Flail mowers.

[Cgreene]

Need first hand advice about Bestco 48” heavy duty flail.
Im going to buy a flail and bestco is half the price of the Rinieri flail the dealership is selling.
witch would you choose

 

[Schmitty]

I've got their 60" HD flail with hydro offset. It works well enough, but I've broken an exceptional number of hammers. I see they have the option for forged hammers, now. If that was an option when I ordered, I definitely would have gone with those, instead!

 

[matt-m]

I've got the the Betsco heavy duty 48" with forged hammers. Been a good cost effective option. Very basic machine but does what I need. If not already aware the spacing on the 3 pnt is not quick hitch compatible.

 

[Cgreene]

I've got the the Betsco heavy duty 48" with forged hammers. Been a good cost effective option. Very basic machine but does what I need. If not already aware the spacing on the 3 pnt is not quick hitch compatible.
View attachment 136821

Awesome, that is the confirmation i needed to save thousands.

 

[Cgreene]

I've got the the Betsco heavy duty 48" with forged hammers. Been a good cost effective option. Very basic machine but does what I need. If not already aware the spacing on the 3 pnt is not quick hitch compatible.
View attachment 136821

Your b2601. Do you like it. Im still on the verge of buying a new Kubota. Torn between witch model to buy. I feel like i might out grow the B series, have any thoughts

 

[dirtydeed]

I have a medium duty mower. I really only use it twice/year for about a day at a time. It serves its purpose and the price at that time was a VERY good deal.

If I needed to use one more frequently, I'd probably look at another brand.

 

[matt-m]

Your b2601. Do you like it. Im still on the verge of buying a new Kubota. Torn between witch model to buy. I feel like i might out grow the B series, have any thoughts

I really like the B2601 for my situation. I thought I might outgrow a BX so went with the B. If you have room to store and maneuver I can't imagine you would be disappointed going up in size from the B.

 

[PaulL]

I have a B2601, I upgraded from a BX. I love it, it suits what I do very well. I don't have space for a larger machine, although some days I'd like an LX.

What is it that you plan to do with a B2601? What do you think you might grow out of?

My view is:

• If you want a 26hp machine (under emissions limits, a bit cheaper) then it's BX2680, B2601, LX2610, L2502. The BX is too small for my uses and probably yours. The other three are all good machines
• The move from a BX to a B is a quite big step. From a B to an LX, and an LX to an L, is a smaller jump
• In terms of power to drive implements (a chipper, a snowblower etc) they all have the same power. No point going bigger for more power
• If you are happy going to a more powerful machine with emissions, and spending a bit more money, then you can get more power in an LX or L
• If you are doing ground engaging tasks, or tasks that reward traction, then the L is great buying and it's a lot more machine. It's a bit underpowered for its size, but it's more capable on the loader, pulling implements, lifting a big rotary cutter etc. It just sometimes does it slowly.
• If you are going bigger, then what else are you going to do? Pull a bigger box blade? Run a bigger snow blower? Lift more on the front end loader?
• If you're going bigger, go properly bigger. I'd love a Grand L........

 

[Cgreene]

I have a B2601, I upgraded from a BX. I love it, it suits what I do very well. I don't have space for a larger machine, although some days I'd like an LX.

What is it that you plan to do with a B2601? What do you think you might grow out of?

My view is:

• If you want a 26hp machine (under emissions limits, a bit cheaper) then it's BX2680, B2601, LX2610, L2502. The BX is too small for my uses and probably yours. The other three are all good machines
• The move from a BX to a B is a quite big step. From a B to an LX, and an LX to an L, is a smaller jump
• In terms of power to drive implements (a chipper, a snowblower etc) they all have the same power. No point going bigger for more power
• If you are happy going to a more powerful machine with emissions, and spending a bit more money, then you can get more power in an LX or L
• If you are doing ground engaging tasks, or tasks that reward traction, then the L is great buying and it's a lot more machine. It's a bit underpowered for its size, but it's more capable on the loader, pulling implements, lifting a big rotary cutter etc. It just sometimes does it slowly.
• If you are going bigger, then what else are you going to do? Pull a bigger box blade? Run a bigger snow blower? Lift more on the front end loader?
• If you're going bigger, go properly bigger. I'd love a Grand L........

I am going to do general property maintenance on 5 acres. Weekly clean up , mowing meadow probably 2-3 times a year. Bucking up fire wood and transporting it around. Maintain my gravel driveway.
Maybe at some point level some dirt for a shop.
Need a machine on the smaller side to be able to fit into some of the property.

 

[mcmxi]

If I needed to use one more frequently, I'd probably look at another brand.

I'm curious as to why. What doesn't or wouldn't work for you if you saw more use with the flail?

I use my flail a lot in the summer months and at some point would like to add another, larger model to use with the M6060 so I'm always interested to hear what other users like or dislike about their particular model, particularly those that do more commercial type cutting.

 

[PaulL]

I am going to do general property maintenance on 5 acres. Weekly clean up , mowing meadow probably 2-3 times a year. Bucking up fire wood and transporting it around. Maintain my gravel driveway.
Maybe at some point level some dirt for a shop.
Need a machine on the smaller side to be able to fit into some of the property.

Realistically B, LX and L all fit those needs. Just going off property size, a B is at the small end but is plenty, an L is at the large end but justifiable if you want a bit more capacity and particularly if doing a lot of gravel maintenance.

Tractors don't lose a lot of value. No shame in buying a B and see if there's anything you can't do that is important to you. You can trade up without too much cost. Conversely, no shame in buying an L and see if there's anywhere it won't fit into. I'd be very surprised if there's anywhere it won't fit (they seem larger, but with a tape measure it's not that much difference). And most people buy too small then end up growing - I've heard of very few people buying too big and needing to shrink. If you're not mowing around the house then there's no reason not to get an L.

 

[dirtydeed]

I'm curious as to why. What doesn't or wouldn't work for you if you saw more use with the flail?

I use my flail a lot in the summer months and at some point would like to add another, larger model to use with the M6060 so I'm always interested to hear what other users like or dislike about their particular model, particularly those that do more commercial type cutting.

Build quality...or lack thereof.

 

[mcmxi]

Build quality...or lack thereof.

That's my concern with most of the Chinese made stuff. To design a product well you have to actually use the product to understand what's important and what's not. This is where EA excelled. They actually used and abused their implements and were constantly improving them based on their testing. A lot of Chinese manufacturers simply copy other implements in appearance, and cut corners to lower the cost of their products. So for those buying Chinese made stuff, don't kid yourselves that you're buying an equivalent product for a lot less.

After three summers of heavy use with the Del Morino flail cutting many acres of tall, thick grass and weeds, as well as running over large objects hidden in the vegetation, they're definitely on my short list when I go looking for a larger model. I replaced the sealed bearing on the output shaft of the gear box earlier this summer once it started chirping. The bearing could have been defective, or perhaps I had too much tension on the three belts, time will tell. The bent guard rod was due to my running over large, solid objects such as logs and a block of wood that I didn't see, so I modified the guard system to reduce the need for more repairs in the future. Del Morino would price themselves out of the market if they designed their products for what amounts to abuse, so I don't fault them for the design.

I've used the flail to cut unfamiliar areas for money and when someone is paying you to cut you don't have the luxury of puttering around. There's little chance of my damaging the flail at my place since I'm familiar with what's out there, but some unknown property is a crap shoot and that's why I made a change to the guard.

Before: Guard rod is fixed and in the path of the exit chute which is fine for "normal" use. This damaged occurred when I was cutting a property for money where there was a lot of stuff hidden in the grass. The hammers were fine since it was stuff like logs or tree stumps rather than rocks.

After: Guards and rod hang from another rod that isn't in the path of the exit chute so the added hinge should allow the entire guard to swing up and absorb some or most of the energy.