Brambleberry
Bronze Member
- Joined
- May 25, 2009
- Messages
- 60
- Tractor
- Kubota 4850 EverClutch
Hey, last year I bought a (very) used 6' flail mower from a local craigslist ad. I'd been keeping my eyes out for one for a while and no one I asked really had any experience or knowledge of them. Well, $300 seemed like a steal for this thing, it must be a retired roadcrew mower--very heavy gauge steel all over (except the knives), and my only question was whether my MF TO-35 could run it alright. I ended up buying it because the guy who had it was using a 40hp International and he said it was just fine.
My reason for wanting this beast is to be able to mow over prunings from my small orchard and ever present tree clearing and feed all that carbon to the soil rather than send it up as smoke into Ohio and New York! I'm a firm believer in mulch for building great soil quickly. I'd been using a 4' brush hog to carefully back over and chip down pruning piles, and it worked alright, but I sure sent a lot of stuff flying and i really don't want to end up stabbed like a vampire with a wooden stake through my back! I also had problems with it not laying the brush down so I could run the finish mower over it.
Well here's the questions. The flail mower works better than I had imagined on those stick piles--it shreds them down, and doesn't throw anything. the roller on back presses it into the soil and out of the way for the finish mowing. But I have been losing knives surely but steadily. Granted, they're worn and are probably grass knives when I'd rather have heavier knives--aesthetics don't really hold that much sway--i'd rather chip wood up than have a manicured lawn for my pastures! I have no idea what model or make this thing is--it has many layers of red and yellow paint, and no factory tags. So how in the world do I go about 1) buying the right knives that will fit it, 2) do that on a very limited income? (i.e. I'd really like to stay under $200) 3) Can I replace just the broken knives with heavier knives and just slowly replace the older ones over time?
Second question: The mower runs really smooth when it's lowered, but it starts really shaking badly when I raise it up all the way. My guess is that the pto might be slightly off or something, but i am wondering if its a bigger problem. Should I be putting much money and time into this thing? I also noticed that there is a hole (about 1/2, perfectly round) in the horizontal drive shaft housing right near the gearbox that is spitting out grease--no threads for a plug to screw into, not sure what to do there.
Third: I was mowing some fresher prunings the other day, when a long piece of walnut branch wound itself around the knives and shaft, and before I could hit the clutch it sheared off the pto (a square tube type) shaft on the implement thing. I'm really glad i don't have metal in my back right now! My thinking is that the pto that came with it was a little undersized or worn, or that there is no slip clutch or shear bolts on the thing. Should I buy a new pto for it or could I use the one from the 4' brush hog? I guess I am going to start sectioning up those branch piles into shorter lengths with a chainsaw before doing that again.
Thanks for any advice, this is my first posting on this place and it seems like a real helpful website!
My reason for wanting this beast is to be able to mow over prunings from my small orchard and ever present tree clearing and feed all that carbon to the soil rather than send it up as smoke into Ohio and New York! I'm a firm believer in mulch for building great soil quickly. I'd been using a 4' brush hog to carefully back over and chip down pruning piles, and it worked alright, but I sure sent a lot of stuff flying and i really don't want to end up stabbed like a vampire with a wooden stake through my back! I also had problems with it not laying the brush down so I could run the finish mower over it.
Well here's the questions. The flail mower works better than I had imagined on those stick piles--it shreds them down, and doesn't throw anything. the roller on back presses it into the soil and out of the way for the finish mowing. But I have been losing knives surely but steadily. Granted, they're worn and are probably grass knives when I'd rather have heavier knives--aesthetics don't really hold that much sway--i'd rather chip wood up than have a manicured lawn for my pastures! I have no idea what model or make this thing is--it has many layers of red and yellow paint, and no factory tags. So how in the world do I go about 1) buying the right knives that will fit it, 2) do that on a very limited income? (i.e. I'd really like to stay under $200) 3) Can I replace just the broken knives with heavier knives and just slowly replace the older ones over time?
Second question: The mower runs really smooth when it's lowered, but it starts really shaking badly when I raise it up all the way. My guess is that the pto might be slightly off or something, but i am wondering if its a bigger problem. Should I be putting much money and time into this thing? I also noticed that there is a hole (about 1/2, perfectly round) in the horizontal drive shaft housing right near the gearbox that is spitting out grease--no threads for a plug to screw into, not sure what to do there.
Third: I was mowing some fresher prunings the other day, when a long piece of walnut branch wound itself around the knives and shaft, and before I could hit the clutch it sheared off the pto (a square tube type) shaft on the implement thing. I'm really glad i don't have metal in my back right now! My thinking is that the pto that came with it was a little undersized or worn, or that there is no slip clutch or shear bolts on the thing. Should I buy a new pto for it or could I use the one from the 4' brush hog? I guess I am going to start sectioning up those branch piles into shorter lengths with a chainsaw before doing that again.
Thanks for any advice, this is my first posting on this place and it seems like a real helpful website!
