Best flail mower for an L4600?

[Sid Post]

I'm considering a Caroni flail mower for my rough yard and pasture so I don't eject rocks and limb chunks into windows, cars, sheds, etc. While I don't need golf course green cut quality, it needs to be a bit better than a brush hog.

Is the 73" from Agri-Supply my best option at ~$2500? Used options out here in East Texas are non-existent. My 72" Brush Bull (7200) mid-duty brush hog is a bit heavy with a CG pretty far back so, I don't want to get into that situation again either. Is the weight and closer CG of the Caroni a good match for the weight and tires of my tractor?

TIA,
Sid

 

[sheepfarmer]

I have a Caroni flail for my L 3560, I went with the specs in my owner's manual as far as dimensions, which doesn't quite cover the tracks, but since I run it offset, it doesn't matter. Check your owner's manual first for recommended weight and size of flail. Kubota is conservative, so you may be able to run the next size up. I think the Caroni fell halfway between.

I went with the brush blades, they do an ok job on rough pasture. Other folks have used the grass blades and they give a lawnmower type cut. It is nice not to have something sticking out so far back.

 

[Page546]

I recently purchased a Woodmaxx FM-62H Flail, with duckfoot blades and i couldn't be happier. Check them out before investing in other brands.

 

[Sid Post]

That Woodmax looks like a good option. Thanks for pointing it out to me.

 

[Digger Dager]

Following the owners manual and horsepower specs for our Kubota M59, we bought the Woodmaxx FM 78 in the fall of 2016. It was to narrow for the tire width, but I used the off set to reach under brush and low hanging limbs along the edges of the field. We are mowing prairie grass and clover on 6.5 acres.

The next year we used it, I put it on our B3200. The little beast of a tractor handled it no problem. Great unit, built sturdy. I wish we would have bought the FM 96 to use with the M59. I really like the rear panel that opens for cleaning the wire and debris that can rap itself around the shaft.

The one thing to make sure you do, follow the manual for the mower about checking the tension on the belts, and re-torquing the bolts. After about 12 hours of running over 2 days, the belts were toast. They are a metric size. We also lost a couple of mounting bolts. And keep an eye on the bolts holding the flail hammers or blades. A couple of ours came off. You will know immediately when you lose a hammer, the hole unit shakes from being out of balance.

Digger

 

[Sid Post]

Thanks Digger!

Did you use Locktite on the loose bolts? Also, it's good to hear you used your flail successfully on the little 32HP B3200. My larger L4600 should handle it even better.

 

[Page546]

Hey Sid,

Not for nothing but i do have a FM-62H that i used 1 time (its to small width wise) for sale.

If you are interested let me know.

Thanks.

 

[Digger Dager]

Sid,

I think the problem of loosing the hammers was that the factory used bolts that were just long enough to reach the end of the nuts that they used. After chewing through some underbrush, the factory stuff vibrated loose. After ordering a couple new hammers (I couldn't find the ones that fell off), I used longer bolts (about 3/4 inch longer than needed) with nylon lock nuts, I used an air gun to run them in tight, then a breaker bar to get them very tight.

I'd take photos, but it's put away for the summer.

Digger

 

[Sid Post]

Thanks Digger.

On a related note, how to the hammers compare to the "Y" blades on grass and heavy brush?

 

[Digger Dager]

Sid,

We purposely bought the duck foot hammers because we won't be using it for finish mowing. We bought it strictly for the 6.5 acre field, which we used to have farmed. There are stones and rocks in the field, and heavy brush along the edges, and I knew that the blades would not last very long. This thing is chewing up 2 to 3 inch trees (going VERY slowly), along with the limbs that have fallen off the trees that grow at the fields edge.

The hammers have worked better than I anticipated, chewing up the prairie grass straw and underbrush. I have been able to work back into the brush about 15 feet in 2 years mowing, and planning to go farther this year. As I was replacing all the bolts midway through mowing last fall, I sharpened the hammers. I am mowing about as short as I can, which is causing the hammers to hit the uneven ground.

Another thing, depending what you're mowing, keep watch on the temp gauge. After about 4 hours mowing, the grass seeds and other debris plugged up the radiator screen. I clean the safety screen, then hit the radiator with an air hose, and then keep mowing.

Digger

 

[Sid Post]

...

Another thing, depending what you're mowing, keep watch on the temp gauge. After about 4 hours mowing, the grass seeds and other debris plugged up the radiator screen. I clean the safety screen, then hit the radiator with an air hose, and then keep mowing.

Digger

Been there and done that myself with a little Kubota BX mower. Fluffy material and seeds sure will cut down air flow on the radiator and overheat things!