Ready for a Caroni flail mower, have questions

[bandit67]

I have a Kubota B3030, 30 engine hp, 23 pto hp.

I am ready to buy a Caroni flail mower, and am trying to decide between the 59" TL1500FSC or the 73" TM1900BSC.

Most of the field grasses/weeds aren't very dense, as I live in an arid climate at high elevation, so we don't get tons of rain, and the lawn-type grasses that I'll be mowing are also much less dense than your typical lawn "carpet" would be. When we occasionally do get a wet summer season, the grasses grow taller and faster, as opposed to growing as a thicker blanket like you'd see in the wetter eastern half of the country.

Because of this less dense growth, I'm leaning toward the larger mower, but based on the fact that during a wetter season, I only need to mow maybe 3-4 times, (last year was dry and I only mowed once) the mower will not get a whole lot of use, and cutting a 5' path might not be that big a deal with the less frequent mowing.

Thoughts?

 

[Mikey007]

I run the 73" Caroni TM1900 flail mower behind my John Deere 870 which is 28 HP/25 PTO. The tractor has enough power to run it no problem but the biggest issue is the weight back there and I think (know!) it's taking a toll on my 3 point hitch set up.

 

[TripleR]

I don't own a flail, but if he doesn't show up, leonz has provided me with a lot of good information on flail mowers and I am pretty sure he has a Caroni. There are other knowledgeable members, but his name comes to mind and as I said, he is very willing to offer advice etc.

 

[leonz]

I have a Kubota B3030, 30 engine hp, 23 pto hp.

I am ready to buy a Caroni flail mower, and am trying to decide between the 59" TL1500FSC or the 73" TM1900BSC.

Most of the field grasses/weeds aren't very dense, as I live in an arid climate at high elevation, so we don't get tons of rain, and the lawn-type grasses that I'll be mowing are also much less dense than your typical lawn "carpet" would be. When we occasionally do get a wet summer season, the grasses grow taller and faster, as opposed to growing as a thicker blanket like you'd see in the wetter eastern half of the country.

Because of this less dense growth, I'm leaning toward the larger mower, but based on the fact that during a wetter season, I only need to mow maybe 3-4 times, (last year was dry and I only mowed once) the mower will not get a whole lot of use, and cutting a 5' path might not be that big a deal with the less frequent mowing.




Thoughts?

Good afternon,


Many thanks to Triple R for the kind comments.

I have a 4 foot Mathews Lawn Genie pick up flail mower.

With regard to your mowing needs

and your Kubota B3030 as the

prime mover the issues are involved

are the time available to mow when

the need arises, your budget, the rated

power available through the Power Take

Off for the implement, the mower width

and the actual implement weight.

A secondary issue and a nice feature

would be adding the hydraulic side shift

at purchase time to save on the second

freight bill if and when you decide to

purchase the hydraulic side shift later on

in the implements lifespan.


If you dont mind the time required to mow with

the five footer it will be no issue and the both the finish

mower and the BSC model will allow you to shred the

clippings a second time if desired if they get thick during

the growing season.


The issue is more about the 165 pound in extra wieght of the TM1900

model in use and how well your B3030 will carry it without suitcase weights if

they are available for the B3030.


If mowing time is not a chore you can buy the five footer with no issues and

the mower will outlast your tractor and retain a high resale value if and when

the time comes.

With either mower you can leave the roller on the sod at all times except if you have to road travel and it will save wear on the three point hitch bearings as well. it will be noisy on asphault(been there done that) but it will not harm the driveway etc.


You have to decide if the extra 165 pounds will hurt the performance of the tractor without suitcase weights and or loaded tires.

The front end may get a little light with the heavier mower but if you travel slowly while mowing its not an issue as the mower is on the ground on the roller and mower skids.

I use our finish flail for brush and good sod and the finish rotor is a blessing for our needs.

The more knives the finer the shredding and the faster it degrades to compost too.

The extra 165 pounds and additional foot of rear roller on the sod aids in mowing as it makes for a wider track for the tractor adding more stability if the ground you have has hills but the same rules apply for mowing with a flailmower and the maximum of 15 degree side hill mowing and the if the hill is wet you will not want to mow across it in any case as it will slide if its wet enough like any other tractor.


Either mower will serve you well and you will have no issues installing it on a larger tractor when or if the time comes as it will have the same attachment sizes for the three point hitch.

 

[bandit67]

Thanks for the info.

Looking at the weight of the 2 units, we're talking 485 lbs vs 650 lbs. That's a big weight difference, and although the FEL will be on the machine when mowing, I'm wondering about that extra 150 lbs hanging off the 3 pt hitch. However, my 3pt is rated to lift 2139 lbs at lift point & 1676 lbs 24" behind lift point, so the 650 lbs worth of bouncing mower during transport might not be too big an issue?

Can anyone tell me the difference between the fixed hitch on the TL and adjustable hitch on the TM?

Also, if it makes any difference, I have rugged, hilly terrain - way more of that than flat terrain.

 

[leonz]

Thanks for the info.

Looking at the weight of the 2 units, we're talking 485 lbs vs 650 lbs. That's a big weight difference, and although the FEL will be on the machine when mowing, I'm wondering about that extra 150 lbs hanging off the 3 pt hitch. However, my 3pt is rated to lift 2139 lbs at lift point & 1676 lbs 24" behind lift point, so the 650 lbs worth of bouncing mower during transport might not be too big an issue?

Can anyone tell me the difference between the fixed hitch on the TL and adjustable hitch on the TM?

Also, if it makes any difference, I have rugged, hilly terrain - way more of that than flat terrain.

EDIT: Whoopsie!!!!!, I see you have ballasted tires and R4's so there is no need to buy liquid ballast.




Good afternoon,


As you will have the loader and the bucket on the B3030, you will have good ballast, adding fluid ballast will be an extra margin of safety for you with plenty of traction using rim guard or windshield washer fluid which is less expensive than Rim Guard.

You could tie down several 5 gallon pails filled with sand to the bucket for more weight with no issue and that would aid in cancelling out any case of the hoppsies if you cannot throttle down fast enough.

You have to worry more about the proper length of the Cardan P.T.O., shaft
to assure that the shaft will not buckle and damage the drive shaft stub on the P.T.O. and driven shaft stub of the right angle gear box of the mower.


The fixed hitch is immovable and the adjustable/fixed hitch allows 12-13 inches of movement from center if I remember right. I am positive its been mentioned here on the forum several times, I am sure Island Tractor or Beppington could tell you what the spans are for the adjustable hitches.


As you have mentioned the terrain the issue is traction and avoiding any possible tip overs where you want the widest wheel stance to allow a large footprint for the machine.

What type of tires do you have on your B3030? this is a major concern with tires that are not ballasted and with fluid as loaded tires will aid in stabilising the tractors center of gravity.

The use of cruise control is fine on the up hill slopes but not on the down hill trip as the tractors weight and the angle of descent will rule the travel speed and you will want to keep you foot on the directional pedal to prevent any serious speed increases by the tractor. Adding liquid ballast will help in this regard too.


If you have the lock valve under the seat for the three point hitch you will be able to secure the position of the mower for transport and keep it low with out bouncing much.

As you have the hilly terrain mowing in a spiral to save time is not a possibility, but mowing up hill either backing up and driving down if the angle is steep will be fine as the nose of the tractor is down hill and the rears are facing up hill to aid in traction.