[AT] Flail mowers

Sat May 16 22:02:48 PDT 2015

Great tip farmer.I use graphite paint on my plow mold boards so that it will scour. Will have to try it on the mower.
--
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Saturday, 16 May 2015, 06:33PM -0700 from Indiana Robinson <robinson46176 at gmail.com>:
>You can make a huge improvement to the function of a sickle mower in crappy
>stuff by keeping the whole bar sprayed with graphite paint (like Slip Plate
>etc.) so that stuff doesn't stick to everything.
>Years ago I used to care for some factory acreages that were full of a lot
>of big juicy weeds and too many concrete obstacles to use a bush-hog. That
>was when I learned to use the graphite paint. If it has overnight to dry it
>last pretty well.
>.
>On Sat, May 16, 2015 at 11:24 AM, Brian VanDragt < bvandragt at comcast.net >
>wrote:
>> My grandpa used the sickle mower for mowing orchards, he did not raise
>> peas.  The bar could reach under the trees to cut the grass.  That was the
>> reason for mowing in all 4 directions instead of in a circle like you would
>> a hay field.  The mowing paths crossed each other and the design of the pea
>> bar prevented plugging when you mowed east and west over the strips already
>> mowed north and south.  No grass board was used either.  He quit farming
>> before I was born so I didn't see it in orchard mowing action but I still
>> have the mower and have used it to cut some banks around a pond.  I don't
>> know whose idea it was to use the pea bar for mowing orchards, maybe the
>> local John Deere dealer recommended it as we are in what used to be a big
>> fruit growing area.  I will see if I have any pictures of the bar.  The
>> mower is in storage and hard to get to right now.  The parts catalog shows
>> the parts on page 33 of this pdf:
>>  http://jdpc.deere.com/jdpc/pdfs/PC0817.pdf
>> I was wrong earlier, it is a cow pea bar, not the canning pea bar, they
>> made both.  Basically what they call a guard on the pea bar is only big
>> enough to hold the stationary ledger plate.  It does not extend forward
>> past the ledger plate end and it does not return back up over top of the
>> knives.
>> Brian
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>>
>> From:  jtchall at nc.rr.com
>> To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" < at at lists.antique-tractor.com
>> >
>> Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2015 6:42:47 AM
>> Subject: Re: [AT] Flail mowers
>>
>> Do you remember enough  about the setup to explain how it differed from
>> conventional? The only thing I can think of is there were some really short
>> guards I have seen in catalogs. I think Webbs even carries a smooth blade
>> (no serations). Was he growing peas, or was that just the mower setup he
>> had? I'd like to hear more about harvesting peas if he was.
>>
>> Speaking of sickle mowers, got to go install a new blade in ours, need to
>> cut hay this coming week.
>>
>> John Hall
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Brian VanDragt
>> Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2015 12:28 AM
>> To: 'Antique tractor email discussion group'
>> Subject: Re: [AT] Flail mowers
>>
>> When my grandpa was fruit farming in the 60's, he had a John Deere 9W
>> sickle
>> mower that was outfitted with a canning pea bar instead of the normal grass
>> bar.  The pea bar doesn't have guards like the regular bar and he could mow
>> north, south, east, and west in the same day without plugging.
>> Brian
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From:  at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
>> [mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of
>>  jtchall at nc.rr.com
>> Sent: Friday, May 15, 2015 8:50 PM
>> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
>> Subject: Re: [AT] Flail mowers
>>
>> How about a subsoiler? If you ve got any grade at all you can use them to
>> create water channels underground. Be advised that wherever you stop at the
>> low end, the water will try to blow out.
>>
>> Sickle mowers should work fine, but if you let it get too tall, you may
>> have
>> to play with the tailboard so it will keep a clean enough streak to make
>> the
>> second pass. Also, if there is a bunch of thatch on the ground you may have
>> to twist the blade so the guards point up some or they will choke up.
>> Before
>> bushhogs, folks used to mount clipping wheels on the end with the tailboard
>> to keep from choking the guards.
>>
>> A good grooming mower is hard to beat. The one we have is made by Lilliston
>> and is about 40 years old. It's only on its second deck, which has been
>> resheeted with 1/8 steel, had a few sets of belts, countless sets of
>> blades,
>> a few U joints, several spindle rebuilds, but the main gearbox is untouched
>> as is the tailwheel.  Considering the heavy use it has been through I dare
>> say it is one of the toughest pieces of equipment to ever come on this
>> farm.
>>
>> John Hall
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Spencer Yost
>> Sent: Friday, May 15, 2015 7:34 PM
>> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
>> Subject: Re: [AT] Flail mowers
>>
>> Someone else will have to comment on the grading.   I know zip.  But i'll
>> share the only relevant story I know.
>>
>> In the eastern part of the state (Ahoskie NC) I had an acquaintance who
>> decided the only solution was to make his land perfectly flat. He even used
>> a surveyor's transit and everything. It improved his situation according to
>> him because it would encourage the water to evenly disperse across entire
>> property where soak-in and evaporation were both encouraged.   I'd call him
>> but he is related to my son's ex-girlfriend. (-:
>>
>> He had the advantage of access to a bulldozer, no water flowing in and
>> fairly sandy soil.  Not like Charlie Hill but definitely sandier than those
>> of us on the western side of the state.  Those are all three advantages you
>> might not have.
>>
>> Good luck!
>>
>> Spencer
>>
>> > On May 15, 2015, at 15:50, Mike < meulenms at gmx.com > wrote:
>> >
>> > Spencer, this is land that we are desperately trying to turn into
>> > pasture, it's always been wet, and making water go where you want it
>> > to go is tough when you have the slope of a pool table. The previous
>> > owner tried to make it work by deepening the ditch that runs through
>> > the property, thinking that would make it flow. Unfortunately, all
>> > that did was make it hold more water that now grows algae by the ton
>> > and takes forever to dry out. My next attempt will be to fill in the
>> > ditch and only leave a 2" or 3" deep channel for the water to flow
>> > through. When I walk down the ditch to my neighbors property that's
>> > all it is; a little trickle. It doesn't need to move large quantities
>> > of water.  I know there are a lot of guys on the list who have
>> > experience with this type of thing, so if you're reading this, I'm all
>> > ears.
>> >
>> > Thanks,
>> > Mike M
>> >
>> >
>> >> On 5/15/2015 2:20 PM, Spencer Yost wrote:
>> >> If it's that bad what about a sickle bar mower?   At least it will lay
>> >> flat and not windrow on you.   By pastures do you mean literally, or are
>> >> they fallow,  fenced-in fields?   If these are pastures you need more
>> >> animals!
>> >>
>> >> Seriously though, you might want to see if a neighbor has a sickle
>> >> bar mower you can test and see if you like it.
>> >>
>> >> Spencer
>> >>
>> >>> On May 15, 2015, at 11:34, Mike < meulenms at gmx.com > wrote:
>> >>>
>> >>> Mowing infrequently is a huge part of the problem Charlie, and it's
>> >>> not because of not wanting to. The land is wet until around June,
>> >>> and I can't get on it to mow. I am working on solutions to get it to
>> >>> drain better, but it's a slow, trial and error process. Now that I
>> >>> have a 4 wheel drive tractor, I could probably mow it sooner, but
>> >>> would make a mess in the process. Last year I couldn't mow until the
>> >>> grass was 6 feet high. I think I would have been better off leaving
>> >>> it alone and burning it off in the Spring.
>> >>>
>> >>> Mike M
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>> On 5/15/2015 4:00 AM, charlie hill wrote:
>> >>>> Mike, if you are cutting it infrequently enough that you have a
>> >>>> problem with large windrows of grass then a finish mower is NOT
>> >>>> going to stand up to the task.
>> >>>> Or at least the ones I've been around will not.   A good bush hog with
>> >>>> good,
>> >>>> sharp
>> >>>> blades on it will mow a pasture to look almost as good as a finish
>> >>>> mower but you can't let it get so high or mow in wet conditions.
>> >>>> Also some bush hogs have removable discharge panels so that the
>> >>>> grass can blow out the rear or to one side.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> I always try to mow pastures in a pattern such that I'm cutting
>> >>>> back over any windrow I leave with the next pass of the mower.  In
>> >>>> other words, if my bush hog is leaving the windrow on the right
>> >>>> side I work around the pasture so that the right side of the bush
>> >>>> hog is always toward the uncut grass.  On the next pass I'm
>> >>>> re-cutting the windrow along with the next portion of grass.  If
>> >>>> you are getting a lot of windrow it's because you are cutting more
>> >>>> grass than the bush hog is able to disperse, just the same as with
>> >>>> your lawn mower.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> I've never used a flail mower but a friend of mine used to use one
>> >>>> to mow his mobile home park.
>> >>>> It does a fine job.  However, they are a bit more of a maintenance
>> >>>> challenge than a bush hog or finish mower.  Still even with a
>> >>>> flail, if the grass is too high and thick it has to go somewhere
>> >>>> and
>> >>>> it will pile up.   The key is to keep the pasture mowed more often.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> My two cents worth.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Charlie
>> >>>>
>> >>>> -----Original Message-----
>> >>>> From: Mike
>> >>>> Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2015 10:11 PM
>> >>>> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
>> >>>> Subject: Re: [AT] Flail mowers
>> >>>>
>> >>>> ?? so yes on the flail or keep the hog, or go with a finish mower?
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Mike M
>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>>> On 5/14/2015 8:54 PM, Spencer Yost wrote:
>> >>>>> A tough finish mower used a few more times a year than I would a
>> >>>>> bush hog does great in my 4 acres.
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> Spencer
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>> On May 14, 2015, at 20:11, Mike < meulenms at gmx.com > wrote:
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I have about 5-7 acres of horse pasture that i mow, and have been
>> >>>>>> using a brush hog, John Deere 513? What I don't care for is how
>> >>>>>> it leaves windrows and clumps of the taller grass. I would be
>> >>>>>> interested in getting some opinions on flail mowers.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> Thanks,
>> >>>>>> Mike M
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>--
>--
>Francis Robinson
>aka "farmer"
>Central Indiana USA
>robinson46176 at gmail.com
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