Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[LouieJunior]

I'm a visitor to flail nation. I have been considering a flail mower for my property -- mostly for mowing field perimeters. The new prices are not justifiable, so I am now considering used. I am watching Craigslist, where I have purchased a few other attachments. An earlier thread here mentioned Ford 917 and Deere 25A as possibilities.

I contacted an eBay seller with the listing below, an Alamo, but he wasn't able to supply a model number. Without that, wouldn't parts be hard to source?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110834083975&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

The seller thought it weighed 1000 or 1200 lbs which seems like a lot. Is this mower identifiable -- and is it worth buying?

Or, should I keep looking? I have a 40 HP 4WD CUT. Thanks for any and all input!

 

[leonz]

I'm a visitor to flail nation.

I have been considering a flail mower for my property mostly
for mowing field perimeters.

The new prices are not justifiable, so I am now considering used.

I am watching Craigslist, where I have purchased a few other attachments.

An earlier thread here mentioned Ford 917 and Deere 25A as possibilities.

I contacted an eBay seller with the listing below, an Alamo, but he wasn't able

to supply a model number. Without that, wouldn't parts be hard to source?

Alamo Flail Mower 3 Point 7'7" Works Good Ready to Go 540 PTO | eBay

The seller thought it weighed 1000 or 1200 lbs which seems like a lot.
Is this mower identifiable -- and is it worth buying?

Or, should I keep looking? I have a 40 HP 4WD CUT.

Thanks for any and all input!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hello LouieJunior,

About that specific flailmower-

1. the issue is the lifting capacity of the three point hitch on your mule

2. whether the flail mower will make the front end light.

3. do you have a hydro or a gear drive mule with low range?

4. as far as parts go its easy enough to check with the Alamo folks
with the serial number of the gear box to see if it is one of thiers.

5. This Alamo flailmower, if it is an Alamo product is rough cut flail mower
which you could use for your entire property except for any fine sod lawn.

6. A used JD25A will be easy enough to come by via Used Tractors For Sale at TractorHouse.com: John Deere Tractors, used farm tractors and farm equipment, tractors for sale, Case IH, New Holland, Agco, Kubota
and will permit you to do finish mowing and fine sod mowing as well.


7. A hydro Compact Utility tractor will be limited in its lifting capacity so you
need to check the weight it can lift before you make any purchase.

8. 40 horsepower may be enough to run it as long as you do not travel fast while mowing
if you have hydro tractor as a very large proportion of the power being used will be needed
for the drive and hydraulic system and then whats left will power the power take off to the
integrally mounted implement.

 

[IslandTractor]

I'm a visitor to flail nation. I have been considering a flail mower for my property -- mostly for mowing field perimeters. The new prices are not justifiable, so I am now considering used. I am watching Craigslist, where I have purchased a few other attachments. An earlier thread here mentioned Ford 917 and Deere 25A as possibilities.

I contacted an eBay seller with the listing below, an Alamo, but he wasn't able to supply a model number. Without that, wouldn't parts be hard to source?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110834083975&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

The seller thought it weighed 1000 or 1200 lbs which seems like a lot. Is this mower identifiable -- and is it worth buying?

Or, should I keep looking? I have a 40 HP 4WD CUT. Thanks for any and all input!

In addition to guru Leonz's comments, I would add that while there is no disputing the quality of Alamo flails, you can actually get a brand new 2 meter wide flail like a Caroni for about the same price as the eBay item is listed for. It is a medium duty flail TM1900 and there is a pretty good track record with it described here on TBN. I have one on my 40hp tractor and it is a very good fit.

 

[LouieJunior]

Thanks for the Caroni recommendation. I will give this option my consideration. According to my documentation, the hitch can lift 2,200 lbs. Also, I believe my loader provides plenty of weight up front.

 

[whirly]

My 72" Mott weighs 930#. I had to weigh it to ship here. So 1000# is in the ball park for the Alamo 77".

 

[Blaneypark]

I have a Old Mott 60" flail mower. It has a square gear box on it. I'm looking for the small gear . I believe it is the output gear. Has 16 teeth, 3/4 hole, approx 25 deg bevel. I would like to just find someone with a manual that has the gear part number. I have talked with Alamo, Flail-master and others, with no part number they can't help much.

 

[leonz]

About your Mott Flail Mower

Are you sure you have round gearbox????

The manual I can send you via E-mail is for mowers with the serial numbers from 1825 and up and from 8801 and up.



The output shaft for these serial number mowers is a one piece machined shaft in its entirety.

Please send me your e-mail via PM so I may send you the manual- as things go you may be better off just buying the new gearbox as there are 16 different parts that you will need for a rebuild including the output shaft, 2 complete bearings, oil seal, shims etc.the unit lists two different thickness shims for the two different mowers so thats another issue to deal with.

 

[Blaneypark]

Leonz Sent you a PM. Yes the gear box is Square. All I need for now is a parts list and picture of the gear box.

 

[leonz]

Leonz Sent you a PM. Yes the gear box is Square. All I need for now is a parts list and picture of the gear box.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Hello Blaneypark,

The only information I have for the existing Mott 60-72 inch flailmowers
was the round gear cases I listed previously.


Is it possible you may actually have a Ford or a John Deere
or an Alamo flail mower?, as they were all yellow at one time.

The gearbox should have an ID tag riveted to it OR the mower
has an ID tag under the belt guard perhaps if it is not visible
on the mower weldments like the square tube frame?

The right angle 1 to 1 gearboxes are fairly inexpensive as they are as common as dirt.

I checked the Montage web site for Mott parts and they still list the cirular gearboxes as the gearbox for the Motts.

 

[Xfaxman]

I'm a visitor to flail nation. I have been considering a flail mower for my property -- mostly for mowing field perimeters. The new prices are not justifiable, so I am now considering used. I am watching Craigslist, where I have purchased a few other attachments. An earlier thread here mentioned Ford 917 and Deere 25A as possibilities.

I contacted an eBay seller with the listing below, an Alamo, but he wasn't able to supply a model number. Without that, wouldn't parts be hard to source?

Alamo Flail Mower 3 Point 7'7" Works Good Ready to Go 540 PTO | eBay

The seller thought it weighed 1000 or 1200 lbs which seems like a lot. Is this mower identifiable -- and is it worth buying?

Or, should I keep looking? I have a 40 HP 4WD CUT. Thanks for any and all input!

Mine is an older Mott, same size and it weighs 1053 pounds.

It is listed For Sale here in Private Party Ads.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/private-party-ads/285990-mott-flail-mower-central-oklahoma.html

 

[Arc weld]

The Mott is most likely an 88" cut Super Heavy Duty model with the 4 1/2" dia. cutter shaft. It will cut a lawn just fine and pretty much any type of grass and weeds you would ever encounter. They do make fine cut models but unless you're on a golf course or a sod farm , the rough cut will still do a very nice job. A new one is over $5000 but make no mistake, a Ford or JD flail is no comparison to a Mott/Alamo. Just compare the thickness of the deck for starters. The ring mount Mott knives swing in all directions, don't plug up, are reversible and use less power than other types of knifes. You must run 540 RPM on the PTO or the knives will stretch. It is a weird phenomenon that was discovered when some users were trying to run them at a lower RPM (to save fuel) or on too small a tractor. They are not made for cutting brush but will cut 5' tall grass and weeds without a problem if you have the H.P. Yes, it's worth buying but remember $1800 is the asking price, not the selling price. $1500 wouldn't be a bad price if all the knifes looked fairly good and it worked properly without vibration. Check out the Alamo web site. That's the same mower they use on the back of an Interstator. They haven't changed much in 40+ years because they were such a superior design to begin with. 40 PTO H.P. would probably run an 88" in 6" grass but you'd might have to take a narrower swath if it was really thick or wet. 40 engine H.P. would be a little low for an 88" unless you were cutting grass on a regular basis. A commercial mowing contractor up here used to use 74" Mott's behind MF 245's with 42 PTO H.P and they pretty much cut anything they encountered. Parts shouldn't be a problem at all. They list some parts manuals on the Alamo site too.

 

[LouieJunior]

I'm looking at the numerous Caroni models.
Which type of rotor would serve my needs best -- mostly rough cutting field edges with occasional sticks and small stumps on the ground?
Is Agri-Supply the primary US dealer?

TM1900ASC Rear 1900 (75? A 56 540 292 (644) 30 60 Adjustable
TM1900BSC Rear 1900 (75? B 56 with shackles 540 295 (650) 30 60 Adjustable
TM1900FSC Rear 1900 (75? F 112 540 310 (683) 30 60 Adjustable
TM1900PSC Rear 1900 (75? P 28 with shackles 540 310 (683) 30 60 Adjustable

I have concluded that the used Alamo (on ebay) is too big and heavy for me and would also like to run at a lower rpm, when cutting light duty stuff.
Again -- many thanks for the expertise here!

Edit - Looks Like Rotor B is what is offered by Agri-Supply

 

[IslandTractor]

I'm looking at the numerous Caroni models.
Which type of rotor would serve my needs best -- mostly rough cutting field edges with occasional sticks and small stumps on the ground?
Is Agri-Supply the primary US dealer?

TM1900ASC Rear 1900 (75? A 56 540 292 (644) 30 60 Adjustable
TM1900BSC Rear 1900 (75? B 56 with shackles 540 295 (650) 30 60 Adjustable
TM1900FSC Rear 1900 (75? F 112 540 310 (683) 30 60 Adjustable
TM1900PSC Rear 1900 (75? P 28 with shackles 540 310 (683) 30 60 Adjustable

I have concluded that the used Alamo (on ebay) is too big and heavy for me and would also like to run at a lower rpm, when cutting light duty stuff.
Again -- many thanks for the expertise here!

Edit - Looks Like Rotor B is what is offered by Agri-Supply

AgriSupply only stocks the B version which is great for fields. That model cuts not quite to the finish standard that a dedicated finish mower can do and it isn't quite as tough as a medium duty Bush Hog, but it covers the range in between perfectly.
After five years, my only beef is the cost of the shackle plus blades. Every time I break one I have to spend about $17 or so to replace it. Still, I highly recommend it for non commercial use.

 

[LouieJunior]

My apologies if this has already been covered here -- is there any merit looking at Woodmaxx Flail mowers? I'm guessing they are made in china -- but so is my Deere's Yanmar diesel engine and it seems to be well built. Have only heard about Woodmaxx choppers before. Thanks.

 

[Arc weld]

You want to use Y blades on ring mounts but flail mowers and most other implements are designed to operate at 540 RPM. This is also where a tractor is the most efficient. You do not save anything running at a lower RPM, especially with a diesel. You can in fact risk damaging something. In lighter going you can use a higher gear but keep the RPM up. About the only PTO implement you might turn slower would be a post hole auger.

 

[Walter63]

Rip,
I have a TriMax 6 foot flail that I use on the front of a Carraro tractor. It was made to fit a John Deere mower similar to the Kubota you are talking about. A front mount flail should have gauge wheels up front and a roller in back. I've also got another 5 foot TriMax that works the same way. They are great mowers for lawn or overgrown lawn. They'll handle fairly tall or wet grass, and lay it down evenly shredded. TriMax may not be selling them in this country at this point, but you can check with them on their website.
In summary, a front flail is a great way to mow.

 

[leonz]

There is no comparison between the two!

I believe I mentioned tractorhouse .com
to you before if you are looking at saving
money, or as Island Tractor has said the
Caroni can be purchased with about the
same money.

The other issue I have seen and shudder
and cry every time I see it is that the flail
mower rotors are not balanced which
extremely dangerous.

 

[IslandTractor]

In summary, a front flail is a great way to mow.

I would LOVE to have a front mount flail. That would be the cat's pajamas of mowers. See exactly what you are cutting, no excessive and wasteful overlap, easy to maneuver and mow tight spots. The only downside would be the lack of a bucket to "feel" for debris or obstacles in high grass or brush but that wouldn't be an issue on regularly mown fields.

 

[DavesTractor]

....but so is my Deere's Yanmar diesel engine and it seems to be well built.......

Has Yanmar moved some engine production to China? I thought they were all Japanese.

 

[leonz]

Has Yanmar moved some engine production to China?
I thought they were all Japanese.

As far as I know they still manufacter them in Japan.