Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[PatMcD]

The belt guard certainly looks like a Ford.

 

[D2Cat]

I have a 60" mower that looks like that. It's painted Ford blue and says "Ford 917 Special" on the belt shield.

 

[nova3930]

The belt guard certainly looks like a Ford.

That was my thought too....

I have a 60" mower that looks like that. It's painted Ford blue and says "Ford 917 Special" on the belt shield.

Thanks. Confirming my suspicions. Probably go look at it tomorrow afternoon.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

Anyone for a rousing game of "name that flail?

This one has come up for sale near me for what I consider a decent price. 48" in width, so a nice size for the little yanmar.

I think its a Ford 917 of some flavor but some parts look significantly different than what I remember from the one I had previously. The lift pin attachment also seems to be missing the float arms I remember? Could that be factor or is that a hack job somebody did?

I'm going to say that it is a Ford 917 that someone hacked off the original float arms and welded on solid plates. I had a 5' 917 and it was a good mower - had to sell it when I got a bigger tractor. You can put Alamo/Mott blades on them, but that's the only part that is interchangeable. Messicks should have most of the parts you'd need for the mower otherwise, including the original (course cut) airplane wing blades.

 

[downsizingnow48]

Downsizing -- is it your intent to lower those extra wheels taking weight off the roller , both for transport and to keep control and prevent sideways tipping when the cutter is swung out I suppose ? Nice installation/mod. How is that mower working out reaching out over bank edges, ditches, etc. ?

The wheels are for moving the mower from place to place and positioning for mowing. Once in position, the wheels are lifted so the mower rests on the roller. They operate very smoothly when the mower is pushed out to the side and back again, also driving around the yard. So far I only operated it in the yard to make sure everything works as planned and to fit the PTO driveshaft. I have a few steep banks to mow, but what I mostly have is a lot of uneven ground and difficult to reach areas under the redwood trees. I wanted the tilt cylinder (used in float) so the mower can tip from side to side and better track the ground. I wanted the side extension so I could get under and around the trees.

 

[nova3930]

I'm going to say that it is a Ford 917 that someone hacked off the original float arms and welded on solid plates. I had a 5' 917 and it was a good mower - had to sell it when I got a bigger tractor. You can put Alamo/Mott blades on them, but that's the only part that is interchangeable. Messicks should have most of the parts you'd need for the mower otherwise, including the original (course cut) airplane wing blades.

Yeah I had a 917L at one point when I was first clearing my property. Would chew up and spit out anything. I could put float arms back on it but really don't need them. Plan to use it for what little heavy stuff I have around the fence rows.

 

[Fallon]

I'm going to say that it is a Ford 917 that someone hacked off the original float arms and welded on solid plates. I had a 5' 917 and it was a good mower - had to sell it when I got a bigger tractor. You can put Alamo/Mott blades on them, but that's the only part that is interchangeable. Messicks should have most of the parts you'd need for the mower otherwise, including the original (course cut) airplane wing blades.

That was kind of my guess. Was going to match the float arms to mine as other bits look pretty close to my 917.

 

[polarred21]

Not sure if already discussed here, offset flail on a subcompact:

 

[foggy1111]

Just received and set up my Woodmaxx FM78H mower this week. Went pretty smooth.....with it taking me about 3 hours to get things set-up properly (yeah....I'm a bit slow). The pics below show the offset.....which, at the time of the pics, I had not adjusted for level. With a little fine tuning.......I took it for a spin. Seems like I have plenty of power for this unit....tho there is not much heavy stuff to cut yet. Really allot of bang for the buck with this unit. Seems ****-bent-for stout and property engineered. I bought the flail blades (all they had) and an extra set as well as spare belts. For my needs I think the knives will do a nicer job. I was quite impressed with the build quality and materials received. The assembly manual has some variations from current production....but nothing that cannot be figured out. Looking forward to mowing season. Gonna love that hydraulic shift right. OH....and the paint makes a good match for my Bota.

 

[arto98607]

Had a quick look at their website and the products look pretty good!


I found a statement that the chipper knives are US made but nothing about the rest of the equipment or flail mowers origin - anyone here with more info on that?