Offset flail on a B2601

I have a BX at the moment, upgrading to a B2601 when the new model finally arrives in NZ.

I spend some time mowing the roadside near us, and I've been wondering about getting a hydraulic offset flail. That's partly because I find I sometimes get the BX wheels a bit off the edge, and I know the B2601 will be quite a bit more tippy, and partly because I could maintain a much wider strip of grass and could mow the various small banks on the roadside without having to get the string trimmer out.

I've been looking at one of these direct from China (I've imported direct before, so reasonably confident in the Customs paperwork and shipping stuff). https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...?spm=a2700.7724838.2017115.214.95e4555cSejmru

I'd look at the EFDL-105, which weighs 210kg. In theory a B2601 can lift that (it can lift 640kg @ 24 inch behind the pins), but I note that the hydraulic arm means it sticks out a fair bit behind the tractor - would that extra leverage be likely to mean the B01 couldn't lift it? Has anyone had one of these on a compact tractor?

I'm also aware it'll stick out a fair bit to the side of the tractor, and I may have an issue with tipping over sideways. It looks like it rides on the ground when in use, so the rollers would take the weight, but when getting it out to the side it may put a lot of leverage on. If I got one I'd probably make a counterweight that I bolt on to the front, so I'm less worried about that balance than about simply whether the 3ph would lift it.

I'm still at the "wondering about it" stage - I'll ask them for a proper price, but I think at around $1,500NZ landed it'd be worthwhile. If it were $500USD, that's $750NZD, then I have shipping at probably $500, and I pay sales tax of 15% on all that, so should be in the ballpark. Of course, the budget controller thinks spending any money to mow land I don't own is crazy, so still some work to do there as well.

Looks like about $2,500 NZD is best I can do - pricing was wrong on that listing, it's $1,126 USD each plus shipping.

dirtydeed said:

Those look like quite the contraption. How much offset do you really need?

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The roadside I mow has banks on either side, and those banks are a bit undulating. So on one side it's about a 70 degree uphill bank - no chance of putting the tractor on that. I currently trim with a line trimmer occassionally, and otherwise leave it for the council to do 4 times a year. On the downhill side there are areas of flats, then it rolls off downhill. There are trees, and not much grass/weed grows under them, but the edge tends to grow long scraggly grass. At the moment I mow as far over the edge as I dare - which is a bit tippy. With this I could push the mower over the edge on a 30 degree down angle, and leave the tractor on the flat. Short answer is I'd like a tractor width to the side of the tractor, and I'd like the tractor still on the flat while the mower is on about 30 degrees of angle.

dirtydeed said:

I've seen a couple of videos where owners simply plumbed the hydraulic off set into the loader valve using long hydraulic hoses...no third function needed.

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Agree. It looks like it needs two functions, and that I could just plumb to the the loader valve. I'd use the valve with a float for the angle probably, and the valve without a float for the left/right.

Anyway, I think for now it's out of my price range.

troverman said:

I think a fixed offset flail would be safest, or a non-articulating hydraulic offset would be the next best choice.

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I need the angle, therefore need the articulation. The main aim is to have my tractor level whilst the mower is over the edge of the bank - about once every few times I mow I have a sphincter pucker moment, and I plan to live here and be mowing for about 20 years at least. Sooner or later I'm gonna end up down that bank if I keep up doing what I'm doing.

troverman said:

Keep in mind you'll need rear hydraulic remotes to operate a hydraulic offset or ditch bank mower.

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I think I can run off my front loader valve. I'm very unlikely to have rear remotes on that size tractor - I don't have other uses for them, so that'd add another thousand or so to the price.

troverman said:

I also think Chinese made flail mowers are junk. I've owned two of them and neither have held up more than a year. Maybe this brand is better, I don't know.

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I got a chipper from them - most of the inexpensive chippers I looked at were made in China anyway, and I saved about $1,500 by importing direct. It's basically a knockoff of an old Wallenstein model and goes well enough. It's domestic use, so I'm not putting that much volume through it. It's a risk, but it's probably half an hour of mowing (if that) once every two weeks - I doubt I'll wear it out. If the financial controller would let me drive it to the coffee shop, and mow all the verges along the way, that'd be a different story. For some reason she thinks we shouldn't mow all the roadsides in our neighbourhood - women are funny like that.

troverman said:

A good investment on a B-series Kubota is a set of quality rear wheel spacers. I put 2" Bro-Tek spacers on mine, and this made a difference. I also loaded the rear tires. Never once did I feel that the B-series was tippy. The BX feels better only because it has small tires and is lower to the ground, but it may not actually be any more stable. I used my B2920 for many years mowing steep sidehills with a 4-foot Vrismo flail mower, with a slight fixed offset.

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I'll mostly be using it for mowing, and we do get reasonably wet. Definitely won't be filling the tyres. I do have a ballast box though, although of course that doesn't help with a 3pt hitch implement on. I probably wouldn't leave the loader on - if nothing else because I want to use the loader circuits to control it. I'll ballast the front somehow, probably also an offset ballast so it counterbalances some of the offset weight.

I could look at spacers, although I do want the overhang on the mid mower - making the tractor wider would reduce my overhang, and around the house that may be an issue, not sure yet. I'll have to see after I get the tractor.

I wouldn't need a flail if it is mostly behind the tractor - the mid mower has almost as much offset, and really what I want is to be over the edge, and there's no way the BX or the B would stay upright on that slope.

Anyway, finances will intervene, so I'll keep watching and see if I can find a second hand one at some point.