What Ditch Bank Flail mowers are you guys running and why?

[Booch]

Looking to purchase a ditch bank flail mower with tilt. What Ditch Bank Flail mowers are you guys running and why? The price gap is large from company to company and even staying with in the USA made/assembled products the swing on 70-78" mowers for my M95 can be $10-$20K. Imports from the far east and europe ranging from $5-$10K I just want to buy once cry once and have good parts supportability as well, all know stuff breaks.

 

[Sidekick]

I just found out with imports be careful of who you buy from. Definitely stay away from the MechMaxx brand as they are just a drop shipper without replacement parts or customer service after the sale. 2 months after receiving mine, I still don't have a working mower and waiting for a PayPal dispute to be finalized.

 

[McMXi]

Looking to purchase a ditch bank flail mower with tilt. What Ditch Bank Flail mowers are you guys running and why? The price gap is large from company to company and even staying with in the USA made/assembled products the swing on 70-78" mowers for my M95 can be $10-$20K. Imports from the far east and europe ranging from $5-$10K I just want to buy once cry once and have good parts supportability as well, all know stuff breaks.

I've had a Del Morino flail for a little over three years and have used it and abused it a lot and it lives on the MX all summer. I bought it from Courtney at Good Works Tractor Co. Courtney's prices may not be the best, but his customer service is outstanding and the products that he sells are good to very good quality.

Is Del Morino the best, I have no idea, but when it comes time to get a bigger flail I'll be looking a Del Morino, Befco, Ibex and Maschio and none of those Chinese knock-offs. I'd rather pay more and buy a product from a company that has been making flails for decades, one that has put thousands of hours into development and testing, and one that uses quality components and supports their products after the initial purchase.

 

[McMXi]

I just found out with imports be careful of who you buy from. Definitely stay away from the MechMaxx brand as they are just a drop shipper without replacement parts or customer service after the sale. 2 months after receiving mine, I still don't have a working mower and waiting for a PayPal dispute to be finalized.

What are you hoping for? To return the flail and get your money back, to have it fixed and get a discount, or keep the flail and pay nothing?

The shipper did some damage to my Del Morino but it was all easily fixed. Courtney gave me 15% off the initial purchase price and I assume that he submitted paperwork to get remimbursed by the shipping comnpany. I thought that his offer was more than fair and I would buy from Courtney again.

 

[Booch]

I have been specifically looking at the Del Morino, Perruzo & Iron Craft. Leaning towards the Del Marino & Perruzo due to quality and parts support.

 

[woodman55]

My dealer sells sovema. They are an Italian brand. They only sell a few a year, but seem decent.

 

[Sidekick]

What are you hoping for? To return the flail and get your money back, to have it fixed and get a discount, or keep the flail and pay nothing?

The shipper did some damage to my Del Morino but it was all easily fixed. Courtney gave me 15% off the initial purchase price and I assume that he submitted paperwork to get remimbursed by the shipping comnpany. I thought that his offer was more than fair and I would buy from Courtney again.

To get a replacement cylinder where the tube was abraded almost through and a replacement hose for the one that is cut through the cord needs to be made. Also a replacement safety cover for the pto one that won't turn freely after squishing. PTO shaft may also have a problem with the dent from being under the mower sideplate during shipping. They have no parts and the cylinder is a custom that will have to be made or modified from a commercial one. I have it apart and all the damaged areas repaired and prepped for paint now. I need a quart of paint and all new safety stickers also. I asked for enough of a refund to pay for replacement parts to be custom made and paint. They originally promised parts but when following up they did not get back aft waiting a month and I filed a PayPal dispute for a refund to cover the parts. I don't want to return it because I took it apart and started to prep for paint after they originally offered to send parts and pay for paint so I have about 8 hours into it at this point plus it would cost me several hundred dollars to ship back. I have found others on other forums having the same no parts available problem with Mechmaxx implements and machines. These are not standard Chinese offset mowers, they are made cheaper I am finding out after going through mine and comparing it to others. Guess I'm used to companies like Titan, where if you have a problem they answer phones, have knowledge techs, and ship parts out quickly. Thing is Titan products also seems to use std off the shelf parts that are easy to find.

 

[McMXi]

I have been specifically looking at the Del Morino, Perruzo & Iron Craft. Leaning towards the Del Marino & Perruzo due to quality and parts support.

The Italians have a long history of making quality farming equipment, and in Europe flails are very common and much more common than brush hog type cutters.

I ran the Del Morino a bit this morning to clear an area for a trailer, and the offset feature is invaluable to me. The ability to quickly change the distance to an obstacle such as a fence line, hedge or wall without having to reposition the tractor is a game changer for sure. The ability to quickly change the angle of the cutting head is also a great feature, and the recent addition of a Summit 3X multiplier with a Scorpion control grip is another game changer for the MX. Now I can control cutting head rotation and cutting head offset without taking my hand off the lever.

The other benefit of adding the control grip is that it makes the control far more accessible (and far more ergonomic) rather than being tucked down between the arm rest and inner fender.

 

[mikester]

The Italians have a long history of making quality farming equipment, and in Europe flails are very common and much more common than brush hog type cutters.

I ran the Del Morino a bit this morning to clear an area for a trailer, and the offset feature is invaluable to me. The ability to quickly change the distance to an obstacle such as a fence line, hedge or wall without having to reposition the tractor is a game changer for sure. The ability to quickly change the angle of the cutting head is also a great feature, and the recent addition of a Summit 3X multiplier with a Scorpion control grip is another game changer for the MX. Now I can control cutting head rotation and cutting head offset without taking my hand off the lever.

The other benefit of adding the control grip is that it makes the control far more accessible (and far more ergonomic) rather than being tucked down between the arm rest and inner fender.

View attachment 156284

View attachment 156285

What model are you running? Can you run it vertically? I want to be able to cut shrubs along fencelines

 

[McMXi]

What model are you running? Can you run it vertically? I want to be able to cut shrubs along fencelines

Del Morino Centurion Super 158, and yes, the cutting head can be rotated through a total angle of 135° with 0° to +90° and 0° to -45°. These photos from GWTC might help.

I don't currently have a need to cut vegetation with the head oriented in the vertical position, but the ability to adjust the cutting head angle on the fly, and to offset it are invaluable features that I constantly use.