I just bought a Ford 917L, 22BU5001, 51" width with 40 mounting points on the shaft. The blades currently on it hang as a pair off a single bolt, and are about 4 1/4" long (3 1/2" straight down, then they bend left or right, so the pair form a "Y" shape). I want to use it for pretty rough terrain: mowing wild blueberry fields. I have an old Mott hammer-knife mower, where the blades are mounted on a "D" ring that allows them to swivel and bounce off rocks, etc., and was hoping to mount a similar hammer-knife set-up on this Ford 917L. Can anyone advise me as to what options I have in switching these straight hanging blades to a "D" ring/hammer knife type blade on this mower? Thanks.
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What you are referring to is what is called a side slicer knive.
They are used in heavy and light brush mowing so you have no worries there.
You just have to mindfull of your ground speed be sure the mower is serviced
and the belt is good.
The flailmower rotor on this model was designed this way to
work with the longer knives to reduce the diameter of the flail mower rotor
(and the greater cost of building a large diameter rotor) and that is something
you cannot get away from.
You will have no problems with this mower as long as you purchase the
right "side slicer knives" for it.
With this mower you will be able to back up and mow at the same time which
is not possible with the scoop/duck foot knives.
Do you have a trash door on the rear of this flail mower?
No worries just be sure to go slow at the first mowing and have spare knives.
you can buy them from clean cutter or flail master less expensively.
