Well, you raise some good points.
The goal was to get up and running with a flail, without breaking the bank. No doubt the Mott is old, but it isn't obsolete, and there's nothing wrong with the quality. Quite to the contrary, I imagine the components, and steel are probably far higher quality than can be found on the China imports. Obviously, I haven't run any of those imports, but I have worked with plenty of other China manufactured, price point equipment. The consistency of quality is all over the place, so I really didn't feel like playing that game. I did seriously consider some of the other import options like the Caroni. I would have been comfortable with their quality. Those prices are however far higher than what I have in this unit. Yes, I would have already been cutting grass with it, but that wasn't a significant issue for me. I didn't bother pricing a new Alamo SHD, which is basically what I'll end up with when I'm done. Does anyone feel the China units could go on DOT highway tractor and survive for long? There's a reason the overwhelming majority of that gear is Alamo, at least around the highways, and interstates I run.
With regard to the value of my time, that's not something I get too concerned about with a project like this. That's not to say you're wrong on that point. I am very often much happier buying a solution to an issue than pouring labor on it. In this case, I enjoy this kind of work. I am fortunate in that I work in R&D at my company, so I have access to the CNC. I also have time during which I simply don't have anything that needs my attention at work, or when the CNC is running a long cycle. So I can work on my project, or I can sit around and surf the web, or I work on coworker's projects. It's a strange place to work... However, I still wouldn't do it if I didn't really enjoy it.
Ideally, I wouldn't have had to spend quite as much time welding on the Mott's cuttershaft. I really couldn't see the extent of that during inspection. Bearings are simply a wear item, and would have been replaced on any used mower I bought most likely. Blades too are wear items, and might, or might not have been replaced, depending on condition. I absolutely could have run with the blades that came on it for quite some time. Because I was missing a few, I decided to do them all. The old blades are in a bucket, and I'll check them out. They'll likely be fine as spares, along with the old pins. I shouldn't have to buy another blade or pin for a long long time.
I also really despise the race to the bottom we have all engaged in. We buy the cheapest things we can find, and then we're all pissed that they fail comparatively quickly. I don't want to have to buy a different machine in 10 years when I can't get a part. I'm fortunate that I can make things like the nut guard that would have condemned the machine for some (it really didn't need to be an exact duplicate, but again, I could, so did). I had already drawn up, and priced out the roller if that wasn't available.
That's not to say I'm a fossil, or afraid of technology, and progress. But think about it, what is different between a brand new flail, and what I'm going to have in terms of functionality. The Mott has already survived at least 50 years. The wear components are going to be new. The only thing that would be nicer would be if I stripped it, and gave it a nice paint job... Worst case is I manage to destroy the Mott in 5 or 10 years, and then I'd be out less than if I had got a China unit, that I'd possibly have to replace in that time frame anyway... Somehow I don't see that happening.
All this said, I'm not throwing shade at anyone that buys new, be that import, or not. We all need to cut grass apparently, and we've all decided that the flail is the way to go. If I had a different set of circumstances, like my existing equipment just died, I would likely have just bought new. I wouldn't have had the luxury to spend the time searching, and then rehabing this one... If I had hit the lottery, I'd have a new Alamo SHD... (and probably a nice new cab tractor to go with it)
