Flail Mower Bush Hog model FH174 flail mower

[geneP]

I bought it used last fall. It's about a 6' mower with 32 knife "stations" on each of four rows of cutters. Each station has 2 knives on it. Some of the knives look rather worn, while some look better. The cut from this mower is kind of ragged. I had expected a better cut from what I have read about flails. With over 250 knives on it it would cost a good bit to replace them all and I don't want to spend that much on it if it will not cut smoothly afterwards. Has anybody had any experience with this type mower? If so, any recommendations or comments would be appreciated. Thanks, Gene

 

[KennyV]

Gene…
A flail with reasonably good blades WILL give you a nice smooth finish cut.
Like all mowers, it is blade tip velocity that is doing the actual cut, so keep the engine at pto rpm. Finish flail knives are light so they don’t have the inertia a regular mower blade has, to keep all the knives hanging straight you need to be at a high velocity.
Shop around for blades, mott, ford and other finish knife blades MAY be the same as your mower. Changing them is a little time consuming, but they will run many years. They may be reversible, my mott finish knives are, If they are the same length you will get a good cut. KennyV.