Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[RayIN]

I have been talking to Aaron Pierce for a few days now.

"Keith" (mentioned at the top of this thread) is no longer with Betstco.

I will try some more suggestions from Aaron tomorrow, but he might have to send me a new PTO shaft.

Would there be any damage if I removed the bearing and pulley so that I can wrap shorter belts around it and then reattach the pulley?

It is too difficult to install a 39" belt, even with a flat screwdriver and even when the tension bolt is totally loose.

A 40" belt, which is listed in the parts manual (Napa A38), can be installed with some effort by rotating the pulley to guide the belt around it. But once it falls into the V-belt groove, it is too loose unless the tension bolt is screwed to its max, which causes the banging sound near the implement side of the PTO shaft.

That sounds like your belt is too narrow. A V-belt should be 1/16" wider than the pulleys at the widest point. A V-belt should never run on the bottom of the pulley, the V sides are the traction point.

 

[HorsPower]

I recently purchased a Ironcraft FRF-165 (165 cm / 65”).

I’m running the mower behind a Kubota L5740 with filled rear tires and max wheel weights and FEL. Our tractors should be along the same weight.

I think it handles the mower well, and is pretty stable. (Albeit I haven’t run it on any extreme slopes).

For next size up in the 78” class, the weight of the mower basically doubles. Given the weight increase and having more offset I think the 78” would definitely be too much for my tractor.

I wanted to avoid the China built units, because I like to avoid China when I can, and I wanted to ensure parts availability down the road. The Ironcrafts are made in Italy by Cosmo, but the price is much more economical than a the high-end Italian Del Morino mowers. So far I am happy with my decision. Might be worth considering if you have a dealer near you.

 

[leonz]

I have been talking to Aaron Pierce for a few days now.

"Keith" (mentioned at the top of this thread) is no longer with Betstco.

I will try some more suggestions from Aaron tomorrow, but he might have to send me a new PTO shaft.

Would there be any damage if I removed the bearing and pulley so that I can wrap shorter belts around it and then reattach the pulley?

It is too difficult to install a 39" belt, even with a flat screwdriver and even when the tension bolt is totally loose.

A 40" belt, which is listed in the parts manual (Napa A38), can be installed with some effort by rotating the pulley to guide the belt around it. But once it falls into the V-belt groove, it is too loose unless the tension bolt is screwed to its max, which causes the banging sound near the implement side of the PTO shaft.

Hello Three Oranges/Mitsubishi;

I want to sincerely apologize to you and all the Permanent Resident Citizens
of the Flail Mower Nations for coming back to the forum late as I have been
dealing with health issues.

To Three Oranges/Mitsubshi I sincerely believe you are dealing with the same
issues I had with the junk John Deere 44 inch snow blower I had with my
John Deere LA115 lawn Mower which cost me several hundred dollars per year
to maintain it alone

I must go into greater detail for the members thinking about investing in a
chinese made flail mower of for those that already own one.

The small John Deere snow blowers for lawn tractors are built in Canada.
As a result of this mis-step they are equipped with metric pulleys and V belts.
Very, Very, Very expensive V belts that are only available from the John Deere
dealer for these very expensive to own John Deere snow blowers to the tune of
$300.00+- per year. Fixing this issue would require either machining the V belt
pulleys to match SAE B V belts or replacing the metric pulleys with SAE Ag pulleys.


The reason you are having this much trouble is because of the metric pulley size
and the lack of a spring tensioned V belt snubber pulley.

I am genuinely sorry to see you going through this.

 

[leonz]

Greetings Flail Mower Nation,

811 pages. Whew! I admit I sorta skipped through a lot if the earlier stuff, but it is amazing to see how much pricing has increased in 18 years.

Seeking advice on my first flail mower purchase:

We bought a place in VT with 28 acres of mixed pastureland and woods. Now that I'm here full time, I plan to reclaim some of the old orchard land and clean up the logging trails running through the woods. I also have a pond that would benefit from a ditch/bank mower to clean up the banks. Weed whacking it by hand truly sucks.

From all the advice and experience I've read here, It's clear a ditch/bank mower is the ticket. I can keep fence rows and trails clear with a vertical pass and be able to use the offset to catch the pond and stream banks.

I have a Mahindra 2665 that is 65HP, 50 at the PTO, with a cat II TPH. With the front loader and filled tires, it is somewhere north of 7500lbs.

I've been gumming by with a 6 ft RC, but it is difficult with all the trees interfering with the cab along the edges. It also sucks trying to reclaim areas that have been taken over by brush and saplings.

So, I'm convinced a ditch/bank mower with hammers is the solution. I can swap out for Y blades once things get groomed up a bit.

I'm leery of going smaller than 70" as it takes a lot of time as it is mowing everything (including the Neighbor's 7 Acres) but also concerned about the weight of the larger mowers.

Does anyone have any real world experience with 70-78" mowers on a tractor my size? (@LouNY , you're a bit bigger than mine). I'm worried about stability when offset with the heavier 1500-1800 lb units.

Any specific brands to avoid?

Also, I see some brands have float controller options. Could someone explain to my 5th grade brain how those function and if I need one?

Hoping to pull the trigger this month or next and get cracking this season.

The only two implement brands I would be willing to recommend to
you without blinking an eye are Del Morino and Maschio.
I would only want you to use a 60 inch flail shredder, no wider

Owning and operating a boom mounted vineyard crop shredder involves
operating an implement with no over center control valve to stabilize the
load on the three point hitch and the boom.

In simpler terms imagine holding a 20 foot long 2" by 12" flat at chest height
with your elbows resting on the plank with a 5 gallon pail of gear oil at the very
end and keeping it there.

The flail shredder mower is the object at the end of the lever.

You need to maintain stability to maintain the center of gravity/center line which is the
axle height of your mule, if you could use smaller tires and wheels all the better
as you would lower the center of gravity of your mule increasing your stability ON FLAT LAND.

Mowing pond edges is fine but a waste of time because it weakens the root structure of the
weeds holding the bank. If you want to mow more often have the pond banks cut to below
15 degrees in slope as the rise and run will be safer.

You should have wheel weights on the rear left wheel and if possible the front left wheel and
suitcase weights on the front of the tractor if the loader can be removed.

 

[Fallon]

I recently purchased a Ironcraft FRF-165 (165 cm / 65”).

I’m running the mower behind a Kubota L5740 with filled rear tires and max wheel weights and FEL. Our tractors should be along the same weight.

I think it handles the mower well, and is pretty stable. (Albeit I haven’t run it on any extreme slopes).

For next size up in the 78” class, the weight of the mower basically doubles. Given the weight increase and having more offset I think the 78” would definitely be too much for my tractor.

I wanted to avoid the China built units, because I like to avoid China when I can, and I wanted to ensure parts availability down the road. The Ironcrafts are made in Italy by Cosmo, but the price is much more economical than a the high-end Italian Del Morino mowers. So far I am happy with my decision. Might be worth considering if you have a dealer near you.

I'm running a Peruzzo Super Bull 2200 (7.5') on a L4060, same frame as this Kubota, only a few less HP. It's a bit big for my machine at 1,500lbs, but has been working good for 5ish years or so. It's an adjustable offset mower, not a ditch bank mower. There is now way I could offset it more than the 2-3' it sticks past my right tire. As it is I rarely lift it off the ground with it fully offset. A ditch bank mower will trail your machine even further back allowing for more leverage.

Don't go to wide or heavy. There is tremendous twisting torque on the 3pt with things offset. Your likely to run into stability or 3pt breakage issues.

 

[OldTrix]

Thanks all for the advice and recommendations. My mule is a gear drive, so there is a dearth of readily available hydraulic fluid available for any front mount considerations.

I've been looking around for any dealers of the Italian brands round here, and while some are listed on the mfg's site, those dealers have no mention of the brands in their own product listings. Some phone calls are in order.

I see some units are 800-1000 lbs while others of the same width list at 1400-1800 lbs. I've been targeting something around 1000 lbs, given the leverage it will have. Are these lighter units built so cheaply that they'll break sooner than later? Given I have a cat II hitch, I feel all right about that weight hanging out a bit without breaking anything on the tractor. (it's rated at 3500 lbs)

All of my bank work is from a flat surface, so I'm not too worried about that, provided I stay on that flat area.

It sounds like I'm narrowed in on the 60-71" width territory.

I've noticed the slotted mounts, hence my float question. Since the unit is supposed to ride on the rollers, it sounds like that is an unnecessary option.

I was looking at the Ironcraft, and was amazed the weight doubles between the 63 and 71" units. (703 to 1565lbs.) Seems odd for an incremental increase in size.

 

[OldTrix]

What are the opinions on Bestco? They have a 73" that is under 1000 lbs. (oddly, the 71" next to it is over 1500 lbs. ) where does all that weight go?

@leonz , I realize you recommended a smaller unit, but this one has similar weight to the ones your suggested.

@

 

[leonz]

The added weight is:
the heavier three point hitch,
longer hydraulic cylinders,
heavier boom steel weldments,
wider flail mower rotor,
more knives or hammers,
more knife/hammer mounts
more mounting bolts and nuts,
wider rear roller,
wider flail mower shroud.

 

[LouNY]

What are the opinions on Bestco? They have a 73" that is under 1000 lbs. (oddly, the 71" next to it is over 1500 lbs. ) where does all that weight go?

@leonz , I realize you recommended a smaller unit, but this one has similar weight to the ones your suggested.
View attachment 2796560
@

The light one;
Blade Type: The VL-AGL series uses standard hammer blade. Each hammer blade weighs 14 oz made of cast steel (cast steel is much more durable than cast iron). Use the hammer blades for clearing saplings (2″ diameter or less) and for grasses.
Number of Blades: The VL-AGL C185 uses 32 hammer blades.

The heavy one;
AGFN takes our AGF mower and adds an openable rear deck for faster mowing when you do not need fine mulching (it is also nice for changing blades) a holder for your hoses when not attached and a floating right side 3-point connection to allow the mower greater flex when following the contours of the ground. AGFN verge flail muchers are super heavy duty mowers designed for Cat-II tractors. They feature very heavy 43 ounce cutting blades that can chop heavy brush including grasses, debris, sticks, vines, branches and other wooded materials up to 4” in Diameter.
Only 16 blades "hammers" but much heavier.

Also the lighter one is rated for up to 2 inch brush,
the heavier unit is rated for up to 4 inch.

 

[OldTrix]

so, a 15 lb difference in hammer weight totals, 5/16" vs. 1/4" walls, etc. larger rotor. Just incremental adds throughout. Amazing it adds up to that much difference.