Buying used flail mower (JD or Ford)

[Tinhack]

That could be one of the reason FM is reorganizing. You can go down to a hardware store and get a flange bearing for $20-30. I replaced one of mine on my old Caldwell Barracuda flail and I know it wasn't $150. All I had to do is drill new holes for the flange. With the wheels on the back, you don't need the roller anyway so that point is mute. We can speculate all day on the condition of the equipment. I don't know what "Ready to Go" means. Is that the seller's statement or the buyer's statement? An in-person inspection would be necessary. As a side note, I can still get the "spoon flails" for my Barracuda for a couple of bucks each.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

That could be one of the reason FM is reorganizing. You can go down to a hardware store and get a flange bearing for $20-30. I replaced one of mine on my old Caldwell Barracuda flail and I know it wasn't $150. All I had to do is drill new holes for the flange. With the wheels on the back, you don't need the roller anyway so that point is mute. We can speculate all day on the condition of the equipment. I don't know what "Ready to Go" means. Is that the seller's statement or the buyer's statement? An in-person inspection would be necessary. As a side note, I can still get the "spoon flails" for my Barracuda for a couple of bucks each.

Ford used a cast arm for holding their bearing. The arm was that price, not the bearing. And just putting a flange bearing onto the body of the flail wouldn't work. The roller height would be out of whack, and the roller length would be off because of the way the the arm holds the bearing. Flailmaster was the only place I could find the arm. Even Messick's couldn't get it. So just going down to the hardware store and getting a "flange bearing for $20-30" is NOT a solution for this, IF the arms are missing.

It also looks like there is a crack in the hood of the Ford in one of the pictures. If you can weld that won't be a problem. It should be addressed to keep rigidity of the unit and prevent rust.

The wheels will help with the roller missing, but the roller is better for areas that are not as level from my experience. But backing into light brush will be better with the wheels instead of the roller. It would be a good option to have both available.

The JD390 is still being made. So parts will be available for the JD more readily than the Ford unless you have connections and can have things made. I was very happy with my Ford 917, it's just hard for me to recommend it to people due to parts availability. If you want a mower that will always have parts available look at Alamo. Since those are (or at least were) very heavily used by highway crews there are quite a few aftermarket companies making parts for them. JD still has parts available, just not as much aftermarket. If you're not abusing it, parts will not be an issue.

 

[dieselscout80]

Pripyat, I sent you a private message (PM) through this website.

Here is the link to the current JD 390.
Cutters & Shredders | 39 Offset Flail Mower | John Deere US

In the specification on the main page for the 390 it lists the horsepower rating and for the minimum it is 30HP.

Carey

 

[CADplans]

Here is a pic of my JD 390 behind a JD 4105,,,

The tractor will pick it up, but that is about it,,
any grass over about a foot tall will take 110% of the HP that the JD has,,,
in other words,, the JD does not have enough power to mow with the 390,,,

I pull the 390 with a 60HP tractor,, grass over 3 feet tall can give that tractor fits,,

The 390 is a LOT of mower,,,

 

[pripyat]

I'm going to go look at the equipment tomorrow. As of right now I'm thinking that I'll pick up the 390 and see how it goes. If the tractor can't handle it or I'm not happy with the speed I can pull it, I'll just go back and get the smaller Ford unit. I'll try to get better pictures while I'm there. What specifically do I need to be checking and what would you need pictures of to verify if the arms for the roller on the Ford are present?

 

[dieselscout80]

Pripyat, they are numbers 18 and 19 in this picture.

 

[pripyat]

So I went and looked at the mowers today. The guy had all sorts of stuff. I did verify that the Ford does indeed have the bearing mount arms and the roller is not bent. I ended up getting the JD and a 6ft bush hog with 70hp gearbox for $1K even. The bush hog needs a wheel but I've got a 6ft frame with a bad gearbox that will solve that. I haven't messed with the bush hog yet but I did mess with the flail..





One of the bearings on the height roller wouldn't take grease, it had apparently hardened. I pulled the zerk fitting and cleaned it out, dug out what hardened crap I could get and put it back together. It took grease the second time, I guess I'll keep adding grease until I feel like I have flushed all the crud out.







Planning to change the gear oil once I figure out how to drain it? Granted, the oil looked pretty good.


There are 4 bolt holes for the roller height. If 1 were the closest cut and 4 was the tallest cut, I put it in hole 3 to test with. It left a lot of bent-over brush.


I dropped it to the lowest cut and.. wow. It is impressive. This thing is going to save me SO much time.. I was having to go over the thick stuff twice with the 5' bush hog to get a cut that isn't even comparable to what I'm getting with the flail in a single pass. I'm running in M-4 which according to my speed diagram comes to 6.5kmph or 4.0mph. I was manically laughing at one point.. :laughing:

This is what I'm cutting with it -
Mahindra 2545 JD 390 Flail - YouTube

I am SO glad I got the larger cutter. HP isn't going to be a problem apparently. I don't feel like it weighs too much for my 2545, either. I do have water-filled tires, this likely helps. It isn't as cumbersome as the 5' bush hog, in my opinion, because the weight is so close to the tractor and not hanging way out.

Anyway, let me know if I got a good deal and what I need to check or upgrade. Thanks!

 

[CADplans]

Check the gear oil for clarity now that you run it ,,
if the 390 had been sitting for a year or more,, the dirt will settle out, making the oil look clean.

Actually, back, maybe around the 1920's or 1930's, a farm technique was to use engine oil, drain it, and let it settle,, then use the clean oil off the top again.
there is even some kind of tank that helps with the settling,, I saw one in an antique store in PA,, a few years back.

"detergent" engine oil keeps dirt in suspension longer, so it can be filtered, and / or drained,,
but, even that oil will let the dirt settle out after a couple years,,

 

[leonz]

You need to invest in some new side slicer knives unless all your going to is what you showed us in the video.

 

[Skagit]

Welcome to the world of flail mowers! Looks like you got yourself a nice mower, enjoy! Nice to buy a used implement that you can hook up and go right work with without totally rebuilding. My old employer used to buy old equipment all the time thinking we could bring it home and put it in the field the next day...

You need to invest in some new side slicer knives unless all your going to is what you showed us in the video.

Why...? Looked like maybe a couple bent ones in the first picture but those are hardly worn at all. Need to put it to work and wear them out first.