Flail Size for a Kubota MX5000?

   / Flail Size for a Kubota MX5000? #1  

GBS

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Dec 13, 2011
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Tractor
Kubota MX5000
Hi All,

I am bouncing back and forth on what size flail mower to run on an MX5000 (50 hp engine, 44 "claimed hp" at the PTO). My main use will be to reclaim and then maintain perimeters of productive hay fields. The first pass may be brushy, but subsequent mowing would be just grass, maintaining access around.

I am not considering any kind of boom, bank, or ditch type flail. I would be running a manual side shift (no remotes) and am considering Del Morino's, mostly. Their widths include 62, 72, 84".

62" seems too small, barely the width of the tractor. 72" seems good, but 84" is basically the same price as the 72". And that's another 12" of mowing per pass! I could justify the extra foot and perhaps "single pass" would be enough in many spots.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Does an MX5000 have enough HP and mass to handle an 84" flail?

Thanks!
 
   / Flail Size for a Kubota MX5000? #3  
I run a 1000 lb Loftness 72” with side slicer Y blades behind my kioti ck3510 (35hp engine 29 pto). Never misses a beat. I’d go 84” with your machine.

In the end if the grass/brush is high and you are short power you can always bite off 1/2 or 3/4 wide chunks - but you can’t bite off 1-1/3 size chunks starting with 72”!!!
 
   / Flail Size for a Kubota MX5000? #4  
I have a 72” flail running on about 44 PTO HP. Just monthly maintaining old Bahai and Bermuda grass pastures the tractor barely knows it’s back there. It just hums along. An 84” should be just fine on a MX 5000. I find the flail takes much less horsepower than a standard rotary cutter, and the better cut and lack of windrows is the biggest plus for the flail. The tire tracks left by the grass popping back up is my biggest complaint.
 
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   / Flail Size for a Kubota MX5000? #5  
Hi All,

I am bouncing back and forth on what size flail mower to run on an MX5000 (50 hp engine, 44 "claimed hp" at the PTO). My main use will be to reclaim and then maintain perimeters of productive hay fields. The first pass may be brushy, but subsequent mowing would be just grass, maintaining access around.

I am not considering any kind of boom, bank, or ditch type flail. I would be running a manual side shift (no remotes) and am considering Del Morino's, mostly. Their widths include 62, 72, 84".

62" seems too small, barely the width of the tractor. 72" seems good, but 84" is basically the same price as the 72". And that's another 12" of mowing per pass! I could justify the extra foot and perhaps "single pass" would be enough in many spots.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Does an MX5000 have enough HP and mass to handle an 84" flail?

Thanks!
New member here. I am looking at a similar purchase for my 2016 Kubota M5140 with cab and FEL. The owner's manual says 52 hp on engine and 46 hp at PTO. I am cutting about 18 acres of medium thick fescue formerly in hay for the past thirty years. I have been looking also and found most flail mowers are out of stock on 72" and 84" with long delivery timelines. At first, I was interested in the hydraulic offset version flail mulchers, primarily for some steep banks. These units allow the entire cutter to swing out past the rear tire and are very tempting. But I shied away primarily due to my concerns about the parallelogram arm mounting. My reasoning is that all that mass swinging out there must be stressful at the pivot points. Even though the tractor mount is 3 point, the majority of weight of the mower appears to be carried mostly by the right side 3 point lifting arm. With most manufacturers there is a heavy looking yoke connecting to the other 3 pt lift arm and the top link, but most of the support appears to be carried by the right lift arm. I am not an engineer and I am sure some real engineers have worked this designs to be functional, but in my opinion there might be problems with wear down the road and I choose to go with what looks to me to be a sturdier mount.

I like the build quality on the Maschio units I have seen, but they seem to be on the more expensive side. I have decided to go with the widest flail mower suitable for my tractor but with a solid 3 point hitch mount. Also, I will probably opt for hydraulic side shift, which will allow me to offset the flail out beyond the tires 8 or 10 inches on either side as needed. I am close to ordering a Maschio Brava 200S (78" cut swath) with hydraulic side shift (waiting on a quote). I hope this helps.
 
   / Flail Size for a Kubota MX5000?
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Thanks everyone for your helpful replies. The Del Morino 214 models are hard to find right now but they seem like a good fit.
 
   / Flail Size for a Kubota MX5000? #7  
Maybe check out Nova Tractor's MFZ flail. Sizing is really dependent upon speed: I went larger, larger than the manufacturer recommends, but this is mitigated by the fact that my ground isn't conducive to fast travel as it's really pretty rough. (NOTE: I've cut 9'+ tall grass with my B7800 and a 5' RC, VERY SLOWLY!)

I'm running their MXZ220, which is 87" cutting width, and have been pleased with it's performance. I compared the specs against the top-end Italian stuff and found it to be very close. Hydraulic side-shift is something that I wouldn't be without. I bought my unit for $3,600 two years ago, which was a great deal: now they're $4,300.
 
   / Flail Size for a Kubota MX5000? #8  
The Del Morino units look good They seem to be @ 300 lbs lighter as well, but the dealer I contacted says the distributor says model FLI214CMSS 84'' MOWER AND MODEL FLI186CMSS 72'' MOWER NOT TIL FEB. I am looking for a much sooner purchase. Good luck.
 
   / Flail Size for a Kubota MX5000? #9  
Maybe check out Nova Tractor's MFZ flail. Sizing is really dependent upon speed: I went larger, larger than the manufacturer recommends, but this is mitigated by the fact that my ground isn't conducive to fast travel as it's really pretty rough. (NOTE: I've cut 9'+ tall grass with my B7800 and a 5' RC, VERY SLOWLY!)

I'm running their MXZ220, which is 87" cutting width, and have been pleased with it's performance. I compared the specs against the top-end Italian stuff and found it to be very close. Hydraulic side-shift is something that I wouldn't be without. I bought my unit for $3,600 two years ago, which was a great deal: now they're $4,300.
Thanks for the lead on this company. The website says NOVATRACTOR is located in Houston, do you know where the flail mowers are made? One place on their website says IN STOCK and another says available in April but does not specify the year. I will contact them to check on availability.

Update: I found several posts 3 years old by Possum Farm. He bought one and says they are made in China.
 
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   / Flail Size for a Kubota MX5000? #10  
For your mule you should choose the Hiniker model 5700 6-foot flail shredder for your use.
If the tow bar is adjustable to the far left or right the Hiniker flail crop shredder will fill your needs.
It has a CV PTO SHAFT which allows for tight turns, manually adjustable mower height as standard
equipment or hydraulically adjustable mower height as an option, flail cup knives mounted on short
chains which reduce's the chance of damaging the flail mower rotor and it has a parking stand.
 

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