Permaculturist
New member
Hi folks, first post here. I have a couple km of roadside ditches to maintain, and I'm not a fan of driving my massive RC on ditch banks while risking throwing a rock through someone's windshield. Cutting all the brush out with my thinning saw just takes too much time and ruins my blades.
I'm looking at heavy duty offset flail mowers for my 72HP 2012 LS 7010 tractor with loaded tires and a 78" width. I've been going back and forth with one of the dealers out here in NB, and I have been quoted the following...
BERTI TA/S220 Retail for $14,325.00 Sell to you for $10,314.00 + tax
Hammers are on all our machines, we do not bring in anything without hammers.
A set of replacement hammers will be $703.00 + tax
A set of knives will be $458.00 + tax
Spacers & bushings for knives will be $703.00
A set of belts will be $106.05 + tax
The Berti has a few cast parts on it that I'm not sure about. They look like pretty complex brackets, and I have a feeling I'll break them. They list a 3yr warranty on cast parts, but I imagine these parts aren't cheap, and 3yrs isn't very long for a machine that will only get used a few times a year. I've seen another user here, GinNB, talking about problems with his Berti flail which also worries me.
[EDIT: I was mistaken.. it's the Orsi model that has the cast parts, not the Berti. I'd still like to talk with GinNB about his problems, but it doesn't look like I can PM him]
Another local dealer has quoted me $11k +tax for an ORSI Competition O-S H200 but the gearbox is rated at maximum 60HP which concerns me.
I can also get a MASCHIO MAS-GIRAFFA210 for $15,250 plus tax. but this price looks to be about $5k high out here. I'm going to see what I can find in other provinces and see what kind of deal they'll swing for the freight. This machine is my current favourite.
When I'm not mowing ditches I would like to use the same machine towed inline to do a better job on my trails and eventually (once my blueberry field is fully developed) I want to use it for topping blueberries.
Today is a rain day for me, so I am reading everything I can find here on TBN, watching vids on youtube and digging online. I plan to pull the trigger on a machine as early as next week if I can find the right one, and get comfortable with all this information.
I would like to keep the all-in price below $15k if I can. I want a machine with hammers mounted, a spare set of belts and a set of knives for finish mowing pastures and trails. My preference is to buy from a company in the Maritimes, but I'll look at Ontario and Quebec (if I have too).
I am not interested in buying used equipment, and I need something TOUGH. Let's just say my theme song is Corb Lund's "Hard On Equipment" so I need fast access to service and replacement parts. There's nothing worse than waiting 2 months for a part when you need to get a job done last week. I would much rather spend the extra money now and get a machine I know will hold up to anything I can throw at it.
I'll probably keep my RC for plowing through the big stuff and cutting new trails, then switch to the flail for finish cutting and shredding all the slash that the RC misses.
So... if anyone from The Flail Nation could help steer me in the right direction, I'd be eternally grateful
In the meantime I'm heading back to the massive, 326 page Let's Talk Flail Mowers thread for more education :cool2:
(had to strip out all my hyperlinks because I don't have 5 posts yet)
I'm looking at heavy duty offset flail mowers for my 72HP 2012 LS 7010 tractor with loaded tires and a 78" width. I've been going back and forth with one of the dealers out here in NB, and I have been quoted the following...
BERTI TA/S220 Retail for $14,325.00 Sell to you for $10,314.00 + tax
Hammers are on all our machines, we do not bring in anything without hammers.
A set of replacement hammers will be $703.00 + tax
A set of knives will be $458.00 + tax
Spacers & bushings for knives will be $703.00
A set of belts will be $106.05 + tax
The Berti has a few cast parts on it that I'm not sure about. They look like pretty complex brackets, and I have a feeling I'll break them. They list a 3yr warranty on cast parts, but I imagine these parts aren't cheap, and 3yrs isn't very long for a machine that will only get used a few times a year. I've seen another user here, GinNB, talking about problems with his Berti flail which also worries me.
[EDIT: I was mistaken.. it's the Orsi model that has the cast parts, not the Berti. I'd still like to talk with GinNB about his problems, but it doesn't look like I can PM him]
Another local dealer has quoted me $11k +tax for an ORSI Competition O-S H200 but the gearbox is rated at maximum 60HP which concerns me.
I can also get a MASCHIO MAS-GIRAFFA210 for $15,250 plus tax. but this price looks to be about $5k high out here. I'm going to see what I can find in other provinces and see what kind of deal they'll swing for the freight. This machine is my current favourite.
When I'm not mowing ditches I would like to use the same machine towed inline to do a better job on my trails and eventually (once my blueberry field is fully developed) I want to use it for topping blueberries.
Today is a rain day for me, so I am reading everything I can find here on TBN, watching vids on youtube and digging online. I plan to pull the trigger on a machine as early as next week if I can find the right one, and get comfortable with all this information.
I would like to keep the all-in price below $15k if I can. I want a machine with hammers mounted, a spare set of belts and a set of knives for finish mowing pastures and trails. My preference is to buy from a company in the Maritimes, but I'll look at Ontario and Quebec (if I have too).
I am not interested in buying used equipment, and I need something TOUGH. Let's just say my theme song is Corb Lund's "Hard On Equipment" so I need fast access to service and replacement parts. There's nothing worse than waiting 2 months for a part when you need to get a job done last week. I would much rather spend the extra money now and get a machine I know will hold up to anything I can throw at it.
I'll probably keep my RC for plowing through the big stuff and cutting new trails, then switch to the flail for finish cutting and shredding all the slash that the RC misses.
So... if anyone from The Flail Nation could help steer me in the right direction, I'd be eternally grateful
In the meantime I'm heading back to the massive, 326 page Let's Talk Flail Mowers thread for more education :cool2:(had to strip out all my hyperlinks because I don't have 5 posts yet)
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