Does anyone have experience with the L2501 HST and the Woodmaxx FM54 or FM62 flail mowers, or have other suggestions? And what sort of brush/ground are you mowing? L2501 PTO hp is 19, and many flails (such as the FM62) are rated for 20hp and above. Wondering what others have done in this situation and how it worked out.
L2501 HST and Flail Mowers - looking for suggestions
- Thread starter goblue74
- Start date
Figure for the sake of argument you have twenty PTO horsepower. That tractor will probably amaze you. I have a five foot rotary mower. Conventional rule of thumb says five PTO horsepower per foot of mower. That means I "should" have a twenty five horsepower tractor. The L2501 handles it with no issues. I mow Russian thistle (tumbleweed), rabbit brush, and weeds in general. It seems to go through foot high grass with no issue but I don't have much of that. Grass takes water.
I would not worry about the HP issue of 19 Vs minimum of 20HP. The important issue will be ground speed and what you are cutting, you can adjust as required. I like WoodMaxx equipment, I have a rear snowblower and their large chipper, great service and support, well made equipment. Are you looking at the hydraulic shift model? I would not buy a flail without this feature.
dirtydeed
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Equipment
B2650 BH77, U27-4R2, BX23TLBM, box blade, rear blade, flail mower, Stump Grinder
Goblue,
I run a 53 inch flail mower (FHM from Betstco) which is the medium duty unit behind my B2650 (19 pto HP) without issue. I don't think that you'd have any trouble running either of the models you listed behind your tractor. You have a bit more torque than me and flails don't require as much hp as a rotary cutter. I've cut all kinds of stuff with mine, mostly heavy grass and brush up to 1.5" in diameter. It mulches them down to nothing (I have hammers, not Y blades). The other nice thing about the flail mowers is that they are lighter, don't stick out near as far as a rotary cutter and leave a better looking cut (you can adjust the cutting height to almost nil) . Since they are lighter, you can drop the loader when you use them to save even more weight. Losing the loader will reduce the load on the tractor as well (it doesn't have to carry that weight).
I run a 53 inch flail mower (FHM from Betstco) which is the medium duty unit behind my B2650 (19 pto HP) without issue. I don't think that you'd have any trouble running either of the models you listed behind your tractor. You have a bit more torque than me and flails don't require as much hp as a rotary cutter. I've cut all kinds of stuff with mine, mostly heavy grass and brush up to 1.5" in diameter. It mulches them down to nothing (I have hammers, not Y blades). The other nice thing about the flail mowers is that they are lighter, don't stick out near as far as a rotary cutter and leave a better looking cut (you can adjust the cutting height to almost nil) . Since they are lighter, you can drop the loader when you use them to save even more weight. Losing the loader will reduce the load on the tractor as well (it doesn't have to carry that weight).
Thanks to all for the feedback. Much appreciated. You're making me think I was headed in the right direction originally. I wasn't too concerned about the FM62 with the L2501 until talking to Woodmaxx. To their credit, they were (are) trying to talk me out of the 62 and wait for the FM54 to be back in stock.
My usage is mostly going to be 3-4 times a year max for fire suppression on the property in the Sierra foothills (~12ac, maneuvering in oak + manzanita + random granite). I would never even dare use the flail for half the year -- like Roadworthy said, grass needs water.
Upnorth - can you say more on the hydraulics? I have rear remotes but wasn't convinced either way if I wanted to go there or not for the flail. Where do you use? Property / fence lines and such?
My usage is mostly going to be 3-4 times a year max for fire suppression on the property in the Sierra foothills (~12ac, maneuvering in oak + manzanita + random granite). I would never even dare use the flail for half the year -- like Roadworthy said, grass needs water.
Upnorth - can you say more on the hydraulics? I have rear remotes but wasn't convinced either way if I wanted to go there or not for the flail. Where do you use? Property / fence lines and such?
The hydraulic shift option on the flail gives you a lot of adjustment from side to side to allow you to position better in areas such as fence lines, tree lines, buildings, edges and similar. If you read the reviews, users make lots of comments. It is not an expensive option, I would buy it even if you are not sure you will use it.
If you go with the Betsco, replace the flail bolts with quality grad 8 bolts. So far that has been the only issue I have had with it. And my property is pretty hard on it with the uneven land and rocks.
Update: pulled the trigger on the FM62H for the L2501. Now have to patiently wait as it makes its way across the country through the snow.
Thanks again to all for the feedback! Will post back here with first impressions in a few weeks.
Thanks again to all for the feedback! Will post back here with first impressions in a few weeks.
Smaller tractor in my stable, with a B2650, but the PTO is very similar. I have never wished that my 62” WoodMaxx was any smaller. The thing is a beast and the tractor has no trouble with it. I go slower through waist-deep heavy grass here in western Oregon, but anything else is cake.
Hi Mike,
Sorry for the delay responding - haven’t been on OTT lately.
Yes, the FM62H arrived and I’ve been using it on the L2501. For my use, it is working well and I am happy. The property is quite hilly — sort of terraced, 150’ or so from bottom to the top; and with lots of granite boulders and trees (Oak and Grey Pine). When mowing I put the tractor in Low, and that seems to work well for me. You aren’t supposed to take the FM62 in reverse, which can occasionally make things tricky when doing hills. (I already had 1” spacers on each side of the rear wheels, and I think the sheer weight of the FM62H also helps.)
What I do mow is basically for clearing grass/weeds and some brush. The brush can get up to 5+ feet, but none of it is crazy thick for mowing. If an area is too thick, I just slow down more and maybe do a couple passes instead of one.
I haven’t tried putting the tractor in Med for this. But suspect that could be a struggle. In Low, the L2501/FM62 combo isn’t going to win any speed records. And if someone has lots of acres to mow, I can see running Low could get frustratingly slow.
A side benefit to the FM62 is the ballast. I keep it on there more that I expected I would for loader work.
For mounting, I am using a QH15 and the Big Tool Rack Top Link Hitch Adapter. With top-n-tilt remotes on the rear, this has made it convenient to control the height and reduce ruts.
Hope this helps. If any specific questions, just ask.
Mark
Sorry for the delay responding - haven’t been on OTT lately.
Yes, the FM62H arrived and I’ve been using it on the L2501. For my use, it is working well and I am happy. The property is quite hilly — sort of terraced, 150’ or so from bottom to the top; and with lots of granite boulders and trees (Oak and Grey Pine). When mowing I put the tractor in Low, and that seems to work well for me. You aren’t supposed to take the FM62 in reverse, which can occasionally make things tricky when doing hills. (I already had 1” spacers on each side of the rear wheels, and I think the sheer weight of the FM62H also helps.)
What I do mow is basically for clearing grass/weeds and some brush. The brush can get up to 5+ feet, but none of it is crazy thick for mowing. If an area is too thick, I just slow down more and maybe do a couple passes instead of one.
I haven’t tried putting the tractor in Med for this. But suspect that could be a struggle. In Low, the L2501/FM62 combo isn’t going to win any speed records. And if someone has lots of acres to mow, I can see running Low could get frustratingly slow.
A side benefit to the FM62 is the ballast. I keep it on there more that I expected I would for loader work.
For mounting, I am using a QH15 and the Big Tool Rack Top Link Hitch Adapter. With top-n-tilt remotes on the rear, this has made it convenient to control the height and reduce ruts.
Hope this helps. If any specific questions, just ask.
Mark
Thanks for the info!
Are your hills steep enough where you have to back up the hill and mow going down?
I was told that this is the only way to handle steep hills with a flail mower.
Plus, have you used the hydraulic shift and what to you think about it?
Mike
Yep - this is what I’ve done for hills...backing up and then mowing forward. The rear top-n-tilt is helpful for this. If the hill grade isn’t too steep I’ve also mowed going up.
Also didn’t mention last time. My mowing is for fire suppression in the Sierra foothills — so several times a year mowing. Since so infrequent, that’s another reason speed isn’t a huge concern for me.
Hydraulics. My gravel driveway is around 1/4 mile to the top of the property, I use the hydraulic shift for that every time along the edges. Plus as someone on here noted to me earlier, it was a small cost adder to the base cost of an FM62. I ordered my 2501 with a third rear remote, so it was already ready on the tractor side - made it an easy decision.
By the way, I originally wanted the FM54, but it was (still is, I think) wait listed. The FM62H was in stock. Am very happy I went for the FM62, versus something smaller. It‘s handled everything I’ve asked it to do with ease.
My only complaint with the FM62, and it’s a minor nit, is that several small mechanical changes were recently made. Mostly to make the life of the operator easier. But it meant the instructions didn’t exactly match what arrived. They were in the process of updating the manuals a couple months ago. But nothing was a major change or non-intuitive to figure out.
Also didn’t mention last time. My mowing is for fire suppression in the Sierra foothills — so several times a year mowing. Since so infrequent, that’s another reason speed isn’t a huge concern for me.
Hydraulics. My gravel driveway is around 1/4 mile to the top of the property, I use the hydraulic shift for that every time along the edges. Plus as someone on here noted to me earlier, it was a small cost adder to the base cost of an FM62. I ordered my 2501 with a third rear remote, so it was already ready on the tractor side - made it an easy decision.
By the way, I originally wanted the FM54, but it was (still is, I think) wait listed. The FM62H was in stock. Am very happy I went for the FM62, versus something smaller. It‘s handled everything I’ve asked it to do with ease.
My only complaint with the FM62, and it’s a minor nit, is that several small mechanical changes were recently made. Mostly to make the life of the operator easier. But it meant the instructions didn’t exactly match what arrived. They were in the process of updating the manuals a couple months ago. But nothing was a major change or non-intuitive to figure out.
One more thing on mounting. If using the QH15, you also need to order the quick hitch bushing kit from Woodmaxx for the lower pins.
^^^^
Great info! Thank you!
I'd really like to be able to get a flail and use it as my sole mower but, I'm just not sure it'll work out with my hills and tight locations around the house. It just seems that it's probably better to use them for the "big" jobs rather than the "routine" jobs.
Mike
Great info! Thank you!
I'd really like to be able to get a flail and use it as my sole mower but, I'm just not sure it'll work out with my hills and tight locations around the house. It just seems that it's probably better to use them for the "big" jobs rather than the "routine" jobs.
Mike