Finishing mowers

[jenkinsph]

I hope the cracked steel in his mowers roof line and around the gearbox hole
is not as bad as it sounds I just hope th check the other welds but I do not
think they will.

leonz, steel plate and reinforcement flatbar and angle iron can be reworked easily. Why be so freaking negative about rotary mowers it weakens your case.

 

[ironpen]

Leonz, Thanks again for your reply. The steel around the gear box is not cracked or warped except right where the spindle goes through. The only crack is on the front of the deck where the anti-scalp roller attaches. The gear box sits above the deck on a separate piece and bolts on to the main body of the deck. The central spindle area that is bent is not cracked, it's just bent, causing the blade below to have a low and high side. As I understand it, the plan is to cut away the area just around the center spindle and remount it....level and at the same height as the two side spindles. The deck itself is still level and does not have a swag to it. He also is going to put some fresh steel around the area on the front edge where the roller attaches which should strengthen the center area of the deck as well. I'll get the game plan tomorrow and post it here.

 

[Cowboy Billy]

I use a 40+ year old mott flail mower behind my farmall 130. I mainly use to to mow my trails and in the woods as it doesn't through up big rocks or get caught on roots or stumps.

One thing about a flail mower that might help you is that it spreads all the clippings evenly across the entire cut. Rather than windrowing across the last cut you made.

Billy

 

[leonz]

Hello Steve,

I made that statement based on my work with underground mining
machinery, especially mining scoop buckets. I was not trying to be negative
I just do not want to see anyone get hurt.

 

[BraveheartGN]

Picked up a Ford 3000 about as old as I am and a 6' Mott flail mower of indeterminate age this last winter on CL for less than the price of a new flail mower. Have approx. 7 1/2 acres of horse pasture that was typically brush hogged about 2-3 times a year. This year I have been actively mowing it with the Mott and it does an amazing job - pasture has never looked this good and we are getting some really good green forage by keeping the flail at 6" height, despite the drought like conditions.

I've been pleasantly surprised at how well the mower has handled the job. I got a late start on the mowing and there were stalky (though not woody) weeds about 4+ feet tall in many sections - the mower did not get bogged down at all. I'd had some trepidation about the flail - when I was a kid we used to try to manage the mowing of this property with a tow behind self powered 4' Mott mower that was constantly outmatched by the property - getting bogged down, always losing blades, breaking the skid bar, etc. I seriously considered getting a brush hog this time around to prevent the maintenance/repair hassle of a flail. However, the "new" Mott has performed admirably - have not even lost a blade yet. And I believe the time I spent initially cutting it was comparable to the time spent by the guy who brush hogged it - cutting time since has gotten quicker.

A rotary cutter is an excellent tool for getting the "first pass" of a really overgrown and woody field. But after that I've drunk the flail kool aid. I am just truly impressed that machinery with a combined age of approximately 70 years performs so well and efficiently.

If I can figure out a way to quickly and easily readjust the height of the flail I may add some of the lawn to its tasks...

 

[jenkinsph]

BraveheartGN,
Good to hear your pasture is improving. Frequent mowing over a year will do alot of good for your pasture. Generally speaking weeds have a hard time competeing with grass if you keep them mowed down. Soil analysis, amendments seed and fertilizer can be very beneficial in the long run. My experience is that grass is easier to maintain than weeds, grass grows much more evenly whereas weeds pop up high quickly. I also try to let the grass grow a little taller in the fall when the weeds have subsided as it allows the grasses to root better. Winter fertilizer will help the grass roots grow thicker during the winter months too. With some tlc the grass can choke out most of the weeds.

 

[BraveheartGN]

Thanks for the advice! I will definitely add those items to the list!

 

[ironpen]

Ok, the welder has been at work. It turns out there was a small amount of swag in the middle of the deck, so that had to be heated and straightened and reinforced. The middle spindle was not able to be reused. That was a surprise. The cracks in the front of the deck around the roller were repaired and look good. One of the tensioner pulleys was grinding and will need replacement. I am not sure what all this is going to cost, but if it works like a new one (fingers crossed on that), I will be ok with it....I guess. Unable to locate a Rhino TM100 anywhere if the USA. I am thinking about getting a Woods 990 as a backup (or primary). The church has agreed to buy it...I'll give them the money, but since I only use it at the church I don't feel that's unethical and that will help on taxes for me. I just hope the Woods, if I get it, will go low enough, because the minimum height is 1.5 inches. Interestingly, the blades hook on like a bush hog, with two blades that are free swinging on each spindle. It must be fairly heavy duty because it weighs 1330 pounds. The rhino I have now weighs a little over 1100. Would anybody worry about the 1.5 inch minimum??

 

[jenkinsph]

ironpen,
Will the repairs be completed in time for your mowing schedule? Hope so.
Why not inquire of the athletic coaches about the grass height, see what they think.

As for buying the new finish mower I suggest you get the one you wan't long term, don't think I would buy the smaller mower if you wan't the larger one. I can't see any ethics problems no matter how you slice it, you have for all practical purposes worn out your own mower helping out. It would be great if the other members collectively would help defray some of these costs for you.

 

[ironpen]

Well, the Rhino FM100 (my old mower) is still hospitalized. I got the Woods 990 yesterday and it cuts great......however in order to get down to 2" cutting height, the side skids absolutely ate up the field when I made any turns. After looking at the situation, the skids were absolutely no more than 1/4" off the ground. I was ready to send it back but I began looking at the situation and I decided to take the skids off, turn them upside down and rebolt them. I will need to trim down one small area of the skid just a touch to get it to completely fit flush, but I mowed again with the skid inverted and it was perfect. I did not really notice the lost 10 inches of width. I am surprised that Woods would make such a design flaw. There is no doubt this is an error. The mower would have worked ok without the skids, but I wanted the extra beef on the sides so when I bump into trees cutting around them, I won't bend in the sides of the mower. The Woods transports much better than the Rhino, the belts are much better protected and the cut is a little more even. A good machine. Not sure which I will use once the repairs are finished on the Rhino, but most likely the Woods.