Flail Mower at Auction

[namelocbob]

I recently purchased a flail mower. It has no distinguishing marks or labels. The mower is painted John Deere, but I doubt it is the brand. I am looking for the 2 tire/wheel assemblies for it. I seen a post on here that shows an ALAMO that is very similar. (First Picture).

 

[greg_g]

Can't help you with the manufacturer, but you really need a belt cover. Without one, you'll get into weeds and brush that will quickly strip the belts off the pulleys. The other half of the PTO shaft cover would be desirable as well. But hopefully it's a trick of the camera lens that makes the thing look like it's bowed. Were you able to spin the rear roller and/or cutting rotor before committing to buy?

The gauge wheels by the way, might be the same ones depicted on pg48.

//greg//

 

[namelocbob]

It's a Mott/Alamo. According to archived pics of this model, the pulleys were open and did not have a cover. There is no rear roler only a cutting rotor and yes the rotor turns very easily by hand. Thank you for providing the link.

ps. No it is not bent...just an illusion.

 

[greg_g]

Huh? Did you not even bother to look at the owner manual link? Pg 24 shows both a rear roller (#40) and a belt cover (#36 on pg26).

//greg//

 

[Arc weld]

I've never seen a Mott that looks like that. The hitch looks completely different and I've never seen a Mott with a round shell over the rotor. Mott was an approved implement for MF tractors and even the old MF catalogs don't show a Mott that looks like that. The gear box looks similar to a Mott but that's about it. Do you have a picture of the rotor? The knife design would tell for sure if it's a Mott rotor. Being it's all painted green, maybe it's something somebody has pieced together from various parts? It HAS TO HAVE a rear roller! You go over a little hill and the rotor scalps, well, then you bend the rotor and you're hooped! The gauge wheels won't prevent that. I think the paint is trying to disguise it as being better than it actually is. Just like a rattle can restoration on a tractor.

 

[Arc weld]

It could be a JD flail. I've never seen a Mott that looks like that. The hitch looks completely different and I've never seen a Mott with a round shell over the rotor. Mott was an approved implement for MF tractors and even the old MF catalogs don't show a Mott that looks like that. The gear box looks similar to a Mott but that's about it. Do you have a picture of the rotor? The knife design would tell for sure if it's a Mott rotor. Being it's all painted green, maybe it's something somebody has pieced together from various parts? It HAS TO HAVE a rear roller! You go over a little hill and the rotor scalps, well, then you bend the rotor and you're hooped! The gauge wheels won't prevent that. I think the paint is trying to disguise it. Just like a rattle can restoration on a tractor.

 

[Xfaxman]

It's a Mott/Alamo. According to archived pics of this model, the pulleys were open and did not have a cover. There is no rear roler only a cutting rotor and yes the rotor turns very easily by hand. Thank you for providing the link.

ps. No it is not bent...just an illusion.

Can you provide a link?

The gear box is mounted backwards from the Mott that I had, and every Mott picture that I have seen.

 

[aczlan]

Can you provide a link?
The gear box is mounted backwards from the Mott that I had, and every Mott picture that I have seen.
View attachment 339750 View attachment 339751

Agreed. The closest I found online was this one (which doesn't list who makes it): Fair Share Farm News: Spring is Almost Here

Aaron Z

 

[leonz]

I recently purchased a flail mower. It has no distinguishing marks or labels. The mower is painted John Deere, but I doubt it is the brand. I am looking for the 2 tire/wheel assemblies for it. I seen a post on here that shows an ALAMO that is very similar. (First Picture).
View attachment 339446View attachment 339447View attachment 339448

The mower you have is a MOTT Hammer Knife Mower, you can buy spares from UGH!! GAG!! Alamo Industrial including wheel sets AND it does have a V belt guard AND a cover over the stub shafts on the opposing side and a rear roller.

It looks to be his-Mott's model 72 flail mower.


I am unaware as to why Mr. Mott referred to the knives as hammer knives but.....................the story continues.

 

[Xfaxman]

Well that explains why I didn't find any pictures like it, searching for a MOTT Flail Mower.

Found lots of pictures like it, searching for a MOTT Hammer Knife Mower.

https://www.google.com/search?safe=.....1ac.1.27.img..0.1.1183.cNYpNb3uvCc#imgdii=_

 

[drjay9051]

Once again, Leonz the mack daddy of all things flail comes up with the correct answer.

" Alex, I'll take flail mowers for $1,000"

 

[namelocbob]

Here is one that looks exactly like the knife pattern as mine, it also has the gear box on the same side. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/210811-help-id-flail-mower-value.html

 

[namelocbob]

Thank you! ....now to find the roller assembly....

BTW I only paid $400 at auction.

 

[greg_g]

FWIW, my 74" Ford 917H was purchased at a farm auction as well. $150, and it had both a rear roller and a belt guard. You're going to be unpleasantly surprised what a (new) replacement rear roller, bearings, and bearing cover/brackets are going to cost. It will make the cost of a belt cover and fasteners look like chump change. Whoever pocketed your $400 went home with a big smile on his face.

//greg//

 

[drjay9051]

FWIW, my 74" Ford 917H was purchased at a farm auction as well. $150, and it had both a rear roller and a belt guard. You're going to be unpleasantly surprised what a (new) replacement rear roller, bearings, and bearing cover/brackets are going to cost. It will make the cost of a belt cover and fasteners look like chump change. Whoever pocketed your $400 went home with a big smile on his face.

//greg//

Well now that is encouraging. Supportive as well.

 

[namelocbob]

Ran it today through the fields. Kept it off the ground with the 3 point and cleared some rocks on the first pass. The second pass worked marvelously with the skids riding slightly on the ground. Thank goodness Its flat where I am at... Thanks for all your encouragement...(sarcasm all mine) lol....

 

[greg_g]

Don't care what you call it, I'm just trying to prepare you for sticker shock. But to make that mower whole again, the $400 you spent up front could eventually seem like chump change. Perhaps if you saw the Alamo Hammer Knife 88 price list you'd consider my comments in a different light. From my viewpoint, you're looking at an either/or proposition here; gauge wheels or rear roller. Having both would seem redundant, but right now you have neither. All you can do is to tally the installed cost of each, and decide from there.

//greg//

 

[Arc weld]

You need the rear roller regardless. Gauge wheels help smooth out a rougher field but aren't needed for most applications. In the link with all the Mott pictures, there isn't one that looks like the mower purchased. There is another link of a mower that looks similar but that isn't listed as a Mott either. It's possible it's a very early Mott or a copy of a Mott. None of the Mott pictures show the same type of 3 pt. mounts or the plates coming up at the back to hold the pipe that goes across the mower. I think the Mott knives were called hammer knives because they swing like a hammer. Similar to a hammer mill? When developing the flail mower the knives were run in pig manure to test the self cleaning properties. There are a lot of IH tractors in the older brochures and even special models made for IH tractors. This isn't by coincidence. Mr. Mott was an engineer at IH when he developed the flail mower. IH wasn't that interested so Mott went off on his own and the rest is history.

 

[greg_g]

I'm curious why some folks don't follow hyperlinks before responding. I've provided two: one attempting to narrow down manufacturer, another with an actual parts source with prices

//greg//

 

[Arc weld]

The mower in question IS NOT a SHD (Super Heavy Duty) model Mott. The Super Heavy Duty is a much heavier mower and uses a 4 1/2" diameter cutter shaft. The SHD would also be a lot newer. By design all flail mowers look similar but there is not one conclusive picture identifying it as a Mott. It may be a very early Mott but when you look at some of the details, they are different from what are for sure Mott flails.