[AT] Mott flail mower problem

Mike mikesloane at verizon.net
Thu May 9 09:54:08 PDT 2013



On 5/9/2013 11:00 AM, Herb Metz wrote:
> Years ago, for several years,  Steve was one of the Portland August
> show participants, back when we had close to two dozen campers in the
> ATIS group. Good to know he is still around, and hopefully doing well
> (health wise that is; Steve will always do well in the business
> world).  If memory serves he was in New England states.
Steve is well and living in CT, not far from RI. He recently purchased a
JD 400 series (I forget the number) crawler with blade from a family
friend and hopes to use it for clearing out some stubborn shrubbery to
make a paddock for his wife's horse and for occasional snow removal. His
only other tractor up until recently was a Ford compact diesel, so he
hadn't been active in ATIS. Now that the has the JD, he might join again.

Actually, this is my second Mott flail mower ("hammer knife" is their
terminology). The other is a 4' mid-mount mounted on a '52 Farmall Cub
that I "restored" a few years ago.
<http://public.fotki.com/mikesloane/1952-farmall-cub/itsalive.html> I
use that one for trimming along the side of my private lane.

The Mott has a lot of things going for it: it can handle rough ground
and land with rocks and trash. It won't throw objects the way a rotary
can, so it is safe around children and other small animals (which is one
reason they were popular with local government parks departments). But
it also has its negatives: it is slow and requires more maintenance than
a rotary - several grease fittings and (on the PTO powered units) a
gearbox. The knives are replaceable and sometimes can be sharpened (if
not damaged). When I first got mine, knives were something like 50 cents
each, but now they are more like $2 (for the small ones). The flail
mower does OK on weeds and shorter grass, but if you cut tall grass, you
will end up with the stuff wound around the shaft very tightly. It will
also find old barbed wire and other fencing and wind it very tightly
around the shaft in seconds. I think I have found all the barbed wire
and fencing where I mow, but I still carry a sharp box cutter (for the
tall grass) and a Vise-Grips (to deal with wire).

Mott was a good outfit to deal with, but they were bought out by Alamo
Group who seems to think that their replacement parts are made out of
solid gold. I refuse to have anything to do with them if at all
possible. But, if you get desperate, they do have bearings and bearing
cages available, but you would be best be sitting down when they give
you a price.

I would note that the flail mower does an OK job on grass, but it won't
look like an ad for Scott's seed. On the other hand, it doesn't leave
windrows either. You need to keep the PTO speed up to have it work
properly - the knives won't do a good job if they aren't going at full
speed. On the Cub, you can put the belt on "backwards" so that the blade
shaft is running opposite from the wheels. This gives a very nice cut,
but is even slower than the normal rotation. According to the manual
that came with my Cub mower, that arrangement was popular with cemeteries.

> Larry's recommendations are good, like usual.  I also agree with
> Phil. If you have time to pursue the "original setup"; suggest trying
> to find an old Mott dealer and determine if they have any old
> literature, or an old employee who might be knowledgeable.  Guy Faye,
> an old ATIS member, last heard from six or eight years ago, worked
> part time for Wisconsin(?) Historical Society, was a good source for
> similar information for IHC. I am interested in the performance of
> your Mott flail mower as I bought one fifteen years ago at an auction
> for $15; you can imagine the shape it is in. Blades are badly worn,
> and one of the two bearing cages is cracked, but repairable or
> replaceable.  I plan mounting it at right front of an Allis G,
> between front and rear tire.  A neighbor back in Indiana had one
> mounted in that manner; his wife enjoyed mowing their large country
> lawn every week. Would appreciate your general opinion and any
> concerns. TIA, Herb

Mike



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