Leonz: Attached are some photos.
I picked the mower up on one side with the FEL.
I did note a couple blades may be dinged up a bit,
which I would not have expected with the very light
usage it has seen just testing mulching leaves and sticks.
And they are lighter weight than I expected.
I was going to order a spare set of "Y" blades but
think I will look around for something different.
The hammers are much heavier and I will just have to
see how they work out.
Either way, I do not think the quality of the "Y" blades
have anything to do with not mulching hardly any leaves at all.
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I have your photo images,
and I want to thank you for sending them along.
You have a flail mower with four rows of wide
spaced knive stations.
The lack of shredding ability is due to the low number
of knives side slicers.
It is like stirring a big pot with a small wooden spoon-some
of the knves shred some of the leaves.
NOW as I see they have placed spacers inside the
knive mounting stations to hold the knive pairs in
place there is a fix for you.
You can install the side slicers that have a
sloted mounting hole.
This will require youto remove the spacers-the
removal of the spacers will permit the side slicer
knives to become airfoils/airplane wings to
create lift to then create suction under the
mower hood, and as a result increase the
suction at the ground level and pick up
the dry leaves and shred them to a greater extent.
They apparently have used a non hardened steel
which is indicated by the blunt trauma to the
cutting edges that they have ground into the steel
made into THIER side slicers.
NOW as far as the knive stations at both ends of the rotor;
if you decide to change out the original side slicers you
MUST only use one side slicer at the end knive stations
AND point the cutting edge inward to prevent the side
slicer from digging into the side weldment of the mower.
ONLY After measuring the replacement knives cutting
TOTAL length with the knive or knives in the resting position-
Meaning hanging down and then pushing the side slocer with
the cutting edge to the outside and lifting it from the bottom
to the HORIZONTAL to see if it contacts the side weldment.
IF IT DOES you can only use one replacement knive facing inward
with the one spacer holding the inward facing knive in place.
ONCE you see how it will fit you can install the others.
SAYING that I would call flailmaster and see about getting
a pair or two of sample 3 inch side slicers with the mounting
slots rather than the holes.
They have a small handfull of three inch slicers that will work.
The original equipment side slicers I have have the tapered airfoil wing which increases thje lifting ability of the side slicers to create suction.
I keep hoping they will start making their side slicers like this but I have not seen thier new catalog yet and when I asked about having them stamp and grind a gross of them they were not interested
I do not know why not as as these same side slicers will fit the fords, motts and other flail mowers perfectly and even though the side slicer has a tapered cutting edge the suction force will be greater increading the flaimowers slicing ability and reducing fuel use.
When you measure the knive length measure it with the knive in the vertical position ONLY to obtain the knives length NOT the total length.
