Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[jmfox]

jmfox ,A question, the flail will run with a flow of 17 to 37 GPM, does it cut twice as good at 37 GPM? Do you leave the back door open all the way when cutting tall grass/weeds, or try and mulch it?

You're right about the shut off. I've been using low flow (17 GPM). The high flow would require different hoses. Since it is mowing well with low flow, and low flow is easier on the equipment, I have no incentive to experiment.

jmf

 

[IslandTractor]

jmfox ,

That automatic shut off, only applies if the flail is raised more than 10 in.

My Kioti has that feature too when I lift the 3PT. I thought "automatic shutoff" was referring to some load sensing device on the flail which I'd never heard of.

 

[DirtHauler]

I broke all three belts. So i called Agri Supply to find out what size belts i need (didn't get the owners manual). I told Vernon at Agri Supply what i did and told him that i need to know the belt sizes so that i could finish cutting. Well he asked me a few questions. Did i hit some thing (no) what size brush are you cutting (Grass, Briars, and a sapling or two) how tall/thick is the grass (4 to 5 ft)how fast are you going (low 3rd)
so he thinks i might be going to fast. . . i'll buy that because i don't know how fast you can cut with a flail The Great thing is Vernon tells me that i need a B43 belt and that i could pick them up at any parts store and then he tells me that he is going to send me a set of belts for FREE I wasn't looking for free belts but he offered. That is customer service, i will look at agri supply first for my purchases.

Bad news is that none of the stores had all three belts in stock but
one told me that they would be there tomorrow so thats not bad.

this is how the field looked where i stoped

It's been a long time since I've been on this site and been catchin' up on some of the posts, thought I'd chime in on this one since I've run Coroni's for many years now. I've gone thru 3 or 4 sets of belts (lost count!) so far this season! One set lasted a whole 20 hours, the new set I put on I lost one belt after only 5 hrs.! I've been scrathin' my head head trying to figure out the cause and this is what I've come up with;

1) you need to get "fresh" belts (good luck!) Belts get "old" sitting around a warehouse.
2) belts must be "matched" (good luck again!)
3) all manufacturers have their own idea as to the length of B43 belts (some fit tighter around the pulleys than others!)
4) DO NOT run the belts "tight".
5) clean the pulleys with brake cleaner before installing new ones.
6) be sure to grease the belt tensioner pulley and pivot pin with high temp grease.
7) grass cuttings/dust gets sucked in to the cover and tends to get into the groves of the lower pulley and in turn causes "belt slap" on one or more of the belts. (haven't figured how to solve this)

The other thing is that for some reason the "3 belt" system runs hotter than the "2 belt" system. I've been running my TM1600 with only 2 belts for the past three jobs as an "experiment" to see if there would be a problem, so far it's working fine with no difference in performance and the belts are fine!
I've had the best luck with Goodyear "Hi-torque" belts which are matched and I've had several different brands ( Bando; Gates; Optimo; Gator Back etc.) all with the same results. Belt failure is also caused by the fact that "V" belts aren't meant to run around large pulleys then suddenly be bent the opposite way via a small diameter idler pulley which seems to break the inside "V" of the belt(s). Now if Coroni could re-design the belt tensioner to where it would pull on the belts instead (like an alternator) or larger tensioner pulley, I think it would solve some of the belt problems. For those out there who have a Coroni with three belts, try running just two inside belts and see how it works for you. Other than this, I have no other complaints with my Coroni's

 

[J_J]

DirtHauler,

Check these guys out and see if they have matched sets. They say they are made for just what you describe, bending backward, etc.

1/2" Heavy Duty Kevlar Belts

 

[DirtHauler]

Thanks J J, foregot to mention in my last reply that I did order some Kevlar belts last week but they haven't got here yet. (slow boat from China?)

 

[Farmall45b]

Does anyone know anything about McConnell flail mowers? Looking a little on the web, it looks like McConnell is a European division of the Alamo Group. It would seem to me that if McConnell is owned by Alamo which as I understand it make very good flail mowers, that the European division should be just as good of quality. I really only need a light/medium duty flail for mowing a few trails in long grass in a park. I am just concerned that I may be hard to get parts for this machine. What do the minds on TBN have to say?

 

[KennyV]

DirtHauler...
Give a power band a try they are great... will last forever (almost) and obviously matched... I have ran them on large sand pumps ...
https://www.royalsupply.com/store/pc/GPT-6-B43-1090p35225.htm
KennyV

 

[kthompson]

I did not see a clear reply to the direction of flail mower rotation but from a boom mower flail manual it said to use the reverse direction of the tires for such as grass as it did lift it up to cut and the same direction as the tires for such as brush or trees as you did not want limbs and pieces of wood to get jammed between the cutters and the housing.

As for Agri Supply, over the years their customer support is as good as it gets. Hate to say once in while you get a person who really does not know but you can talk to the top person there if you ask for him.

A few years back had a peanut combine that used a flat belt. Could not find it. But in process of looking found a "person" who dealt with belts and such. He was able to order me a 3 or 4 grove belt that was cut from one piece of material. Thus all groves were the same length. The price was about the same as buying the same number of belts and if you can not get true matched belts the load will never be the same on each.

On how fast of ground speed...I have never used a flail mower in heavy grass so no idea there other than they use them a lot to cut highways side of roads here and those guys are running my guess 10 mph. Bahia grass from a foot to two tall normally with the occasional tires, hubcaps and mattresses thrown in. Their cutters may be rotating in same direction as tractor tires so it can run over such trash, no idea.

I prefer flail mower on a boom due to it's weight and how it throws stuff compared to a rotary cutter. Have never seen a flail throw anything near as large as a rotary mower often does.

 

[Eagleview]

My big CABE flail gets hungry sometimes , concrete sewerage manhole covers are it's favorite meal . They hide in the long grass , but it finds them . It looks like when you run over a dried dog poo with a mower , just grey dust and they are gone .

In regards to rotation direction , i have removed the rear roller on one of my flails so i can reverse into Lantana bushes and chop them up roughly . I then go forward to mulch them completely . If i hit a tree root or rock going backwards with the rotor spinning top down , it will break the hammer bolts as the hammers strike the object vertically and cannot swing away . If i run over the same object going forward , the hammers just lay back against the drum out of harms way . If the rock is too big to pass under the rotor , the hammers just keep kicking it forwards which gives me time to stop and lift the mower .

 

[J_J]

kthompson,

See post #664. It explains the rotation thing. It seems that most flails cut with reverse rotation, with the flail shaft turning opposite of the tractor wheels, cutting up and throwing forward and re-cutting, and then laying a finely cut up layer of mulched grass. when moving forward. This rotation scheme allows one to cut and re-cut many times, otherwise to mulch. The forward rotation, cut down and out, is used for rough stuff, cut once and throw out back. Usually used along road sides, and heavy brush, etc.