My Flail Mower “OOPS!”

bird dogger

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In the fall of 2020, I purchased a heavy duty EFGC125 Flail mower from Betstco. It did some serious trail blazing through our heavily brushed woods and worked flawlessly. The first mistake was not carefully walking all the proposed routes while looking for half buried rocks, scrap metal, etc. in this century old farmstead location. The flail worked perfect to find those few hidden & forbidden objects but the damage to the hammers was not noticeable in the trail cutting.

Fast forward to this year: I was anxious to see how the flail would work in the sweet corn patch because getting rid of the corn stalk residue is a tough job. Picking out a couple of rows, the Kubota plunged in and looking behind at the mulched residue revealed it being converted to a finely chopped up mess. WooHoo!

Fresh cut hay is quite the nice farm fresh smell but nothing compares to the sweet aroma of freshly minced “supersweet” sweet corn sileage! It makes you want to stop and have a “sit down all day” picnic out there. That is until the smell of burnt rubber gets added to the aroma! OH, OH!

SweetCorn Patch.JPG Flail Mowing Sweet Corn.jpg Flail Corn Results.jpg Flail Belt Issues.jpg Flail Belts.jpg
 
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bird dogger

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Per the manual, I had neglected to check and retighten the belts after the first 20 hours of operation. “Loose belts are prone to slipping. Slipping belts wear out quickly. They also may overheat and can disintegrate during heavy use.” (My test run proved all to be true!) 🤣 I’m guessing the belts had previously stretched enough and the thick corn stalks caused them to start slipping. In no time the belts were toast. It was completely operator error on my part.

The belts supplied were metric. Using one internet table, they crossed to an inch size that I ordered in reinforced Kevlar. The belts arrived and were much too short.

I had failed to see that the metric belt length was measured at the inside circumference whereas the internet cross reference table stated (in very small print) the new belt length was measured at the belt’s OC (On Center). Now doing the proper math, that translated to an additional 3 inches needed compared to the belts ordered. A new longer set of Kevlar reinforced belts were ordered and would hopefully be a proper fit.

Waiting for the new belt’s arrival, I put the tractor/flail on the lift to inspect the hammers and noticed that half of them had some nicks and bent edges. (from prior trail blazing) Nothing real serious but they could use a little TLC. Since they’re made of cast steel, the dents were gently hammered out and the edges built up using the mig welder. Those edges then ground and shaped to match the originals. We’ll see how they hold up.

Flail on the Lift.jpg Rock Damaged Hammers.JPG Repairing Hammer Blades.JPG Repaired Hammers.jpg Side View.jpg
 

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dirtydeed

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I just replaced my belts too...Ordered from V-Belt Guys. Couldn't be happier with their service.

And yes, you are correct. The China version uses "Li" which is the circumference "inside". I think mine crossed to a "BP-38".
 

bird dogger

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The new belts arrived and fit perfectly. The repaired hammers reinstalled. Some new 3.5 inch hammers were also purchased off of Ebay to have on hand when/if the repaired ones fail or if the flail locates some more hidden rocks.
Working Under Lift.jpg Re installing Hammers.jpg Belts In Place.JPG IMG_E6229.JPG

Both belts (original and new replacements) are “B” series cross section.

The original belts: B-991Li (991 mm inside circumference length)

New Kevlar belts: D&D PowerDrive MXV5-420 made with Kevlar V Belt (42” OC) With the tension adjustment bolts on both ends of the driveshaft loose and the shaft lowered....the new belts easily rolled into position on the drive pulleys. The above pic shows plenty of future adjustment for additional belt tensioning when needed.
New Kevlar Belts.jpg

As soon as it dries up, the corn patch will be the test subject for both the new belts and the refurbished hammers. All in all, it was a cheap lesson learned. And if the repairs/touch ups to the hammers hold up, that could also save some future expenses until some real damage to the hammers occurs. This time I’ll have to remember to check/adjust the tension on the new belts after the first 20 hours of use!

My synopsis:
1. I failed to remember the manual’s instructions!
2. Like Abraham Lincoln famously said, “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet!” (Do your own math when converting from metric to inch belts and pay attention to where the stated measurements are taken!) :)
3. Consider the belts and hammers as “consumables” and at least keep a set of replacement belts on hand. (+/- $11 per belt with shipping.)
 
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dirtydeed

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I thought that the heavy duty models had 3 drive belts? Mine (medium duty) has two belts as well.
 

bird dogger

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Tractor lift.
Wow!
Hi Pawnee! Here's a link to how I ended up with the lift: (2) Better Late Than Never……. Kubota Lift | OrangeTractorTalks - Everything Kubota

I couldn't be happier with it. It ranks right up there with buying the Kubota tractor! And they aren't that expensive....but they do require room. The price has jumped about $1K since purchased last april but still, it's about like buying an implement for the tractor. And it can be used on your car, truck, tractor, mowers, UTVs, etc. And this one can be easily moved around.

Regards,
david
 

bird dogger

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I just replaced my belts too...Ordered from V-Belt Guys. Couldn't be happier with their service.

And yes, you are correct. The China version uses "Li" which is the circumference "inside". I think mine crossed to a "BP-38".
I thought that the heavy duty models had 3 drive belts? Mine (medium duty) has two belts as well.
These belts came from the same place! Great service and I'm sure they'll allow me to exchange the first set for another like the proper ones. Then I'll have a spare set on hand again.

RE 3 belts: I thought the same when I took the cover off and only saw the burnt up two belts. But the finer details on their website revealed only a two belt drive on the heavy duty model as well. But it was definitely my lack of attention to detail that caused these belts to fail.

I'll be curious to see if the outer Kevlar reinforcing on the new belts will grip as well as the solid rubber of the original belts. the cost to replace them isn't a big factor so I'll give it a go. the large corn patch will be a great test for them! LOL!
 

Bark

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Yikes! It sure was doing a great job until the belts went.
I wrapped about 40 foot of barbed wire around the left rotor bearing. Just enough room between the rotor and the housing to really tighten it in there. Gave me something to do for the rest of the day.
Noisiest thing I picked up was a really old tie rod (uncle said it was from a Model T). Not only was it noisy but it actually dented the housing from the inside in a couple of places.

Sorry your picnic day got spoiled. That is the kind of job a person could really look forward to doing (unless something goes wrong :)).
 

arto98607

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Cutting down corn stalks with a flail mower is a great idea and I will try that out in few weeks time!
We had a late planting due to weather.

My flail mower is an old Ford 917L (side slicer flails) and should do OK at a low speed.

I have just a small 6-row corn garden and have been cutting it down every year with my trusty old John Deere 300 mower, but hate doing that since it's obviously gross overloading of the old JD mower.
 

bird dogger

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Yikes! It sure was doing a great job until the belts went.
I wrapped about 40 foot of barbed wire around the left rotor bearing. Just enough room between the rotor and the housing to really tighten it in there. Gave me something to do for the rest of the day.
Noisiest thing I picked up was a really old tie rod (uncle said it was from a Model T). Not only was it noisy but it actually dented the housing from the inside in a couple of places.

Sorry your picnic day got spoiled. That is the kind of job a person could really look forward to doing (unless something goes wrong :)).
Yup, finding barbed wire (especially old rusted up barbed wire!!) with the brush hog or any type mower makes for a long tedious clean up. But you get to enjoy the new pair of leather gloves that're needed to replace the newly ruined ones from cleaning out the mess! LOL!!

Not to worry about the spoiled picnic day. The mower is ready to try again as soon as weather permits. If only there was a way to record the aroma. A two hour recording of the smell, mixed in with some birds singing, etc. would be a best seller for sure. 🤣 Thanks for the comments.

And those dents in our implement housings just add character and prove they're earning their keep!!
david
 

bird dogger

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Cutting down corn stalks with a flail mower is a great idea and I will try that out in few weeks time!
We had a late planting due to weather.

My flail mower is an old Ford 917L (side slicer flails) and should do OK at a low speed.

I have just a small 6-row corn garden and have been cutting it down every year with my trusty old John Deere 300 mower, but hate doing that since it's obviously gross overloading of the old JD mower.
It looks like the flail will do a great job once the method is finely tuned. Most likely I'll have to slow down and may even resort to one row at a time. Those stalks are tough duty for a mower. The flail looks like it'll turn that corn residue into mush with just one pass. Hopefully it'll work for your patch too!
david
 
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Bark

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Thanks for the post. Because of it I am currently ordering a new belt to have on hand.
Wish mine used the two belt system because the one huge single belt isnt cheap.
Main thing is, I stuck a big note on the mower reminding me of your post and telling me to adjust the belt before I re-attach it.
I am a lubricating fanatic but haven't ever adjusted the belt.
 
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RCW

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Gosh, finding barbed wire reminded me of first day clearing 5 acres for a buddy’s homesite.

Put brand new chain on 20” bar on tailgate of truck on the road.

Crossed road ditch, and went to knock down saplings and berry briars at base of first tree to cut down.

You guessed it; picked up a piece of barbed wire and made a BIG mess of the chain.

That chain literally NEVER cut a tree off. Ruined in 15 seconds…..

I was so disgusted with myself I threw it out……wasn’t a stellar way to start a project…..😩😩

Except for some thornapple thorns in my feet, rest of the project went without a hitch through the following winter.
 
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NHSleddog

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Fantastic work as always!

I have wound up powerline cable (1/2" strong multi strand) and all manner of other wire/twine, tarps etc. with the flail.

Great idea on the spare belts. I need to figure out the 3 I need.
Keep the hammer bolts as well as the spare hammers. I have broken bolts that hold the hammers on.
Keep bolt cutters handy.
I keep a heavy duty T-handle meat hook with me as well. It works great digging stuff out of the flail/mower/tiller.
 
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bird dogger

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Here's an update on the new belts installed in the flail and how they held up during the final flail mowing of the corn patch:

I finished mowing the corn patch a few days ago. No burning rubber odor mixed in with the fresh silage smell this time. It still appeared to be a substantial load on the gear box (or maybe just the sustained load on it) as the gear box and drive line were quite warm after finishing up. Too warm to keep the hand on it for very long. But it had just chopped a little over 2 acres of corn stalks!

Inspecting the belts showed them to be no worse for the wear. Instead of the 1/4 inch deflection when first installed, they had now stretched to allow about 1 1/2 inches of deflection.
Flail New Belts.jpg New Belts Initial Run In Looseness.jpg

That didn't seem to be real loose but they were tightened back up to about 1/4 inch deflection again. It'll be interesting to see if they continue to stretch with use or will now be stable after the latest adjustment.

The flail mower sure did a nice job on shredding the corn stalks into a finely chopped up residue. Next I'll hit the field with the roto tiller and get that residue mixed in with the soil to deteriorate even faster.
Flail Mower in Corn Patch.jpg
 
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arto98607

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Just curious did you just shred it all and not harvest the corn - that's a pretty big field for hand picking?

I just keep a small corn patch and know nothing about commercial corn fields so if it was explained earlier I missed it.
 

bird dogger

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Just curious did you just shred it all and not harvest the corn - that's a pretty big field for hand picking?

I just keep a small corn patch and know nothing about commercial corn fields so if it was explained earlier I missed it.
Hi arto98607. It is a 3 acre Sweet Corn patch and business that we had our two boys start when they were in grade school. This was the 20th season on the same patch of ground. All picked by hand daily and sold off the end of our driveway. It basically put our kids through college with their savings over the years.

The last couple of years (the kids are gone and on their own) we've reduced the planted area to just over 2 acres as sales have slowly dropped off over the years. I attribute it to the older generation that used to preserve and can a lot of vegetables just don't do that anymore..... or never taught their kids how to do that. Since our kids have gone, I've done all the daily picking and the wife and I take turns running the stand at the end of the drive. Our good customers won't let us quit!

But next year a neighbor that has a small hobby truck farm is taking over the corn business. I get to be his consultant and teach him all the tricks! LOL! He's planning to keep planting on our same little parcel of ground. Another neighbor is the CFO of a large potato growing firm and can't believe how I've kept growing corn on that same parcel without crop rotation for 20 yrs straight. "Its a secret!"

So, No....the corn had all been picked by hand.....or that which had been sold. Picking thousands of dozens of corn by hand over a few weeks makes for a strong grip. It sure is nice to see it being shredded and tilled under again. It takes a few months for my hands to heal up and get back to somewhat normal again.

regards,
David
 
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arto98607

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Wow that's a lot of corn to pick by hand!
I have been growing five or six rows of sweet corn for some 35 years just for our own use and have always been doing crop rotation which is easy to do on a such a small scale.
 
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