Flail Mower Berti TA200 ditch flail

[3Lfarms]

I did it! I won the silent auction a local city was having on some of their old equipment. The auction had one really bad picture...so bad I barely knew what I was looking at. Did not even know the size or model number. There was just the one picture from the side, and the description "Bertie mower". They even misspelled Berti. Lol
Anyway, I got the call yesterday and I went and picked it up today.
I found out the size and model number by looking at the ID plate. It was built in 2001. They said it worked fine last year when it was last used.
Plans are to clean and lube it and see if it works. When we picked it up with a loader, the hammers looked alright. The one change they made was to add a big piece of rubber on the front to help keep the tractor clean. Apparently the city had to pay some claims for broken windows and I think the bean counters forced its sale.
Here is the pic after setting it in the rental trailer.




Out the door cost....$500.

 

[leonz]

I want to welcome you as the newest resident member of the Flail Mower Nations.
My friend you have a forever mower there, you need a new PTO shaft guard, new belts, change the 90 wt. oil,
order a new manual and spares from a Berti dealer and you will be fine.
You can buy all the parts from a Berti dealer for it. Make sure you purchase Kevlar V belts for replacements when you begin your repairs on it too.
OH and by the way your mower will operate vertically. They did not know that apparently. Most likely the operator was using it vertically and was not mowing away from a residence IF that is what happened which I am pretty sure is what happened AKA operator error. The first thing you need to do is buy a replacement manual and then get rid of that (*&%$%^&*(*&^% rubber flap!!!!!!!!
I hate it when people work on flail mowers that know nothing about them fixing imaginary problems- that rubber flap is an insult to Rube Goldberg!!!!!!


Chain it down before someone steals it on you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[3Lfarms]

Thanks! I figured if I ended up with this one, I'd have to put some time and money into it to get it up to snuff. I just hope the bearings are OK and I don't have to replace them. Wouldn't be the end of the world if I did though.
I was planning on cutting off the rubber flap and mounts. I don't think they understood that a flail shouldn't be used to mow gravel and to keep the roller on the ground.
Any tips on where to get a PTO shaft guard long enough? The ones at my local Tractor Supply are too short.

 

[leonz]

YES. cut the rubber flap and steel work off it!!!! I would cut the welds with a small grinder that way you can weaken the welds and then bend it off and then clean the surface up with the grinder and paint it as it needs paint.

They almost ruined a high quality European made boom mower and now you have it and it will last you a lifetime as long as you take care of it. if you trade up to a bigger mule you will have now problems using it either.

Give me a few minutes to find the Berti dealer closest to you and I will post it here.

The first name that came up as a Berti dealer that I found was Stotz equipment but
Berti is not listed in their equipment lines.

I would call the Edney folks first in any case to save time as the PTO shaft is a eurocardan PTO shaft



Edney Distributing Company Incorporated
8485 215TH Street West
Lakeville, Minnesota 55044
844-757-2850

Please call the Edney folks first as you can obtain an original manual from as well.
Make sure you have all the information from the flail mowers identification plate
in front of you when you call them.
The Edney folks would have the parts you need. That PTO shaft has seen better
days. Its a shame they never stored it indoors.

 

[leonz]

I have attached a current Berti brochure for you here.

You can also send emails to the Berti company in Italy and they will help you.




View attachment 513968

 

[3Lfarms]

I have been playing with it today, and aside from a small leak in one of the hoses, it seems to work fine. Hammers all say Berti and are all intact and have a decent edge. Roller turns fine.
I took the rubber flap off and will cut off the mounts with the plasma cutter and grind them down flush.
One problem I have to fix first is the top link hole is a slot, but it is badly worn on one side. The slot on the other side is sized for a Cat 1 top pin, but the lowers are Cat 2. I don't understand why the top slot was undersized. I think I, going to have to weld in a patch on the worn out side and recut the slot. My question is, does it really need to be a slot, or can I just drill a Cat 2 pin hole so it doesn't side and wear out again?

 

[Renze]

One problem I have to fix first is the top link hole is a slot, but it is badly worn on one side. The slot on the other side is sized for a Cat 1 top pin, but the lowers are Cat 2.

Isnt that hole intended for a stepped bolt, combined cat 1/ cat 2 ?

With a cat 1 toplink you push the cat2 part against the toplink ball and put a lynch pin in the first hole. With a cat 2 toplink you push the toplink pin through till it hits the plate with the smaller diameter hole, and put the lynch pin in the 2nd hole of the stepped bolt.

 

[3Lfarms]

Isnt that hole intended for a stepped bolt, combined cat 1/ cat 2 ?

With a cat 1 toplink you push the cat2 part against the toplink ball and put a lynch pin in the first hole. With a cat 2 toplink you push the toplink pin through till it hits the plate with the smaller diameter hole, and put the lynch pin in the 2nd hole of the stepped bolt.

I just don't understand why one would want to use a Cat1 top link on a heavy cat2 implement. I'm going to rework it into a slot for a standard Cat 2 pin. It's not like I'm going to sell this thing.

I did get more work done on it today. I changed the oil in the gearbox, lubed up the PTO shaft and checked the belts...which seem to be new goodyears.
I did a quick operational check and it spins up with no noise and very little vibration. So I think it's going to work just fine. Just have to get the leaky hose replaced.

I think it's going to get a paint job to match my tractor tomorrow..

 

[leonz]

The top link mount is damaged from improper use of the mower that is why it looks funny.
The slot which is the top link was damaged over time by the use of the mower being rocked
back and forth rather than simply letting it follow the ground contour.

It would be simpler to fabricate a heavy top link weldment using the same thickness of steel as
you need that structural strength to support the mower when raised.

 

[leonz]

The top link mount is damaged from improper use of the mower that is why it looks funny.
The slot which is the top link was damaged over time by the use of the mower being rocked
back and forth rather than simply letting it follow the ground contour.

It would be simpler to fabricate a heavy top link weldment using the same thickness of steel as
you need that structural strength to support the mower when raised.


The other thing is that your going to have to cut both weldments off and then cut steel from the same thickness of sheet steel to make new weldments for it. If you look closely you will see the steel blank that is welded to both ears of the top link. this was done for several reasons.

1. eliminate frame stress when the flail mower is used as a trimming mower to cut back hedges and over growth along a road or vineyard.

2. prevent the top link from tearing the welds when the mower is at a very high negative angle when mowing a ditch bank.

3. the entire weldment left ear, right ear, top weldment connecting both ears is made into one piece of steel due to the way it was welded together to maintain its rigid frame to counter the stress from the mower being moved sideways and also mowing a ditch at a steep angle as well as mowing vertically with it.

4. the left and right weldments are also welded on the inside also to maintain the hitch in one rigid piece.

If you have vibration you need to find it and correct it otherwise your going to have more work. You can purchase new eurocardan spider bearings and parts to replace the old ones and that is where I would start first as that mower was abused and the universal joints are automatically suspect as you should have Zero Vibration and I mean Zero Vibration no matter what whether the mower is directly behind the mule or off to the side or when the flail mower is used vertically.

I would order replacement bearings when you order the PTO shaft shield and the larger round shield for the gearbox as its whipped as well.

I am not trying to spend your money, and you have work to do to correct the abuse that beautiful machine was put through as they really abused and miss used it and it only makes more work for you sadly. When the repairs are done you will have a beautiful mower again.

 

[3Lfarms]

After a few days work, I got the mower back together with new U-joints, hoses, PTO cover, and a coat of paint. I went and tested it out today and all seems well.
I am concerned that I need to raise the right 3-point arm to level the mower out. I've read the Berti owners manual, and they don't really talk about how to adjust it. The new models don't have the swing shackle on the right side like this one does. I think that it to allow some give if it hits an obstacle. Am I way off?





I have to find a shorter pin. All I could find were long ones, so I put a sleeve on it so it wouldn't work through the other side and keep it from swinging, but I have to be very careful or when the mower is offset the PTO cover will touch.

 

[leonz]

Nope not at all.
Anytime the mower is on the ground it could contact something that is sticking up out of the ground and between the wheels as you mow on the ground.

 

[Pfm1011]

I know this is a few years old but could use some help . I just picked up a 2003 TA200 with hammers , good shape except for paint fade. It weighs 590 Kilo I was going to try to run this on a dk55 or L6060 . Will it work or too small?. They say 60 horse min at berti but...... I have looked at tn75 or similar but I want a machine I can trailer. will 50 pto work or fall short Mostly 1 inch bush but some 3 inch pines,

Whats the max tree you have executed and with what horse?

 

[leonz]

UNLESS you have a belly pan for either mule I would not under any circumstances
mow with them as a sapling that is partially wacked will come back up and may rip a coolant
line or put a hole in the radiator.
Backing over the one inch bush wood will work but the 3 inch pine will really be bad for it.
Maybe after you cut them off at the ground level and let them rot over winter and late spring
they will be dry and dead enough to back over them to shred them.

 

[3Lfarms]

I run mine with 60 hp at the PTO. Its plenty of power most of the time until the grass is wet or thick.
Since it’s an offset ditch mower, you can mow down anything you can get under the front guards without having to drive over it with the tractor. I run with mine offset all the time so it isn’t having to try to lift the tire tracks in the grass to cut it. It also keeps the radiator cleaner since the tractor is only running over what you already cut.
I haven’t tried to mow down any trees, mostly just rabbit brush up to 6 feet tall and 10 feet wide. I just put the tractor in low gear/low range and it only bogs the engine down a couple hundred RPMs, but the bush just disappears. The stems on rabbit brush are all only about 1”, but it takes down a whole bunch of them at the same time.
In heavy green grass, I have to slow down to about 3 or 4 MPH. Once it starts drying out, I can go as fast as I can stay in the seat.
The mower has been flawless. I can say that it will purée a cinder block and turn 1/2” rebar into a pretzel. Barbed wire has been the only thing to stop it thus far.
That took a half hour with an angle grinder to cut all of the wire out, but being able to rotate it up to work on it makes it pretty easy.

 

[Pfm1011]

Thanks for response
Where are you getting parts and do you have a belt PN as I cant find the Berti Belt or a cross reference

 

[3Lfarms]

I haven’t really needed parts, other than new hydraulic hoses. I am guessing the hammers were replaced at some point, but they all say Berti on them. I figure they ordered new ones from a Berti distributor. The belts that were on it when I got it were new and tight so I haven’t messed with them. All the bearings are still in good shape with no slop in them. I just grease all the zerks every 8 hours and it seems happy.

 

[Pfm1011]

I just bought a massey 3645 2008 and the tires are loaded so I'm guessing it is 9k I had the tires put at full width as I am paranoid but Im going to lose a lot of cut as max offset is listed at 31.5 . I see your rears are tight. Are they loaded and any issues re stability at full extension? My lands not bad with exception of a ditch that runs the length but at 150 acres of brush to cut I cant afford to lose 15 inches of flail


91 hp with 75 at pto .

7,056 lbs [3200 kg] (4WD cab) (plus loader plus loaded tires)
Wheelbase: 81.88 inches [207 cm]
Length: 148 inches [375 cm]
Width: 76 inches [193 cm]
Height (cab): 101.18 inches [256 cm]
Clearance (front axle): 14.56 inches [36 cm]

Front are at 75.3 inches

Rear tread: 59.2 to 75 inches

TractorData.com Massey Ferguson 3645 tractor photos information

 

[3Lfarms]

My rears are loaded and set narrow. It hasn’t been a problem at all but I also don’t move the mower with the hydraulics at full rpm. I like it to move a little slower. I bet that on a hillside the tractor would otherwise be safe on, I could lay my tractor over with the hydraulics if I wasn’t careful.

 

[3Lfarms]

PFM, Were you ever able to find the belts you needed?

I was mowing a bunch of sage and rabbit brush today and remembered to take a video.
Mowing brush with Berti TA200 flail - YouTube
I painted this mower blue when I got it cause it’s what I had. It is the Berti TA 200 circa about 2001.

I found out that after a few hours of mowing today, when I shut off the PTO, I got a bit of vibration that was never there before, so,I tipped it up and found one hammer and the bolt that attaches it was missing. Strange since I had inspected all the hammers today when I got it out of the barn and lubed it up. Anyway, I guess I need to order a couple more hammers.