Flail Mower Just got a Cironi flail... any setup suggestions?

[powerscol]

Now I can put up the pic.. Here's what I meant about the roller being fixed.

Jim

As for the roller being fixed, have you checked inside the housing. I thought the same about one I was considering to find out there is an adjustment flange inside. Also from the photo are you missing a zerk on the roller on the end shown od did it get broken off? I see a hole, but no zerk.

 

[JimCan]

Good catch Powers! It is/was missing. I pulled one off the top (taped the hole) after lubing all the others. Now to go to the tractor store and figure which of the many they have fits...

You may be able to see I lowered the skids 'one hole'. The instructions say to make the skids the same level as the roller and one-down seems to fit the bill. (the factory puts them all the way up so they can join two mowers together for shipping ..so the small brochure says) I might move them down another hole to get a little more height - why else would they have multiple settings?

I can tell you right off: this mower is great. I have cut this pasture for 28yrs.. and I'm pizz'd I had not paid attention to flails before?! The first few feet next to the drive has been cut every few weeks so there's not much cut stuff showing. Even overlapping the inside edge, there was no throwing of stones ..and I didn't hear them going 'clink-clink' inside the housing. No more pussyfooting! The second pass in the tall stuff leaves a nice, even layer ..that looks like I could bail. It's not 'mulch-in-a-bag' fine, but a helluva lot better than my now-retired mowers.

I fiddled with the over-the-ground speed after settling on 2,000RPM for the PTO (it is in the brochure - RTFM if all else fails.) My tractor is geared and the flail is perfectly happy in 1-High in the grasses of about 6-8" ..once I got into some of the thicker/taller stuff, 2-Low was good. (also have Low-Low gear) But this speed is not unfamiliar to me. The 'bush hog' would not go much faster, and left piles of crap by contrast. The Bush Hog brand finish mower didn't like lumpy terrain and could not handle the height you see here. The actual cut of the bush hog was ~55" and the finishing mower ~65 so I actually picked up a little 'cutting speed'. More tomorrow.. sunny day.

Jim

 

[JimCan]

In case anybody needs one - the Zerk for this mower is the M6-1. There are a bunch of sizes at the farm store.. And Powers, there is no secondary placement for the roller - only the skids. I need to use this a little more, but I find the skids cut a shallow furrow in tight turns. It's not an issue in a pasture, but I'd be concerned in more cosmetic areas.

Jim

 

[leonz]

About the skids;

You can have a wider skid welded to the bottom of the existing skids to avoid having them plow into the ground as it is done on some snoweblowers to stop digging ruts in dirt driveways and roads.

You could also raise the top link about a 1/3 of a bubble(3 threads+-) if you have a torpedo level sitting on the gearbox too; but welding a metal ski using 1 by 4 flat stock centered on the original skid would work- you would want to paint it otherwise.

 

[JimCan]

Great tips Leon. It would be easy to add some 'shoes'. I was also looking at the top link - after having read someone who simply used 'aft tilt' as a way to raise the cutting hammers. Unlike the instruction where the skids should be level with the roller, this takes the skids out of the equation. I may have to buy another top link as mine is max'd out. Luckily, I don't have too many sharp turns to make. Thanks again.

Jim