Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[Nuru]

Here's the after pics for my flail. $325 + a few cans of spray paint. Still looks like a grenade went off underneath it, but it works fine

http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/5385/size/big/sort/1/cat/500
http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/5386/size/big/sort/1/cat/500
http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/5387/size/big/sort/1/cat/500

Looks like someone has been plowing unexploded cluster bombs!

 

[davitk]

Hey Nuru, have you gotten your new tractor/BETST flail mower issue straightened out? I used mine yesterday for about 4 hours, worked great! Even took it into the swamp and cut some mud

I know I shouldn't but couldn't resist, it also works great as a soil pulverizer breaking up dirt clods prior to seeding; beats a garden rake any day!

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

haha mine too....

the paint really helped it...

how well does that ford tractor handle that large of a flail?

Here's the after pics for my flail. $325 + a few cans of spray paint. Still looks like a grenade went off underneath it, but it works fine

http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/5385/size/big/sort/1/cat/500
http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/5386/size/big/sort/1/cat/500
http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/5387/size/big/sort/1/cat/500

 

[Nuru]

Hey Nuru, have you gotten your new tractor/BETST flail mower issue straightened out? I used mine yesterday for about 4 hours, worked great! Even took it into the swamp and cut some mud

I know I shouldn't but couldn't resist, it also works great as a soil pulverizer breaking up dirt clods prior to seeding; beats a garden rake any day!

davitk; Tractor still in shop for warranty work. I am augmenting my flail with a MMM for routine lawn cut and will use the betst for bashing an pulverizing the woods. i got the bush whacking hammers with mine, and I will use both types for the brush work. The soil pulverizer is pretty funny, becareful of rocks!

 

[John861]

how well does that ford tractor handle that large of a flail?

No trouble at all. The flail is on the NAA in that picture, and does fine with 30-something HP. I intended to run it on my 861 (48 HP or so), but haven't had a chance because the tractor/loader is too big for my trails. The NAA also runs a 6' finish mower, and that seems to take more power than the flail.

 

[IslandTractor]

It's just a piece of 3/8" x 2" water pipe and a 3/8" coupling. NPT threads aren't an exact match for the gear box but it goes in, I put some liquid teflon on the pipe threads, tighten with pipe wrench. The breather/dip stick screws right in the coupling.

Well, I tried this but couldn't get the 3/8" NPT pipe threads to fit in the Caroni vent hole. I suppose I could have forced it a bit more than I did but instead I decided to measure and seek further advice from y'all. The outside diameter of the 3/8 inch NPT pipe I got from Home Depot was 0.675 inches. The outside diameter of the Caroni vent hole cap was 0.655 inches. I didn't look carefully at the threads.

Is that too big a difference to just try to force the pipe into the Caroni hole? I tried with just a couple wraps of teflon tape and could not even get it started. I suppose I could get an appropriate sized tap and modify the Caroni gearbox hole but am loath to make that change without knowing if that is my only choice.

I presume the Caroni vent hole is some metric type. Is there a way to buy metric threaded pipe and adapters in the USA? I calculate the outside diameter of the Caroni cap threads to be 16.6mm which seems a bit odd. Any thoughts?

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

ever see the monster flails the military uses to find land mines? talk about impressive

Looks like someone has been plowing unexploded cluster bombs!

 

[GinNB]

The outside diameter of the 3/8 inch NPT pipe I got from Home Depot was 0.675 inches. The outside diameter of the Caroni vent hole cap was 0.655 inches. I didn't look carefully at the threads.
.....
I presume the Caroni vent hole is some metric type. Is there a way to buy metric threaded pipe and adapters in the USA? I calculate the outside diameter of the Caroni cap threads to be 16.6mm which seems a bit odd. Any thoughts?

British standard pipe thread - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Just a guess.

 

[IslandTractor]

British standard pipe thread - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Just a guess.

I think you are right. The 3/8" is dead on according to the measurements I made yesterday.

Now, where in the colonies can British standard pipe be purchased?

 

[Reg]

British standard pipe thread - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Just a guess.

Good guess.
I discovered British standard plumbing parts to be the norm in hardware stores in Switzerland when I lived there and had to home repairs.
One of the little civilization things that the English brought to the rest of the world - sanitation.