woodmaxx flail mower?

dalola · Jun 25, 2017

Good to hear!

Can anyone comment on cut quality with a higher setting (4"+), especially when finish mowing? I never finish mow under 4", and some have said cut quality is not as good above 2-3". Just curious if anyone has noticed that as well.

RoyJackson · Jun 30, 2017

Woodmaxx delayed shipment from mid-July to late August...that sucks.
Agri-Supply has the Caroni units in stock, but they don't have the hydraulic side-shift kits...don't even sell them. Anyway, any money saved buying the Caroni would be eaten by shipping costs (Woodmaxx provides free shipping).
Well, hopefully Woodmaxx will receive their flail mowers earlier than late August...

Update 2017-06-30, 1646:
Well, ended up going for a Caroni and the hydraulic side shift kits are sold by Agri-Supply. the associate at Agri-Supply went above and beyond the call of duty.
So, all told, with the hydraulic kit and shipping, it's going to be a few hundred dollars more than the Woodmaxx...but I'll have the flail mower in about two weeks (rather than 8). I'll have to order and install the hydraulic side shift kit once they're in stock (mid-July)

gbw · Jun 30, 2017

Is there any reason not to look at the Value-Leader flails?

Or does anyone own one?

They sell for considerably less, as low as $1325 delivered for the 28 scoop blade 68" model. Sold under several names, Titan and Farmer Helper are 2 I know of, both have model EFGC175 for the 'heavy duty' 68" model. But other than what they say in their advertising, which sounds good, I know nothing of them.

sidecarist · Jun 30, 2017

dalola said:
Good to hear!

Can anyone comment on cut quality with a higher setting (4"+), especially when finish mowing? I never finish mow under 4", and some have said cut quality is not as good above 2-3". Just curious if anyone has noticed that as well.

I have mine all the way up. I'd guess that its at about 5" Most of my cutting is on pasture etc. and not very smooth ground. I did cut part of the lawn that had clover that was very thick and the ZTR mower was struggling. It cut it well, but would leave clumps occasionally. If the mower had been lower it would have had more vacuum effect and reprocessed the clover better eliminating the clumps.

Its cut quality is very good over all. Not quite as good as my ZTR but then again it will go places and mow things that the ZTR couldn't possibly do. If I had to rate is I would say that cut quality is 80% of what the ZTR is.

Hope that makes sense for you.

Ricn · Jun 30, 2017

I believe the top cutting height of the Woodmaxx is 4 inches maximum adjusted at the roller. AT least that is what Woodmaxx told me when ordering one. Adjusting the top link might get someone a little more..

Ricn

dalola · Jun 30, 2017

Thanks sidecarist, good info! Just not sure what to do....can't afford a $2000 experiment. Currently looking for a good used RFM, but if I haven't found anything by August, may give the Woodmaxx flail a shot. I suppose if it doesn't work out, I shouldn't have too much trouble selling it, as they seem kind of hard to get.

Ricn · Jun 30, 2017

Ordered mine on 4/28, model 62H having side to side hydraulics. Joel at Woodmaxx told me that in general, the units are all pre-sold when getting their shipments in. Mine is now on the delivery truck headed west so should be here soon; shipping via Old Dominion Freight Co.

Ricn

leonz · Jul 1, 2017

if your worried about buying a flail mower you can check for municipal surplus auctions as they generally have lots of flail mowers in them for sale and you wont be out $2000.00 or just invest in a 47 inch Caroni flail mower.

IslandTractor · Jul 1, 2017

RoyJackson said:
Woodmaxx delayed shipment from mid-July to late August...that sucks.
Agri-Supply has the Caroni units in stock, but they don't have the hydraulic side-shift kits...don't even sell them. Anyway, any money saved buying the Caroni would be eaten by shipping costs (Woodmaxx provides free shipping).
Well, hopefully Woodmaxx will receive their flail mowers earlier than late August...

Update 2017-06-30, 1646:
Well, ended up going for a Caroni and the hydraulic side shift kits are sold by Agri-Supply. the associate at Agri-Supply went above and beyond the call of duty.
So, all told, with the hydraulic kit and shipping, it's going to be a few hundred dollars more than the Woodmaxx...but I'll have the flail mower in about two weeks (rather than 8). I'll have to order and install the hydraulic side shift kit once they're in stock (mid-July)

I think you'll be happy with the Caroni. My TM1900 is now ten years old and doing fine.

There are a few tricks of the trade to consider. For starters, if side shift is critical you can just set the mower up side shifted manually and leave it that way so long as you don't need to drive into a garage or barn. Takes maybe 15 min to switch from normal to side shift with hand tools. Faster with air tools. I find that the normal position gives me about 12" of cut outside right rear tire and that is sufficient for cutting near fences and trees. Probably need the offset kit to cut under fences.

You're in VT. If the land is rocky, be prepared to lose occasional sets of knives. AgriSupply sells replacements but many Caroni owners buy knives and stronger clevises from Flailmaster. Part numbers buried in the long flail mower thread. Clevises from Flailmaster require modification with big vice and grinder to fit but don't break like the lighter Caroni clevises. I suspect the Caroni clevises are designed to be the weak point. I've switched to Flailmaster and never had one break. If Inbought a new TM1900 I'd take off all the Caroni clevises, knives and nut/bolts and sell them to other TBNers as replacements. AgriSupply charges about $17-18 for each set. Selling the 28 sets new would more than pay for the purchase of the less expensive Flailmaster replacements. Caroni sets are absolutely fine if you are not in rocky soil.

Flail gearboxes often dribble oil out the vent cap. Can fix that if it bothers you by inserting a spacer to raise it up. Metric threads. Again part number and source listed in big flail thread.

Caroni supplied belts are not Kevlar. Buy a spare set of three Gates Kevlar B43 belts. You'll need them by the second season. Kevlar belts last me about three or four seasons.

Grease each day you mow. All bearings on mine are fine after ten years.

RoyJackson · Jul 1, 2017

IslandTractor said:
I think you'll be happy with the Caroni. My TM1900 is now ten years old and doing fine.

There are a few tricks of the trade to consider. For starters, if side shift is critical you can just set the mower up side shifted manually and leaving that way. Takes maybe 15 min to switch from normal to side shift with hand tools. Faster with air tools. I find that the normal position gives me about 12" of cut outside right rear tire and that is sufficient for cutting near fences and trees. Probably need the offset kit to cut under fences.

You're in VT. If the land is rocky, be prepared to lose occasional sets of knives. AgriSupply sells replacements but many Caroni owners buy knives and stronger clevises from Flailmaster. Part numbers buried in the long flail mower thread. Clevises from Flailmaster require modification with big vice and grinder to fit but don't break like the lighter Caroni clevises. I suspect the Caroni clevises are designed to be the weak point. I've switched to Flailmaster and never had one break. If Inbought a new TM1900 I'd take off all the Caroni clevises, knives and nut/bolts and sell them to other TBNers as replacements. AgriSupply charges about $17-18 for each set. Selling the 28 sets new would more than pay for the purchase of the less expensive Flailmaster replacements. Caroni sets are absolutely fine if you are not in rocky soil.

Flail gearboxes often dribble oil out the vent cap. Can fix that if it bothers you by inserting a spacer to raise it up. Metric threads. Again part number and source listed in big flail thread.

Caroni supplied belts are not Kevlar. Buy a spare set of three Gates Kevlar B43 belts. You'll need them by the second season. Kevlar belts last me about three or four seasons.

Grease each day you mow. All bearings on mine are fine after ten years.

Thanks for the advice, IT!!

I'm looking forward to getting the mower. I've priced the side shift kit (not in stock right now)...purchasing that would put the Caroni cost a bit more than the Woodmaxx. But I just can''t wait another 8 weeks for the Woodmaxx.
I'd already read a couple of your posts about the time it took to shift the 3PH frame (and I do have air powered tools) as well as your posts about Flailmaster. Although I planned to buy the hydraulic kit (when they're in stock at Agri-Supply), I think I'll go the manual route for a while. I can always go for the hydraulic kit later since it's an easy retro-fit.

I was mowing the field (3-4 acres...never hit a rock) with a Frontier (Woods) finishing mower. That's a great mower, but too many clumps when the grass was more then 4-5 inches high. The clumping was why I decided to go with a flail mower.

One thing I was a bit concerned about was the weight difference between the Caroni and Woodmaxx. The Woodmaxx is 200 lbs heavier then the Caroni. However, I found the different is due to the hydraulic side shift...once that's installed on the Caroni, the weight difference is negligible.

Good possibility I'll have more questions once the mower is delivered (in about 2 weeks).