any betra flail setup or use tips?

[BGigHarbor]

I received my 852 with the 26 inch delmarino mower and the 26 inch betra flail mower today.

Spent some time getting accustomed to the brush mower and starting to get a handle on it.

Any tips on setting up the betra flail or operating tips in grass and light brush with it? Seems like an odd beast and I've no concept in regard to it.

 

[farmerboybill]

When I sell a Berta, I take the baffle out, set the roller at it's highest setting (3 inches), and tip the front bumper all the way up. This allows the fastest ground speed. If you aren't happy with the mowing job, just adjust as necessary. The baffle is only needed when finely shredding a cover crop or spent crop in the garden. Most of the time, it can be left out for a coarser grind. The mower will do just as good a job mowing, but will spit material out sooner, saving HP. I think the bumper should only have one setting - all the way up. I can't think of a single reason why I'd want to run with it down.

 

[mkeith]

I received my 852 with the 26 inch delmarino mower and the 26 inch betra flail mower today.

Spent some time getting accustomed to the brush mower and starting to get a handle on it.

Any tips on setting up the betra flail or operating tips in grass and light brush with it? Seems like an odd beast and I've no concept in regard to it.

I know how you feel. I recently bought the 34 inch flail. Not sure if all the adjustments are the same. I tried it "as-is". It worked, but the mowing height was too low, and the flails were touching earth in some uneven areas. So I lowered the roller to attain the highest mowing height. This worked much better for me. Now the flails rarely touch earth.

Per the manual, when I lowered the roller I re-checked the front guard height. I had to lower it all the way to its lowest setting to get the 1cm clearance called for in the manual. I gather the idea behind that is to prevent large objects from shooting out of the front of the mower when the flail hits them.

I also checked for horizontalness of the mower deck (the manual shows how to do this) and it looked OK, so I didn't change anything. The adjustment for that seems kind of complicated, so I am glad it was OK. All of this checking and adjusting is best done on flat and reasonably level surface (like a concrete slab).

I left the baffle in. I may try taking it out at some point, but for now it is good, as I am a bit behind on mowing some areas, and there is a lot of junk to chop up. Finer is better.

I guess you should make sure the gear box has oil in it before you run it. Mine had oil.

Happy mowing!

--McKenzie

Oh, yeah, just today something hit me hard in the face while I was mowing. I think it was a piece of drip irrigation tubing that I accidentally ran over. I'm still not clear on how it ended up hitting me in the face. Maybe it got wrapped around the flail axle and whipped up and hit me in the face. But it hit VERY hard, and I was initially concerned that I might be injured. I had to stop mowing and go look in the mirror. Just a minor cut. Anyway, I recommend you avoid mowing over irrigation tubing, obviously, but it might be a good idea to wear a chainsaw helmet with faceguard while mowing. I know I will do that from now on.

 

[farmerboybill]

Hey McKenzie,

You make a valid point about the bumper being down to protect from flying objects. I was thinking more about getting material into the rotor, not about objects flying back out. If the bumper is higher, the material will flow in better, but you do increase the risk of flak.

As far as your experience with the flak (my guess would be ricochet off a fencepost, tree, or wall), get yourself a chainsaw helmet. I use mine for sawing, trimming, and running mower. Long sleeved shirt, denim pants, gloves, and boots are a good good idea, too.

EDIT - should have added "safety glasses" to the list of items that should be worn. They're just another line of defense for your eyes under the mask's screen.

 

[mkeith]

Hey McKenzie,

You make a valid point about the bumper being down to protect from flying objects. I was thinking more about getting material into the rotor, not about objects flying back out. If the bumper is higher, the material will flow in better, but you do increase the risk of flak.

As far as your experience with the flak (my guess would be ricochet off a fencepost, tree, or wall), get yourself a chainsaw helmet. I use mine for sawing, trimming, and running mower. Long sleeved shirt, denim pants, gloves, and boots are a good good idea, too.

View attachment 326493

Yeah, maybe could have been a ricochet. As far as the bumper goes, I just followed the directions in the manual for lack of any contrary advice. I did notice that the fingers bend backward to allow material to flow in, but they don't bend forward to let things out. That is the extent of my experience with it. ;-)

I agree about the chainsaw helmet. I have one and will always wear it when mowing from now on.

--McKenzie

 

[clytle374]

I thought there was a rear adjustment on the Berta to adjust for larger tires.
Cory

 

[mkeith]

The only other adjustment mentioned in my manual was to make sure the mower deck is parallel to the ground (horizontalness). This would be affected by taller tires. I think this is what you are talking about. I didn't have to do it. And words won't help to explain it. Just have to look in the manual to see what I am talking about. There is a specific place on the mower where you are supposed to check.

--McKenzie

 

[farm23]

Don't do as I did. I used the mower in the wrong position for 3 weeks and wondered why I was disappointed with the performance. When I woke up and turned the mower to be in front of engine it made all the difference.

 

[farm23]

This weekend we hosted a farm tour and did some demo's. The one that got the most interest was using the BCS with the flail mower cutting buck wheat. Ours is set up as farmerboybill suggested and has been from the beginning. I don't have bush mower but the flail does everything I need.

 

[leonz]

I received my 852 with the 26 inch delmarino mower and the 26 inch betra flail mower today.

Spent some time getting accustomed to the brush mower and starting to get a handle on it.

Any tips on setting up the Berta flail or operating tips in grass and light brush with it? Seems like an odd beast and I've no concept in regard to it.

Gig harbor? Maine?


You should have a manual for the Berta (I hope) The Berta flail mower will workl fine for finish and brush mowing as long as you do not travel too fast for conditions to permit the flail knives to shred the grass and brush.

You will be able to go over the grass again to shred it even more finely as well as the mowed brush. You will also be able to mow the grass when its wet with zero issues.

The rear roller is how the mowers cutting height is adjusted on your Berta if the mower does not have any front casters.

You should have a manual for it Unless you bought it used of course-in that case you can contact Joel who is walkbehindtractorman on the forum here or at EARTHTOOLS.NET