Offset Flail Ditch Bank Mower

[leonz]

Hello Terry,

I never never never ment to infer that "your" specific use of a side shifting flail mower would be more dangerous to operate on your property. I tend to go into extreme detail when it comes to flail mowers as my friends on the forum can attest to as it is second nature for me and quite often I cannot upload my responses as I have timed out haha. :drool::thumbsup:

I only mentioned what may be needed to operate it safely depending specifically where it may be operated. Many side hill farms have very steep terrain that requires a mule or a combine that can tilt to operate and to harvest or a require spraying of insecticides

You will not have any issues with the property you are mowing if you use a side shifting flail mower, and the mowing job will also look much nicer.

I am sorry if I created a misunderstanding with regard to your specific needs.

No worries you will be fine with the recommended side shifting flail mower from Iowa Farm Equipment for your tractor.


Happy holidays.

 

[powerscol]

Good morning Terry

In some ways I think leonz is trying to say with the flail you may want to be open in changing how you mow (but you probably know that). An example on the side hill you will want the mower head above you (not on the down hill side). While the swing arm will somewhat prevent a roll over if you have it below you, it can possibly get bent and also mess up your 3pt linkage. When I switched from my rotary I could feel a positive difference in the tractor behavior. Much less bouncing and easier to turn around (I have wiped out a few fences in my time )

When I mow my steep ditch banks I am on the gravel road shoulder,. I do get a gut feeling I am at the limits sometimes by the way my tractor behaves, especially in heavy grass or willows. My steering gets light if the mower gets hung up. I can also feel the rear sliding in loose gravel in thick stuff, so I go slow. I have the R4 GP tires filled which helps greatly.

There is a learning curve. I left big slash marks the first timed I mowed as I had the skid shoes on the grown and they dug in on turns. I then went back and actually read the operations manual. :confused3::laughing: You will also find a sweet spot in operation speed that may be different than the rotary. Experiment in the mower position and your pattern. It will also take a while to tune your mower roller and side skid settings for your field conditions and desired cutting height. Top link adjustment is more critical then the rotary as it sets the side shoe geometry. You want to be riding on the rear roller with the side skids off the grown. You should find a sweet spot where it begins to sound like a huge vacuum cleaner and you will see the grass at the sides pulled in.

As for the tilt meter it can be helpful. I used one to measure curve safety at speed in my work (old school). Now they have fancy computers to do it. FIL had one on his old JD, but the funny thing was when plowing and one wheel in the furrow it measured near the danger zone :shocked: . FIL did have a mark on it where he determined it became unsafe - I never got close to it before my butt meter kicked in.

Hopefully this helps

 

[TerryR]

I realize that I'll have to make some adjustments in my mowing pattern. For starters, I'll have to mow everything "backwards," that is keep the working edge on the right instead of on the left. My RC is narrower than my tractor tires, so I've pulled it to the left with the 3pt hitch. I used that side because it seemed the direction of rotation seemed to pick up the grass the tire had run over better that way. But the offset flail mounts to the right.

I expect I can mow most or all of my banks sideways from the top or bottom with the mower extended rather than backing up them as I do with the RC. Experimenting will tell.

Then I have to see whether I like mowing the bulk of the field with the flail extended or behind the tractor. I think that depends on how much having it extended pulls the tractor to the right, especially going up the steep parts. If it works I think I'll prefer using it extended to keep from running over the grass/weeds before mowing.

I used to mow much of the field up and down the hill but the last several years I've done that just on the steepest part, and mow around the "level" areas - the parts under 15 degrees of slope. That seemed to me to waste less time than dead-heading across between passes and cutting the long skinny triangles I never seem to avoid when I set off a new "land." I'll see if I want to change that pattern with the new mower. I wonder if I can make square corners without stopping with the offset flail like the hay guys do with sickle bar and disk mowers?

I don't have much that needs mowing this time of year but I'll try to test it a little. It should be here late next week or early the following one. I hope it's this coming week as there is a big tower crane in town that's supposed to come down a week from Monday and it'll require lots of hands-on "supervising."

 

[TerryR]

It arrived today. Not great timing, as the snow is only half melted and it didn't arrive until 5:00 pm as it was getting dark. Truck can't get to the house so had him drop it beside the road, and had to drag it off the liftgate with my tractor. Fortunately my neighbor came by with his side-by-side as I needed the help, and the lights, to cut it loose from the skid and hook it up to the tractor to cart it home.

Here's what it looks like once free of the packing:



Looks well made and nicely finished. They included extension hoses to reach my FEL outlets, with right-angle fittings and connectors, which I'll have to install.

Any tips on how to vet the air from the hydraulics?

It's going to be a while before I do much testing I'm afraid.

 

[lostcreekranch]

It arrived today. Not great timing, as the snow is only half melted and it didn't arrive until 5:00 pm as it was getting dark. Truck can't get to the house so had him drop it beside the road, and had to drag it off the liftgate with my tractor. Fortunately my neighbor came by with his side-by-side as I needed the help, and the lights, to cut it loose from the skid and hook it up to the tractor to cart it home.


Any tips on how to vet the air from the hydraulics?

.

Somebody needs a set of pallet forks.

Hook up your cylinder to your remote QD’s and just cycle the cylinder 10-15 times. Presto ...... Air gone!

BTW ..... very nice flail mower!

 

[Fallon]

It arrived today. Not great timing, as the snow is only half melted and it didn't arrive until 5:00 pm as it was getting dark. Truck can't get to the house so had him drop it beside the road, and had to drag it off the liftgate with my tractor. Fortunately my neighbor came by with his side-by-side as I needed the help, and the lights, to cut it loose from the skid and hook it up to the tractor to cart it home.

Here's what it looks like once free of the packing:
View attachment 531635
View attachment 531636

Looks well made and nicely finished. They included extension hoses to reach my FEL outlets, with right-angle fittings and connectors, which I'll have to install.

Any tips on how to vet the air from the hydraulics?

It's going to be a while before I do much testing I'm afraid.

Just hook up the hydraulics & cycle them back & forth a few times, sometimes up to a dozen & it get the air out. The oil will entrap the air & cycle it on out. When sitting unpressurized in the tank it will come out.

My Peruzzo Bull Super 2200 Flail should be here by the end of the month. Has some hydraulically adjustable offset, but not nearly as much as your ditch bank mower.

 

[TerryR]

Thanks guys for the tips on how to deal with air in the hydraulics. It looks like the cylinders and factory hoses do have fluid in them and it's just the extensions the dealer put on that are dry, as I learned after draping the open hoses over my tractor overnight and finding oil on the floor this morning. It will be a few days before it's warm enough for me to play with it.

Somebody needs a set of pallet forks.

Hook up your cylinder to your remote QD’s and just cycle the cylinder 10-15 times. Presto ...... Air gone!

BTW ..... very nice flail mower!

Thanks.

Yes, the truck driver would have appreciated the pallet forks, but it's the first time I can recall having a need for them. And, at 991 lb. shipping weight, this would be a tad over the spec'd maximum capacity of my FEL.

Just hook up the hydraulics & cycle them back & forth a few times, sometimes up to a dozen & it get the air out. The oil will entrap the air & cycle it on out. When sitting unpressurized in the tank it will come out.

My Peruzzo Bull Super 2200 Flail should be here by the end of the month. Has some hydraulically adjustable offset, but not nearly as much as your ditch bank mower.

That looks like a very nice unit. I don't have tractor enough for that, and I think on my place the ditch bank capability will be very handy.

 

[RoyJackson]

It arrived today. Not great timing, as the snow is only half melted and it didn't arrive until 5:00 pm as it was getting dark. Truck can't get to the house so had him drop it beside the road, and had to drag it off the liftgate with my tractor. Fortunately my neighbor came by with his side-by-side as I needed the help, and the lights, to cut it loose from the skid and hook it up to the tractor to cart it home.

Here's what it looks like once free of the packing:
View attachment 531635
View attachment 531636

Looks well made and nicely finished. They included extension hoses to reach my FEL outlets, with right-angle fittings and connectors, which I'll have to install.

Any tips on how to vet the air from the hydraulics?

It's going to be a while before I do much testing I'm afraid.

Very nice!!!

 

[bspeedy]

That's a really great looking machine. Do you mind sharing a ballpark price on it? My guess is 4-5 grand, but that's just a guess.

 

[TerryR]

That's a really great looking machine. Do you mind sharing a ballpark price on it? My guess is 4-5 grand, but that's just a guess.

It's looking great. We'll see how it performs when the weather warms up a bit.

Five grand plus shipping is about right. I choose this one because it offers the widest offset in it's class, which is important to me with the wide rear wheels you see in the second photo, and because it's relatively light weight which I thought best because of the size of my tractor and my hills. The Del Marino is a bit cheaper but the offset isn't as large and it weighs more. The Chinese-made brands are a lot cheaper but I questioned the quality and couldn't find anyone who owns one who was willing to vouch for them.

 

[bspeedy]

Thanks for the info. I have another reason to be curious. I bought an hydraulic mower for my mini excavator and wanted to compare prices. A new cutter would have been about 6 grand fully set up. I think your cutter will do 80 percent of what I want. Excavator has the advantage of reach out and UP. It's awesome that your mower can do double duty as bush hog and offset flail. Please post action shots when they are available.

 

[powerscol]

It's looking great. We'll see how it performs when the weather warms up a bit.

Five grand plus shipping is about right. I choose this one because it offers the widest offset in it's class, which is important to me with the wide rear wheels you see in the second photo, and because it's relatively light weight which I thought best because of the size of my tractor and my hills. The Del Marino is a bit cheaper but the offset isn't as large and it weighs more. The Chinese-made brands are a lot cheaper but I questioned the quality and couldn't find anyone who owns one who was willing to vouch for them.

Glad to see you got it. Your lucky as I had to assemble my hydraulic hoses and swing arms. How does you tractor feel with the weight out back?

 

[TerryR]

Thanks for the info. I have another reason to be curious. I bought an hydraulic mower for my mini excavator and wanted to compare prices. A new cutter would have been about 6 grand fully set up. I think your cutter will do 80 percent of what I want. Excavator has the advantage of reach out and UP. It's awesome that your mower can do double duty as bush hog and offset flail. Please post action shots when they are available.

Will do, but don't hold your breath. It's snowing again so nothing to mow except snow for a while.

Glad to see you got it. Your lucky as I had to assemble my hydraulic hoses and swing arms. How does you tractor feel with the weight out back?

That must have been a pain. On mine the hardware was completely assembled, and they attached the extension hoses, but left them open and put the right-angle fittings and couplings in a bag. It was well packed. It's supposed to weigh 339 lb. but the shipping weight was 991 lb. It was on a large heavy pallet that I can lift one side of with considerable effort, with a steel frame on top of that, all wrapped in cardboard and plastic. Still not convinced all that weighed over 300 lb.

Only issue I had was there is a locking bar for the lift cylinder, which I saw was there (the red bar in the photos). but when I tried to lift the unit off the pallet the mower didn't lift (with the hydraulics open). Turns out the bar was shipped in the stowed position and not on the cylinder. Once I installed it there was no problem.

Truth is I didn't really feel it on the tractor. But it was cold and dark, there was snow and ice on the driveway, and I had the FEL in place for this operation, so we'll see once it's removed and I can focus on the unit. I did order two more suitcase weights today to complete the set which should help some. Also ordered the four color-coded JD dust caps to make it easier to hook up the hoses correctly.

 

[TerryR]

It finally got warm enough to put the mower together and test it a little. Figuring out which outlet was supposed to go to which hose was "interesting," but I lucked out and got it right the first time. I bought a set of JD color coded dust covers so it will be easy to connect them correctly again.

The tractor seems to handle the weight quiet well, though I've not yet tried it on the steep parts. I did extend the mower all the way and tried to see how much I could bounce it by putting my weight on the end of the mower. It seemed very solid even without the suitcase weights on the front.

Here's a couple of shots of it doing a bank:


It handles it nicely, even with my wide-set wheels. I'm sure I won't have any difficulty doing the rest from below. This bank has always been a pain - I have run the rotary cutter as close to the edge as I dare, then back up many times from below. I think I can now do it with two easy passes.

Here's a shot of doing the far side of a shallow ditch:


I'd given up mowing that with the rotary cutter since the trees have gotten to big to get the tractor up in there. I think I can get most of the rest of it with a second pass with the tractor straddling the ditch.

I think it's going to do well for this sort of thing. We'll see how it does with open field work once I have something to cut in the spring.

 

[RoyJackson]

It finally got warm enough to put the mower together and test it a little. Figuring out which outlet was supposed to go to which hose was "interesting," but I lucked out and got it right the first time. I bought a set of JD color coded dust covers so it will be easy to connect them correctly again.The tractor seems to handle the weight quiet well, though I've not yet tried it on the steep parts. I did extend the mower all the way and tried to see how much I could bounce it by putting my weight on the end of the mower. It seemed very solid even without the suitcase weights on the front.Here's a couple of shots of it doing a bank:View attachment 532552 View attachment 532551It handles it nicely, even with my wide-set wheels. I'm sure I won't have any difficulty doing the rest from below. This bank has always been a pain - I have run the rotary cutter as close to the edge as I dare, then back up many times from below. I think I can now do it with two easy passes.Here's a shot of doing the far side of a shallow ditch:View attachment 532553That looks great, Terry!!I'd given up mowing that with the rotary cutter since the trees have gotten to big to get the tractor up in there. I think I can get most of the rest of it with a second pass with the tractor straddling the ditch.I think it's going to do well for this sort of thing. We'll see how it does with open field work once I have something to cut in the spring.

Looks great, Terry!!

 

[bspeedy]

Thanks for the update. That is a very cool rig, indeed!

 

[leonz]

It finally got warm enough to put the mower together and test it a little. Figuring out which outlet was supposed to go to which hose was "interesting," but I lucked out and got it right the first time. I bought a set of JD color coded dust covers so it will be easy to connect them correctly again.

The tractor seems to handle the weight quiet well, though I've not yet tried it on the steep parts. I did extend the mower all the way and tried to see how much I could bounce it by putting my weight on the end of the mower. It seemed very solid even without the suitcase weights on the front.

Here's a couple of shots of it doing a bank:
View attachment 532552 View attachment 532551

It handles it nicely, even with my wide-set wheels. I'm sure I won't have any difficulty doing the rest from below. This bank has always been a pain - I have run the rotary cutter as close to the edge as I dare, then back up many times from below. I think I can now do it with two easy passes.

Here's a shot of doing the far side of a shallow ditch:
View attachment 532553

I'd given up mowing that with the rotary cutter since the trees have gotten to big to get the tractor up in there. I think I can get most of the rest of it with a second pass with the tractor straddling the ditch.

I think it's going to do well for this sort of thing. We'll see how it does with open field work once I have something to cut in the spring.

============================================================================================

Hello and Good morning TerryR,


I want to welcome you as the newest resident member of the Flail Mower Nations from the great State of North Carolina.


Happy Mowing

 

[powerscol]

It great to see the set up is a great match for your tractor. The pivot point appear to be well outside of your rear tire - excellence. I may invest in some weight for the front of my unit too. Did you get into any heavy grass and notice any power issue. Also how do you like the cut?

 

[TerryR]

It great to see the set up is a great match for your tractor. The pivot point appear to be well outside of your rear tire - excellence. I may invest in some weight for the front of my unit too. Did you get into any heavy grass and notice any power issue. Also how do you like the cut?

I have been using four suitcase weights with my RC. For this I bought two more to fill out the rack.

I didn't fiddle with the roller adjustment before this test, and I find it came set at the lowest height. There was no tall grass available - what I was testing on was mowed a couple of months ago with my RC but was not cut very closely because of the bank. I did find in one place it got very close to the ground and loaded up my tractor. I'm not sure that's a fair test. I clearly need to work on setting it to the right cutting height. The quality of the cut was super.

Beyond that, I'm very impressed with the quality of the machine. The finish is very nice. All the nuts you might have reason to remove are the type with plastic locking inserts. The grease fitting for the bearing for end of the shift inside the pulley has a hose to a fitting in location you can reach. The belt cover has a plastic guard on the edges where it contacts the end plate.

The only issue I've found is the plug for testing the oil level in the gearbox is behind the guard for the PTO shaft. I don't see how you get it out without removing the guard, which means removing the shaft first.

 

[powerscol]

One trick I learned quickly is be sure you side skids are off the ground after resetting the roller. Otherwise they gouge on turns. For me the perfect setting is roller on ground and skid shoes 1" higher and level. I set the unit on the ground (roller) the adjust the top link to get the skid shoes level. You want to be close to create suction when cutting. Should sound like a big vacuum cleaner and you should see the grass under the skids be sucked in. The other trick you will find is to put the unit at 90 degrees to work on the knives. It is so nice to have everything right where you need it and not be crawling on the ground in an unsafe place. Next spring I need to touch them up, but be careful not to overheat the knive edges when grinding.

BTW can you post a link to those color coded JD caps you mention. Would help to this old guy to get then straight too.:laughing::thumbsup:

Merry Christmas - Keith