Anybody with a Bestco Flail Mower Unhappy with anything at all??

[KeithT]

Gentleman, thank you for your words of wisdom!

I am in Morgantown. Not too far from Moundsville.

One question I do have; there was no mention in the owners manual of setting proper belt tension. Any recommendations?

So far I love it!

 

[the old grind]

IIRC, I read 1/4" to 1/2" deflection, presumably with finger pressure.

 

[KeithT]

Thank you

 

[the old grind]

Apologies for bumping 4 weeks after the OP's last post & question, but we kinda went somewhere with the brand.

I'm sure I wasn't the only one happy with my Betstco implement so far, and the expected customer-automated weekly email showed me a nice goodie that IMO is pretty sweet with a supposed 40% discount.

I have no experience to go on (yet lol), but for guys who are as likely to build as to buy something, simpler is often better and easier to repair.

 

[leonz]

Gentleman, thank you for your words of wisdom!

I am in Morgantown. Not too far from Moundsville.

One question I do have; there was no mention in the owners manual of setting proper belt tension. Any recommendations?

So far I love it!

========================================================================================================================================


A Gates V belt tension gauge from amazon or another retailer is fool proof as long as you follow the directions and make several copies of the instructions to have on hand.

 

[bill9068]

Hi, I got my betsco flail mower last week. Uncrated it and put a quart of 80-90 gear oil in it and greased all the zerts. Tried it out Tuesday and it did great. Cut wet grass after a rain and it worked with no issues. The only thing I noticed is the gear box was hot after using for about an hour. Anyone else notice the gearbox temp?

 

[the old grind]

Mine's gear box is still running hot after a dozen hours or so of cutting, a few hrs at a time. I wonder if this will fade as the gears 'break in'. There's surprisingly little mechanical noise when mowing.

I really like how easy it is to check/adjust belt tension and grease up for a run. Takes 10-15 min vs twice that on the ZTR to grease and change its blades. I've smacked a few unseen rocks, nothing bigger than a golf ball so far. Haven't replaced a hammer yet despite fearing one might shatter when doing that.

btw, anything my Betstco flail passes over twice is ready for the ZTR, including small brush piles (pruned twigs, laying ankle-high) mole-hills, and other 'surprises'.

 

[KeithT]

I adjusted the belt tension this weekend. Very easy. I cut for an hour and not anything scientific but laid my gloved hand on the gear box. It was hot but not any more than I would expect. I was rushed, but next time I can check it with an infrared thermometer.

As a side note, has any one sourced belts from amazon for these mowers yet?

 

[jgedmond]

I called Bestco yesterday to inquire about a ditch bank flail mower. The guy who answered (didn't give a name) sounded like he couldn't be bothered to talk to me. Asked what would work for my Mahindra 3616, he says 41" or 48" models. Peruzo says that their 60" mowers would work well with the 3616. When I calculate the weight ratio of tractor to mower, Bestco wants about 5:1 and Peruzzo about 3:1. Seems like a huge difference and I don't understand why. Any ideas?

 

[KeithT]

I am not familiar with that model Mahindra. But my Kioti 3510 (30 pto hp) does fine with my 60?

When I ordered mine they were running low on inventory with no idea when more would be available due to the tariff situation with China. So, maybe that is all they have...