Opinions.. 6ft Flail mower

[Midniteoyl]

Any opinions on this flail mower? I have no idea what brand it is, but it seems like the right size for my Ford 3400 and its really cheap compared to others I have seen..

Right off, it looks like a low knife/hammer count..

Thanks

6 FT 3 POINT FLAIL MOWER

 

[leonz]

Any opinions on this flail mower? I have no idea what brand it is, but it seems like the right size for my Ford 3400 and its really cheap compared to others I have seen..

Right off, it looks like a low knife/hammer count..

Thanks

6 FT 3 POINT FLAIL MOWER

Hey midnightowl,

It appears to be a mott finish mower and it has a high knive count which is best for mowing good turf and brush..

It has four rows of side slicer knives and will give you a great mowing job.

you need new knives for sure.


It needs new knives, but they are not that
expensive from flailmaster, hard hitter or clean cutter.

NOW you do need a new PTO Shaft with the plastic guard sleeves
and most likely you need some new V belts and you should be fine.
Drain the old oil out and put in some fresh 90 weight gear oil too.

Be sure to remove the belt guard and clean off all the old rubber dust
to find the grews fittings buried under the dirt and rubber dust.


You may have to cut the new PTO shaft to the proper length but
we have videos here on the forum that show you how to do it.

when you bring it home let us know and I will welcome you as the newest
member of the "Flail Mower Nation"

 

[super55]

Test Before You Buy!!!

The reason I say this is because I purchased a Mott mower that looks to be almost the exact model and have had a world of issues with it. Most notably a severe shudder from the mower being out of balance. When I looked over the mower before I bought all the bearings seemed tight and everything stout but as soon as I started operating the mower something would get out of balance and cause the whole thing to shudder wildly.

On some of the pics it looks like some sets of the knives are missing. This could mean that it is already out of balance.

Have the owner do a demo for you preferably under working conditions. My flail operated perfectly when the 3 point was lifted and running at PTO RPMs but as soon as it was put in working conditions it would get out of balance and shudder. The mower wouldn't stop shuddering either until RPMs were at idle and 3 point was lifted. I thought new knives would fix it but it didn't. So as for now it's still a work in progress for me.

 

[greg_g]

Yup. Don't even begin to negotiate until you see it spinning at the operating 540 rpm. Also, those knives look as if they've never been sharpened. Note particularly the rounded leading edges. They should look like the set below; new knives on the left, neglected knives on the right. And when you remove the old knives, you may find grooves worn in the hangers. If so, they must be replaced as well. Remove the drive cover and inspect the belt(s), pulleys, tensioner, spring(s). Evaluate on the basis of rust and dry rot. With the mower lifted, make sure there is no slop in either rear roller bearing housing. Finally, the photo only shows half of the PTO shaft. If the other half is not available, you're looking at another $150 or so for a replacement shaft.


$750 is a good price, considering a new equivalent would be five times that. But if any/all of the items I mentioned above must be replaced, you could end up with $1500 bucks in this thing before you even start mowing. By example, I got a Ford 917H at a farm equipment auction for $150. And by the time it was actually ready (and safe) to mow with, I had over $650 and several dozen manhours invested.

Don't get me wrong, a flail mower can be a good investment. But what you have to look at is how much it's actually going to cost in the end, once its' up and running to spec.

//greg//

 

[Midniteoyl]

Thanks guys..

You know, I must be blind or something. I swore I looked and only saw 2 rows of knives

Ok, so basically look for bearing and roller vibrations, and expect to replace all the knives at a minimum.. I'll give this guy a call and see what we can do. Figured its gotta be worth the look as others I have seen people are asking more than $1800.

Thanks again!

 

[greg_g]

Yeah, after doing all the work on my $150 farm auction purchase, I figure by the time I get it sand-blasted, primered, and resprayed - it's likely gonna be worth somewhere in that neighborhood too.

//greg//