woodmaxx flail mower?

[NCG]

Good day everyone,

I'm new here. I'm considering an FM-88H from WoodMaxx. I have a 5205 Deere with 50 HP at the pto. Will be mowing cover crops, prairie, and some heavier brush. I see most flail manufacturers say they can cut up to 2" brush. Not that I have much that is more than 1", but why is this seemingly heavy duty flail rated at only 1". Also, from experience is 50 HP enough for this machine in tall grass and forbs?

Also have looked briefly at LandPride. It's been posted here that they were importing Maschio machines and re branding. When did this stop? Are their new machines as good? Any input is appreciated.

Thanks for any input,
NCG

 

[atomchaser]

The ratings are somewhat subjective, I would suspect. With duckfoot blades, my FM-78H has done fine on brush and saplings. My tractor is about 38 hp at the PTO, so I think you are fine with what you have.

 

[leonz]

Good day everyone,

I'm new here. I'm considering an FM-88H from WoodMaxx. I have a 5205 Deere with 50 HP at the pto. Will be mowing cover crops, prairie, and some heavier brush. I see most flail manufacturers say they can cut up to 2" brush. Not that I have much that is more than 1", but why is this seemingly heavy duty flail rated at only 1". Also, from experience is 50 HP enough for this machine in tall grass and forbs?

Also have looked briefly at LandPride. It's been posted here that they were importing Maschio machines and re branding. When did this stop? Are their new machines as good? Any input is appreciated.

Thanks for any input,
NCG

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Welcome to the forum,

since your new here and new to flail mowers: I am going to suggest to you to purchase a used JD25A, JD290 or JD390 for your current mule. You have plenty of power for both the JD290(25A) and the JD390 and you will never tax the 390. Ask your JD dealer if he knows of any 25A, 290 or 390 flail mowers that are for sale in the JD network.
The basic number one reason is simply one of being able to purchase spare parts locally and obtain answers about flail mower questions and a nationwide JD dealer network where you can obtain parts overnight if needed.

I believe the importation of the Maschio orchard and and vineyard flail shredders by Land Pride stopped when Kubota purchased Land Pride.
The Landpride flail mowers are now made by kubota and I am not sure if they are made by the folks at the Land Pride factory in Kansas or not.

My father used his Ford Jubilee to knock down 12-15 foot golden rod and other brush with his 7 foot cut JD25A with no trouble other than having to hop off and clean the chaff screen on the Ford Jubilee, It had an oil bath pre cleaner for combustion air and it was easy to just dump the cyclone dust cup of fine dust as he used it.

Like I said, your mule will have no issues with the 25A, 290 or 390 John Deere flail mowers ans you can purchase parts and V belts from your JD dealer.

The used ones come up for sale or bid auction on auctiontime, iron planet and tractor house and they are easy to maintain and repair as they have externally mounted open flange bearings bolted to the side weldments of these flail mowers .

Believe me when I say its easier when you have local dealer that stocks part and can provide support for an implement like this.

There are many TBN members that have the 25A, 290 and 390 in their stable of implements.

 

[AGTtactical]

I gave up waiting for mine that I had on order (kept being on backorder) as I had jobs stacking up, so I bit the bullet and spent a little over 5K for a Land Pride FM2172 Flail Mower, it's a nice Italian Made Flail, already did 30 acres of nasty Northern Arizona Prairie weeds/rocks, took it like a champ.

This was on your L4060? Great to hear it worked well for you, as I've been trying to decide between a Landpride FM2172 or a Woodmax FM78H. I don't have a loader on my L6060...I wonder if I'll need weights in front to mount that 1040 pound FM2172?

 

[AGTtactical]

Hello blb078, After all this I would just by a JD290/390 or a Vrisimo flail mower and never worry about anything again.

"After all this"? Waiting for a delivery doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me. Plan ahead...high demand equals wait times. I've waited on orders from JD too. "I would just by a JD290/390 or a Vrisimo flail mower and never worry about anything again." Why? Previously you recommended several times to buy a Land Pride or Mathews flail mower, not JD or Vrisimo. You also recommended buying flail mowers with continuous welds...Vrismo doesn't have those. Here's a pic. Vrisimo-Flail Mowers and Shredders Also, their C172 flail weighs less (772 to 804), spins slower (1850 to 2160) and has a lower rated gearbox (50 hp to 55) than the Woodmax. Another item of note: And Woodmax's warranty is twice that of John Deere and Landpride (2 years vs. 1 year). For the USA vs. import issue, John Deere's flails are made in France from what I see on their website.

That being said, I'm still trying to decide between a Wood Max FM78 or a Land Pride FM2572... I see the logic of the guys buying the Woodmax...its hard to justify the cost of Land Pride or JD when one could buy two Woodmax flails for the price of a JD or LP. As we used to say in the Marine Corps when it comes to equipment...quantity has its own quality. Still researching...put I"m on the list with Woodmax. No deposit required...they just go down the list of people waiting and email or call you when they more in. BTW, there's a new Operator's Manual for the 2019 model years and up. Anyone know what changed?

 

[leonz]

Well; if your referring to the partial welds on the exterior center braces on those specific models they do not have to have full welds.

There is an old saying that "you only buy a good tool once". My Mathews Lawn Genie is almost 40 years old now.

Quantity really does not apply in this instance nor did it apply the last time a live mortar shell exploded in a launch tube and killed the loader and 2 other team members during live fire war games almost a decade ago during army reservist live fire exercises form what I remember of the incident.


If you look closely at the side weldments you will see that they are full welds. They have to be full welds.
Waiting periods for some implements depend strictly on the specific regional warehouse inventory.
If you want a wood max buy one. I would buy a Del Morino flail mower from everything attachments, maschio, vrisimo, Mathews, john deere, Alamo, among others if I needed a larger flail mower.

 

[AGTtactical]

Well; if your referring to the partial welds on the exterior center braces on those specific models they do not have to have full welds.

It might be better to just admit that maybe you were not correct. I agree that Vrisimo clearly makes a great flail...my point is simply if you are going to lecture guys about what they purchase, you may want to be sure of your info. You said buy a flail with "full length welds"...then recommended Vrisimo which doesn't have them, as anyone can see:

View attachment 601725 View attachment 601724 View attachment 601726 View attachment 601728.

There is an old saying that "you only buy a good tool once". My Mathews Lawn Genie is almost 40 years old now.

Just curious leonz...what experience do you have with modern flails? You share a lot of good info on flails, but it appears from your own posts that the only flail you've ever owned is a Lawn Genie, which you said you got from your dad. Have you ever bought any flail mower, and if so, which one? How do you operate it, as your sole tractor appears to a JD LA115 riding mower?

Quantity really does not apply in this instance nor did it apply the last time a live mortar shell exploded in a launch tube and killed the loader and 2 other team members during live fire war games almost a decade ago during army reservist live fire exercises form what I remember of the incident.

Not sure what this has to do with anything, except that it sounds a little odd. But since you brought it up, no one in the military calls these "war games"...they are called live fire exercises. Anyhow, my statement "quantity has its own quality" is true in pretty much everything so not sure why you don't get it. My point was that I can understand other guys' interest in a Woodmax because they could own two of them for the price of one Land Pride, or 4 of them for the price of one $12,000 Vrisimo. I like quality too...but I can also understand the logic of guys who see value in a Woodmax. And I say that knowing I probably will buy a Landpride FM2572.

If you want a wood max buy one. I would buy a Del Morino flail mower from everything attachments...

Thank you for the permission. EA doesn't sell Del Morino. They sell another brand called Phoenix that is made in Italy. Do they get the great leonz stamp of approval, or are they excluded too, and why? Thanks for your wisdom in advance!

 

[leonz]

Your attachments will not come up for what ever reason.

The physics involved with the design of a belt driven flail mower are the same as a larger flail mower of any size or use whether it is a folding towed flail mower, hydraulic drive flail mower, rear mounted PTO powered boom mounted flail mower, PTO powered vineyard and orchard crop shredder or the original Mott Flail mowers that revolutionized mowing ditches and along highways just as the first mott push flail mower did with its single handle that was used to push the smaller engine driven flail mower Mott flail mower that was also able to mow down thick lawns and brush by simply raising and lowering the mower with the handle. The principle in the use, operation and flail mower rotor speed, flail mower knife tip speed are the same no matter what size the flail mower or whether it is a small towed motorized flail mower that uses a pick up basket to collect the clippings and leaves or a Vineyard and orchard crop shredder that has cast flail hammer knives



The side plate weldments on the Vrisimo flail mowers are full welds as I said. The stiffener braces have on the mightymax model in the first picture only have short welds.

I purchased my first flail mower from the dealer that my father traded his smaller flail mower in to purchase a larger flail mower with a pick up basket capacity of one cubic yard.

I traded that flail mower and a Wheelhorse Commando 8 lawn tractor in for a Wheelhorse 244 Hydro with a belly mower and snow plow; I should have bought the snow blower for it.

I inherited my fathers 48 inch lawn Genie pick up mower when my brother did not want to use it.

I have used a JD 3020 gas tricycle row crop tractor with JD25A mower as a rental machine.

My father owned a Ford Jubilee gas tractor with a 1982-3 JD25A flail mower that we used to knock down old pasture that had 12-15 foot golden rod and heavy brush to reclaim it.

We used it to mow 2 acre sections of the 12 acre pasture to a 2 inch height every week for many years.

My fathers JD25A that was made in Moline Illinois had full welds on the side weldments and it included the tubular steel that was welded with full weldments in front of the flail mower shroud and attached to the side weldments.

The Phoenix line of flail mowers and other implements are made by SICMA from what I remember. Both Sicma and many builders of farm machinery in Europe have been making farm machinery like flail mowers and flail crop shredders for a long time just like Del Morino, Ferrari, Caroni, Wessex, INO, Peruzzo and others and they must be built to the higher European safety standards with the safety shield piano hinge guards in the front of these flail mowers.

Why do you assume I DO NOT GET IT? I have seen my share of junk of all types offered for sale and how use, abuse and lack of care have killed or injured bystanders or motorists that were well out of range of a mower crew using rotary cutters that expelled a blade and killed or injured someone with massive consequences to the users of these implements and a lifetime of misery for the injured parties.

About The term live fire exercises:

My father and his commanders always referred to them as "war games" when he served in the United Sates Army from 1945-53 as that was the term that was always used
and stuck with me.

As I stated The European made flail mowers and flail crop shredders simply have to conform to the higher safety standards created by the European Union for farm machinery of any size and especially for flail mowers and flail vineyard brush mowers and flail crop shredders.


In accounting any purchase involves what is referred to as the opportunity cost which means;

"what one willing to give up for the purchase of a specific item or service". any investment or purchase involves the problems of "risk or reward".

Spend your money wisely, ask questions, ask more questions, look at the welds, ask what the implement weight is and then go from there.

There are a lot of good used flail mowers on the market from time to time and many good new flail mowers come out inventory reduction sales from a dealer or from dispersal sales or auctions that have very low hours that will outlive a current tractor and will also be used on its replacement.

 

[Code54]

There are a lot of good used flail mowers on the market from time to time and many good new flail mowers come out inventory reduction sales from a dealer or from dispersal sales or auctions that have very low hours that will outlive a current tractor and will also be used on its replacement.

Definitely keep your eyes open for a used flail mower. Last year I picked up a nice used Alamo 6' Flail for $400 delivered to the house. $200 buck later I had new bearing and knives and am very pleased with mower. Wanted a new one but knew I would not use one that much and I sort of prefer commercial eqpt. so I kept watch the local ads, Ebay, criagslist, etc and finally one came up. If your not in a big hurry keep your eyes open and you may get lucky. Good luck finding a unit you like for the right price!

 

[AGTtactical]

Definitely keep your eyes open for a used flail mower. Last year I picked up a nice used Alamo 6' Flail for $400 delivered to the house. $200 buck later I had new bearing and knives and am very pleased with mower. Wanted a new one but knew I would not use one that much and I sort of prefer commercial eqpt. so I kept watch the local ads, Ebay, criagslist, etc and finally one came up. If your not in a big hurry keep your eyes open and you may get lucky. Good luck finding a unit you like for the right price!

Thanks Code54...what a bargain!