Land Pride 2572 flail PTO angle question.

[JMitchell]

Reading through the manual of the LP2572 it states not to exceed 25 degrees of angle on the PTO shaft to the flail. I have set the angle of 22 degrees on the lever that adjust the height of the three point hinge. The guinea grass that I am clearing is 6 to 7' tall and quite thick so my intention is to lift the flail as high as possible to make the first pass. Is this an acceptable way of using the flail. Has anyone used the the LP2572 at a higher angle?

I am new to this forum and the use of a Kubota tractor. I am involved is a reforestation project on the Big Island of Hawaii. We have 100 acres of land that need to be cleared of invasive species primarily guinea grass and albizia trees. I will be responsible of the use of the tractor and maintenance. I am using the LP 2572 flail to clear the guinea grass. We will be doing 10 acres at a time.

I have a few hours on the flail using this method and it seemed to work. The MX5400 at times will loose the PTO recommended rpm and I will need to slow or stop moment of the tractor to recover the rpm.

The MX5400 is a 2019 with 360 hours. Purchased from Scholtens Equipment in Linden WA. Was completely gone through prior to purchase. Oils, filters etc.

Thank you,
John

 

[McMXi]

I'm not trying to monopolize responses to you, but as it turns out, I do a lot of flail work with the MX6000 and a Del Morino Centurion Super 158 flail. I will say that I cut some fairly thick and tall stuff but never run the flail off the ground. I'm not saying that it's a bad idea necessarily, but it does put a lot more stress on the rear of the tractor, particularly if you're bouncing around. Flails aren't really designed to be run with the rear roller in free air ... at least that's my opinion. That said, I can rotate the cutting head on my flail to a little past vertical and offset it for hedges or similar, so maybe it's just fine to run it raised off the ground. But there's no doubt that the stress on the rear of the tractor is greater if the weight is unsupported. I guess the question should be whether or not that matters.

I'm not familiar with guinea grass and albizia trees, but I cut as fast as the vegetation and ground condition will allow, so if that's 1mph then so be it. I would try to stay within the max PTO shaft angle listed to increase the longevity of the u-joints. Also, the flail will run a lot smoother if you can keep the angle as small as possible.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I think @McMXi covered it.

But my 2 cents:
Do not run and operate a fail off the ground.
It's not a good idea, just take it slow.

 

[JMitchell]

I'm not trying to monopolize responses to you, but as it turns out, I do a lot of flail work with the MX6000 and a Del Morino Centurion Super 158 flail. I will say that I cut some fairly thick and tall stuff but never run the flail off the ground. I'm not saying that it's a bad idea necessarily, but it does put a lot more stress on the rear of the tractor, particularly if you're bouncing around. Flails aren't really designed to be run with the rear roller in free air ... at least that's my opinion. That said, I can rotate the cutting head on my flail to a little past vertical and offset it for hedges or similar, so maybe it's just fine to run it raised off the ground. But there's no doubt that the stress on the rear of the tractor is greater if the weight is unsupported. I guess the question should be whether or not that matters.

I'm not familiar with guinea grass and albizia trees, but I cut as fast as the vegetation and ground condition will allow, so if that's 1mph then so be it. I would try to stay within the max PTO shaft angle listed to increase the longevity of the u-joints. Also, the flail will run a lot smoother if you can keep the angle as small as possible.

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Points well taken regarding operating the flail with the roller not on the ground. I need to double ch

I'm not trying to monopolize responses to you, but as it turns out, I do a lot of flail work with the MX6000 and a Del Morino Centurion Super 158 flail. I will say that I cut some fairly thick and tall stuff but never run the flail off the ground. I'm not saying that it's a bad idea necessarily, but it does put a lot more stress on the rear of the tractor, particularly if you're bouncing around. Flails aren't really designed to be run with the rear roller in free air ... at least that's my opinion. That said, I can rotate the cutting head on my flail to a little past vertical and offset it for hedges or similar, so maybe it's just fine to run it raised off the ground. But there's no doubt that the stress on the rear of the tractor is greater if the weight is unsupported. I guess the question should be whether or not that matters.

I'm not familiar with guinea grass and albizia trees, but I cut as fast as the vegetation and ground condition will allow, so if that's 1mph then so be it. I would try to stay within the max PTO shaft angle listed to increase the longevity of the u-joints. Also, the flail will run a lot smoother if you can keep the angle as small as possible.

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Points well taken in regard to not operating the flail unless the roller is firmly on the ground. I need to check to make sure the roller is positioned at the location so the flail is high as possible.

I choose the flail over the brush hog because it seemed the flail is much more durable.

Great pictures! Big Sky Montana is sure portrayed well in the photos. I did some flight training in Billings and spent time at Glacier NP.

JM

 

[McMXi]

I choose the flail over the brush hog because it seemed the flail is much more durable.

Great pictures! Big Sky Montana is sure portrayed well in the photos. I did some flight training in Billings and spent time at Glacier NP.

JM

Wonderful photos too. I'm 40 minutes from GNP.

I have a 7ft rotary cutter and a 12ft folding (batwing) cutter in addition to the flail. The flail is probably the most versatile of the three. Definitely not the fastest since it's only 6ft wide, but it mulches better than either rotary cutter.

Looking forward to seeing photos of your progress.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

The 25* angle is probably the max the U-joints can handle and not self destruct.....

For cutting TALL grasses, a 'sickle bar' mower would be a better implement. Old skool but they work GREAT at tall stuff. You cut it ONCE and it falls down......
Otherwise 'Low and slow' is the mantra, cause you're 'chopping/cutting it into a zillion bits.

Best to cut when material is dry, so it doesn't block the exit .