Flail Mower Titan Flail mower

[troverman]

Thanks Titan for your support along the way. Last night I removed the upright supports for the top link. They shear along the bend in the metal...I think as the flail mower moves slightly side to side, the metal continues to "crease" fold...like ripping off a check on a perforation line you fold it back and forth.

I bought a sheet of 3/16 steel yesterday and cut pieces to match a template I made. I ground and welded the broken pieces - then added my new pieces to the back side of the uprights and welded them on. I think this will add significant structural support. The 1/4" plate steel had bent where the lower lift arms connect to the pins. I heated and bent this back. The housing is still bent, but the mower engages and runs OK for now. I'll be mowing again today and we'll see how it works.

That said, I still plan to buy an American-made (albeit much more costly) flail mower in the spring. This one can be my backup if it is still functioning.

As for Titan - I stand by my statement that this Chinese-made mower is poor quality, having broken two of them in 13 months, with some failures being the same. This last mower failure came after only 50 hours of use on it since new.

That said, I appreciate the level of customer support Titan has provided. They are responsive to me and do try to help. Sending me a second flail mower was really appreciated. I think if I followed up they would send me the replacement uprights...but in this case my solution is better than OEM so I'll just go with that for now.

 

[TitanSkidsteer]

Thank you for sharing your concerns with us. We assure you that our customers are our priority and appreciate you allowing us the opportunity to make things right for you. We take pride in being able to provide you quality equipment at affordable prices and will continue to take the feedback from our valued customers so that we continue to improve. Again, thank you for your continued support of Titan.

 

[Guidshir]

I used my 60" Titan flail today. I think this is the 6th usage of it, maybe 7th. I mowed about 6 acres and noticed that the base of the top/middle 3-point connection was broken off on both sides.
The design is what looks like 1/8" steel bolted. Each side is it's own piece and I had to assemble when I bought this last year. The two sides bolt to the mower and to a top piece where the top 3-pt tractor connector attaches.

I didn't even know when it broke until I looked back and saw it. The mower works otherwise, so I will probably find someone to weld these back and strengthen it. But still, it's pretty bad that it broke like this.

 

[Fallon]

I used my 60" Titan flail today. I think this is the 6th usage of it, maybe 7th. I mowed about 6 acres and noticed that the base of the top/middle 3-point connection was broken off on both sides.
The design is what looks like 1/8" steel bolted. Each side is it's own piece and I had to assemble when I bought this last year. The two sides bolt to the mower and to a top piece where the top 3-pt tractor connector attaches.

I didn't even know when it broke until I looked back and saw it. The mower works otherwise, so I will probably find someone to weld these back and strengthen it. But still, it's pretty bad that it broke like this.

If that broke while mowing I'd suspect something isnt working with float on your toplink. I'm not sure how Titan impliments it, but there shouldn't be any real force on the toplink or toplink tower. The mower should be resting on the roller & 3pt lift arms. The only force on the toplink assembly would be when you lift it up.

My Peruzo has a slot for the toplink to slide around in as do a handful of others. I have a QH adapter that is solid mounted, but leave my hydraulic toplink in float for the same result. Did the same with my old Ford 917 flail.

It's more of an issue with rotary cutters than flails due to their length, but can be an issue for flails too.

 

[def38]

I used my 60" Titan flail today. I think this is the 6th usage of it, maybe 7th. I mowed about 6 acres and noticed that the base of the top/middle 3-point connection was broken off on both sides.
The design is what looks like 1/8" steel bolted. Each side is it's own piece and I had to assemble when I bought this last year. The two sides bolt to the mower and to a top piece where the top 3-pt tractor connector attaches.

I didn't even know when it broke until I looked back and saw it. The mower works otherwise, so I will probably find someone to weld these back and strengthen it. But still, it's pretty bad that it broke like this.

Those fasteners don't look like the ones I have on my Titan flail mower. Mine are stout 3/4" bolts with Nyloc nuts and lock washers that secure the top link tower. Yours look loose and could be the reason that the steel broke from flexing, resulting in eventual metal fatigue.

I did need to tighten those four bolts on mine the other day when I was preparing for mowing. They required tightening about 1/2 turn with my 2 foot long breaker bar. I check the mower, fasteners and apply grease each time when getting ready to mow.

I would change out all those fasteners with correct size bolts with Nyloc nuts. Finally, I would go over all the fasteners on the mower paying special attention to the mounting for the gearbox. If that gets loose, severe damage could result. That reminds me, I forgot to check the gearbox oil and shaft oil reservoir.

How are your belts holding up? Mine are OE and show no signs of wear. I snugged them slightly last year mid season.

 

[def38]

My Peruzo has a slot for the toplink to slide around in as do a handful of others. I have a QH adapter that is solid mounted, but leave my hydraulic toplink in float for the same result. Did the same with my old Ford 917 flail.

Fallon, could you post a photo of that setup please? That sounds like a good fix for the top link tower failures.

 

[Guidshir]

This is all stock, what came with it from Titan. You're right that these look loose which could contribute, but I cinched these down super tight when I assembled. I'll weld it back together. I usually check for loose bolts. Found a couple but apparently didn't see these. The bolts that hook up to the roller bar bearing and scraper tend to loosen first.

I need to get a picture of the top link, but it is as Fallon says. There is no real force there except maybe when backing into a thicket of brush. Everything rides on the lift arms. The top link tower is a 3-piece assembly with these bolts.

 

[Fallon]

I think my QH compatibility bracket still moves a bit, but I'm not concerned. It actually sheared the bolts in 2 places when carying the mower off the ground. I upgraded to bigger grade 8 & havent had an issue.

 

[def38]

I think my QH compatibility bracket still moves a bit, but I'm not concerned. It actually sheared the bolts in 2 places when carying the mower off the ground. I upgraded to bigger grade 8 & havent had an issue.View attachment 603484

Thanks for the foto Fallon. I think I'll try my QH top link bracket to see if that improves performance on uneven ground.

BTW, I'm jealous of your hydraulic top link. I wish I knew what I need to install one on my M-F...open center, power beyond, closed center, spool valves...those sound like medical terms to me...I've got a cylinder but so far, no luck getting any action. Nobody seems to know much about the hydraulics on the 231S tractors from M-F.

 

[troverman]

Both of my Titan 72" mowers have sheared the metal at the base of the uprights to the top link, same as Guidshir. You do not need to use a floating top link on a flail mower like you would on a brush hog.

My assessment of these mowers is that you could get a longer life out of them if you did some 'upgrades' immediately after buying one. First, reinforce those uprights. They are weak and shear off where the steel is bent. My bolts were larger than Guidshir's, but it makes no difference as both of mine sheared off. Next, weld a piece of 1/4" by 2" upright across the length of the mower housing. My housing has twisted and bent. Finally, change the angle of the grease zerks on the rear roller as these self destruct on the first mowing. The scraper bar usually just clogs, I remove mine.