your bracked works in a very similar way to the slot I speak of.

What confused me, is that you said you put the lift arms into float as well (meaning you lower them to the very lowest position, and they can still ride up).

You can't put the lift arms into float, and have the top link floating, as the front of the mower would just hit the ground and scalp it!

 

[SPYDERLK]

Look at the photos below. This particular style of flexible toplink bracket locks in the upright position. The left photo shows the transport position with the toplink shortened until the bracket hits its stop. At that point, the implement is picked up for transport. Now look at the right photo, which depicts the mowing position. Note that the toplink is lengthened, rotating the bracket back to the 45 degree position. Now when the front of the tractor is lower than the rear, the toplink pulls the bracket forward. But it's pivoting on a pin, so the mower deck never moves. Then when the front of the tractor is higher than the rear, the toplink pivots the bracket rearward. But it's only the bracket that moves, not the mower deck. That floating bracket will pivot through a full 90 degree arc, moving back and forth as the tractor goes up and down. Yet the mower deck stays parallel with the ground.//greg//

Sorry, but I've never waivered from the positon that conventional rear TPH flails (conventional TPH mowers in general) should have a floating toplink bracket. And at least twice I demonstrated - with photos - the use of said bracket; rigid for transport, extended for mowing. And that there is no stress on the toplink when a floating toplink bracket is used in the mowing (extended) position (I'm guessing those chain advocates - or those who admit to using no toplink at all - either don't have a floating toplink bracket installed, or don't know what it's for). I don't know how I could have made it any clearer than that.//greg//

If this then not this. You are not floating the 3pt hitch as stated and clarified by the OP with your agreement. You are holding the front of the mower up with the lift arms and allowing it to float on its tail wheel by use of a floating top link. [The only difference between using that and a chain is that it limits the amount of free compressive motion.] I think that may have been the root of misunderstanding all along. It may be that I will have to make that clearer. I hope not.
larry

 

[Dead Horse]

/\ /\ yep, again.

 

[Grrrr]

I cannot see how 'floating' the link arms would be the right way to use one at all. There would be a lot of stress going through the top link to push it back off the ground, and it would not be very good on hills. The top link wants to have no stress in it at all or you will bend / break them.

You either don't have a floating toplink bracket, or don't understand what it's for. When adjusted for the mowing position, there is no "stress going through the toplink" - and it is excellent on hills. In fact, my property is ALL hills.

//greg//

BTW In your reply you miss addressed Grrrs quote. There is definitely stress on the top member when an implement floats the 3pt.
larry

No I do understand how a flating top link works, and how 'floating' the lower links works. If you float the lower link arms, there is a lot of stress going through the top link to keep the front off the ground. End of.

 

[Dead Horse]

Agreed, Jake.

The physics is pretty simple, but sometimes it escapes the "book smart".

Plus, the "smartest guy in the room" syndrome has no known cure.........

 

[greg_g]

Greg G, reading your post again, this is exactly what I am suggesting is the right way to do it. Your bracked works in a very similar way to the slot I speak of. What confused me, is that you said you put the lift arms into float as well (meaning you lower them to the very lowest position, and they can still ride up).

Yes, you understood and interpreted as I had intended. Thank you

You can't put the lift arms into float, and have the top link floating, as the front of the mower would just hit the ground and scalp it!

Well, I can. And I think if you look at it again, you can too. In my case it's taken into consideration when adjusting the toplink from the travel length to the mowing length. In the case of a 90 degree floating arc, you adjust the toplink at the 45 degree point. 45 degrees forward of that the assembly becomes rigid - the transport position. 45 degrees aft of that the assembly becomes rigid again. At that point, the mower will stop tilting forward. Same principle applies to the U-type brackets, except they pivot through a 180 degree arc. 0 degrees is transport, 90 degrees is mowing, 180 degrees is the stop lock.

Your diagram looks like an Italian design, but the principle applies there too. Toplink is shortened to the front of the slot for transport, lengthened to the middle of the slot for mowing. During mowing the toplink will move back and forth in the slow relative to slope. Hitting the back of the slot prevents the mower from tipping forward.

All this of course assumes that the floating toplink bracket is factory (or a correctly sized aftermarket) and that the toplink itself is correctly sized to the implement. Again, a hydraulic toplink enables you to do all this without even leaving the tractor seat.

//greg//

 

[Grrrr]

Yes, you understood and interpreted as I had intended. Thank you
Well, I can. And I think if you look at it again, you can too. In my case it's taken into consideration when adjusting the toplink from the travel length to the mowing length. In the case of a 90 degree floating arc, you adjust the toplink at the 45 degree point. 45 degrees forward of that the assembly becomes rigid - the transport position. 45 degrees aft of that the assembly becomes rigid again. At that point, the mower will stop tilting forward. Same principle applies to the U-type brackets, except they pivot through a 180 degree arc. 0 degrees is transport, 90 degrees is mowing, 180 degrees is the stop lock.

Your diagram looks like an Italian design, but the principle applies there too. Toplink is shortened to the front of the slot for transport, lengthened to the middle of the slot for mowing. During mowing the toplink will move back and forth in the slow relative to slope. Hitting the back of the slot prevents the mower from tipping forward.

All this of course assumes that the floating toplink bracket is factory (or a correctly sized aftermarket) and that the toplink itself is correctly sized to the implement. Again, a hydraulic toplink enables you to do all this without even leaving the tractor seat.

//greg//

No this is not possible! Seriously!

Something has to keep the front of the mower off the ground, or it will cut far too low.

If the top link is floating, the somethign else has to keep the front of the flail off the ground. Since there are no depth wheels, the lift arms are what set the height.

They may be floating in the sense that they can always lift up, but they cannot be dropped to the bottom of their travel and left there (what 99% of people would consider floating). It is impossible.


I also do not see why you need to adjust the length of the top link at all. Set it for the mowing position. When you lift up, it will go to the extreme of it's travel and then stop there. Why do you need to adjust it between mowing and travel? The only difference may be that the rear of the flail hangs down a bit when lifted up.

 

[greg_g]

I also do not see why you need to adjust the length of the top link at all. Set it for the mowing position. When you lift up, it will go to the extreme of it's travel and then stop there. Why do you need to adjust it between mowing and travel? The only difference may be that the rear of the flail hangs down a bit when lifted up.

You're limiting your analysis to the geometry of your Italian style floating bracket. They're much less common in this country, compared to the 90 degree parallel bar type and the 180 degree U-type. I don't know what the exact arc-equivalent of your sliding style might be, but I'll speculate it equates to no more than 45 degrees. So I don't doubt what you say is applicable to your machine.

90 and 180 degree pivoting styles on the other hand, require a shortened toplink for transport and a lengthened toplink for mowing. Again, I refer to the earlier photos as evidence. They depict the 90 degree type. The arc on a 180 degree is even more radical. Depending upon how low you've set the lower lift arms, lifting the flail into the transport position may not even get the roller off the ground. Or at least cause it to hit the ground if/when the tractor rears go through a dip.

The factory photo below depicts a flail with a 180 degree pivoting U-type bracket

//greg//