Flail Mower Grass getting sucked through the bearings on Mott F5

[leonz]

Hi Leon! Hope you had a good weekend. Thanks a lot for the suggestion about mowing in reverse! I didn't know that doing that would alleviate the chance of wrapping the Bahia grass, I assumed it would just wrap in the other direction? I can certainly do that especially in some of the thicker areas.

I am still brainstorming about a mechanical solution. I guess the only thing that is practical and that I would have clearance for is to weld on a spur as Thibodeau suggested. But I have changed so much, in terms of the larger knives, larger cotter pins, new bearings etc that if I have a weird vibration when I start it back up, I would like to have as few variables as possible to eliminate in terms of diagnosing the vibration. So I think that I will hold off on adding anything to the shaft for the moment. Hopefully the new knives will help a lot in reducing the chance for grass wrap.

I am shooting for getting everything reassembled tmw and giving it a shot.

Do you have any opinion on mowing with the mower raised up off of the ground initially, held up by the hitch instead of resting on the roller?

Flange bearing seems fine btw so I will leave that alone for now. j

Thanks again and hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Chris

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Hello Chris,


Leaving the mower elevated will not create the needed pressure gradient(suction/vacuum) to mow and you will mow very little in the scheme of things. If you can lock the three point hitch with the needle valve under the seat(if it has one you can try mowing at 4 inches in reverse.

Take a half or quarter cut after the first slow first initial cut in reverse. If you have radio headphones that will help pass the time as your going to have to be vigilant watching the engine temperature as the chaff screen will load up with any dry brush and weed seeds that are at the ground level.

Not trying to be a killjoy, but can you rent a mule with a sickle bar or barter beer and pizza and a pig barbeque with a neighbor that may have one to use as that will get the perimeter of each field mowed quickly as well as mowing two or three passes in the center of each field to begin the maintenance of these fields.



If you cannot find a neighbor with a sickle bar and tractor to bribe with good barbeque and pizza and or beer:

If you start in the center of each field by mowing in reverse in a spiral you will be able to overlap on each pass while backing with the mower lowered to the ground.

Its going to be boring but once you get it all knocked down to 2 inches you will have much less work to do.


Happy mowing Chris.