Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[Alien]

I just had to replace my main flail shaft after I hit a stump. Instead of bouncing over it one hammer dug in like an axe and caused the mainshft to bow. $1100.00 for a new one and bearings and a days work for this old bloke. Very heavy.
I also bought a new set of hammers to have on hand. $20.00 each. Cost $480.00. I have re-used the old ones meantime as they sharpened up well. Knives wouldn't last very long here so never considered them.

 

[JethroB]

Good grief! My Alamo knives are about $1.35 each. That is the heavier "Y" style (there are lighter ones and heavier ones, both stamped steel.) Used in pairs and hung on clevis just like TethroB shows above. Note these are reversible too so JethroB may have some knives he can reverse if they still have plenty of metal in them. Maybe he already has ?

Someone in it‘s past reversed them. And an Agri Supply clevis is around $16. ( x 28 stations) Yeow.

 

[JWR]

These are wildly high prices. I would go to the nearest Alamo parts seller (there are many because it dominates the highway / roadside market) and take an old knife from your flail with you. See if they match up and get some prices. At least in north central WVa that happens to be the largest JD dealer in the area. Middltown Tractor. Has to be one not too far from you.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

I found this description of flail mowers on the internet a few days ago and I thought it was the best description I have ever seen denoting all the benefits of a flail mower:

FLAIL MOWER​

The flail mower is the best of both worlds. They can handle heavy grasses while also providing a beautifully finished cut. A Flail Mower or a Mulcher does not create windrows rather they leave an evenly distributed mulched bi-product that decomposes quickly and puts many necessary inputs back into the soil. This mulch assists in preventing erosion and improves soil structure and fertility also reducing the chance of disease infestation. Mulching is effective for weed and pest control and over time a mulched paddock will require fewer fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides.

Flail Mowers are also very popular in the bush for their ability to create firebreaks and remove fuel loads to help shut down potentially deadly grass fires.

Here is a link to the article if anyone cares to read it:

https://www.sxm.com.au/slasher-mower-mulcher-one-best-job/

 

[Alien]

The wildlife love it when I mow. Plovers, magpies, grass parrots and quail all follow my mowed areas. Must be lots of bugs to gobble up.

 

[papachaz]

Question about balance, bought a new 60" betstco flail. About 3 hours in, I found a piece of concrete with it. I had put the bucket down and thought I had pushed through enough to clear anything, but... so anyway here's what I came across. Mower came with 27oz hammer blades. Betstco is out of stock, so after searching I found some the same size from Titan. The thing is though, these are in the 1 1/2 to 2 oz range heavier each. (I weighed them on a digital kitchen scale, I did take 3 off of it just to check) So I broke one blade all the way out on the end, is that going to throw it out of balance? Do I need to put them on in pairs, opposite sides of the shaft from each other, on each end?

 

[leonz]

YES it will, you have to have an equal weight otherwise the flail mower will be out of balance.

 

[papachaz]

yeah I put two on the end where the broken one came from, it was definitely off balance. Ran out of daylight, I'll put two more on the other end tomorrow. That will give me some extras. I hate to have to order a whole set, just because one broke. It's infuriating because the concrete came from the neighbors busted up driveway, and somehow made it onto our property....thanks for the input! I'm really loving what this thing will do! I wish I'd had rear remotes and could have ordered the articulating bank mower model....for now this one will do, but I already have my eyes on a remote kit and another mower, LOL
thanks for the reply!

 

[JWR]

Question about balance, bought a new 60" betstco flail. About 3 hours in, I found a piece of concrete with it. I had put the bucket down and thought I had pushed through enough to clear anything, but... so anyway here's what I came across. Mower came with 27oz hammer blades. Betstco is out of stock, so after searching I found some the same size from Titan. The thing is though, these are in the 1 1/2 to 2 oz range heavier each. (I weighed them on a digital kitchen scale, I did take 3 off of it just to check) So I broke one blade all the way out on the end, is that going to throw it out of balance? Do I need to put them on in pairs, opposite sides of the shaft from each other, on each end?

You might get by for a while with a balancing scheme like putting same weight hammers on opposite sides BUT particularly when they are the same size and look similar you are just asking for trouble. I'd get the real same-weight hammer blades ASAP and not procrastinate.

 

[CADplans]

You might get by for a while with a balancing scheme like putting same weight hammers on opposite sides BUT particularly when they are the same size and look similar you are just asking for trouble. I'd get the real same-weight hammer blades ASAP and not procrastinate.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm,, how about some Country "Engineering"??
Why not treat those new flails sorta like a rotary lawnmower blade,,,
if the new ones are a little too heavy,, "adjust" the weight with your angle grinder.
Pick a spot that is not too functional, and grind away the excess weight.

All's well that balances well!!