TL;DR: Too Busy to Read? Here's What You Need to Know

l Quality of Gearboxes: Generic gearboxes cannot withstand the heat. The VBM78 has a high-quality Italy CMR Gearbox that is capable of doing high torque and not melting down.

l Don’t Guess on HP: Stalls are caused by using a tractor with less than 80HP when working on a heavy unit. You need 80-110HP for this 78" beast.

l Critical Bearings: When your mower screams, then they are cheap bearings. We explain the reason why SKF bearings are the gold standard in the industry.

l Offset is vital: A regular mower is hazardous as far as ditches and verges are concerned. You require hydraulic offset and tilt (up to 90deg).

l Hammer Blades vs. Y-Blades: In heavy brush (not more than 6" diameter), it will be cut only by forged hammer blades.

Let's be honest for a second. The purchase of flail mowers is not similar to a lawnmower purchase made at a big box store. It is an investment in heavy machinery that is meant to wage war on brambles, ditches and saplings.

However, I observe it occur every day. A landowner receives a shiny new attachment, connects it on his or her compact tractor, and in four hours, has smoked the belt drive or a rotor bearing. Why? Due to the lack of understanding of the nuances of flail mowers, namely, the heavy-duty models such as the 3 Point Offset Ditch Bank Verge models.

In the event you are seeking flail mowers to fit tractors, that is, machines that could perform the rough task of featuring verges and embankments, you must go beyond the price tag. We will step-by-step deconstruct the five most costly errors that owners can commit in this guide, with the MechMaxx VBM78 serving as our reference of what an industrial-grade, truly, would appear like.

Then there is the big question: Does it actually do what it claims, or even what you claim, which is that your current setup will actually be able to cut a 6 inch cut, or are you one rock strike away to the repair bill which is bigger than the mower itself?

1. There was a weakness in estimating the Heart of the Machine.

The first thing that your eyes look at when you are scanning specs of flail mowers is the width. A 78" Heavy Duty cut sounds great. However, the width is useless when the transmission is not able to support the torque.

The component that is the most stressed on any PTO-driven implement is the gearbox. It drives the raw rotating power of your tractor into the furious speed of the rotor shaft. Most generic flail mowers are equipped with gearboxes of less high quality metals that are casted as no-name. The result? They overheat. Gear oil exposes itself to heat, which causes it to lose its viscosity, grind, and bone-crunching failure.

The Italian Solution

That is why the VBM78 does not play around. It has a 65HP CMR Gearbox of Italian origin. What is the importance of the country of origin? Since the Italian engineering of agriculture is the standard of hydraulics and transmission of power worldwide.

l Thermal Efficiency: A quality CMR gearbox can move a greater amount of heat when the gearbox is used over an extended period.

l Torque Management: It makes sure that the power of an 80-110 HP tractor is conveyed without shocking the drives.

A question to ask yourself is this: When you are mowing a 500-yard ditch bank at a 45-degree angle, do you have faith in a generic gearbox to maintain the oil circulating properly or do you desire a part which has been tested in the vineyards of Europe?

2. Negligence of the Physics of Offset and Tilt.

Compact tractors have standard flail mowers which are ideal in flat pastures. But it is flat pastures that are the thing, eh? It is the issue of that unpleasant, weedy ditch on the boundary of your land, or the steep bank on the creek.

It is a disaster trying to mow a ditch with a fixed-position mower. You may tip the tractor over, or still worse you just cannot attain the vegetation, and leave a mangled, disheveled border.

Mastering the Geometry

Here, the offset flail mowers cannot be bargained. This physical capability of being able to move the cutting deck off the center line of the tractor alters the game.

The VBM78 has an advanced hydraulic system and it provides:

1. Side-to-Side Movement: This is when you push the mower away out to your right keeping your tires on the tractor out of danger and the mower floating over the edge.

2. Articulation: The machine is an articulated arm with a 90deg angle Tilt-Up and 55deg Tilt-Down angle.

Consider cleaning a 40 degrees downward sloping verge. You can not do it with a standard mower. The 3 Point Offset Ditch Bank Verge option is done in the same way, by tilting the deck down, hydraulically. VBM78 has a longest distance of 122 inches off the center as an offset. That is massive reach.

Gotcha: Working at extreme angles, you should always make sure that your tractor has sufficient counterfarring at the front. Physics is always right, and you do not want the tail to wag the dog.

3. The Horsepower Mismatch

The most common complaints on forums about flail mowers include the following:

, my engine keeps stalling, or the mower stalls in tall grass.

This is not the fault of the mower 90 percent of the time. It's a horsepower mismatch.

Flail mowers are rapacious creatures. Flails cut, unlike rotary cutters which cut. They pulverize material. This is much more energy consuming. VBM78 is a heavy unit with the Gross weight of more than 2000 lbs. It does not suit a 40HP hobby tractor.

The 80-110 HP Sweet Spot

This machine needs a tractor having 80 -110 HP. This is the reason that such a range is so important:

l PTO Consistency: You must keep the PTO shaft at 540 RPM even when the mower goes over a patch of 4 inch saplings. The reduced size of the tractor will reduce the RPMs, and the flails will lose momentum.

l Hydraulic Flow: It should be remembered that the VBM78 operates with hydraulics in the off-set and tilt. You have to have a tractor with sufficient hydraulic flow to move through these cylinders without difficulty.

Attempting to drive this 78" Heavy Duty rig with a tractor that is underpowered, not only are you stalling the engine, but your 4 belts are being shocked and the clutch is going to be slipping. It is a shortcut to costly maintenance.

Do you have enough ponies running? Before you even squeeze the trigger of a mower this large, make sure you verify your tractor has the required horsepower on the PTO.

4. Ignoring Rotor Balance and Bearing Quality.

Let's talk about vibration. Vibration in flail mowers is the bane of the day. A rotor that is turning at thousands of RPMs must be perfectly balanced. Otherwise it will move the welds aside and break the bearings.

A lot of corner cutting is done with many budget flail mowers. They either have internal bearings that are hard to grease and get hot, or they have generic bearings that are unable to carry the radial load.

The SKF Difference

VBM78 has SKF shaft bearings of Swedish brand. SKF in the industrial world means durability.

l silent Operation: These are much smoother and cooler bearings.

l External Design The rotor bearings are externally designed. Why? Convenience. You do not want to take the entire side of the deck to pieces when you are in the field to grease a bearing.

In addition, the blade axle is designed in spiral. Rather than having all flail mowers blades strike the material simultaneously (creating a huge shock load), the spiral layout has them strike the grass in a sequence. This conserves energy and secures that Italian gearbox we discussed above.

5. Blade mixing Hammer and Y-blades.

"Can I cut this tree?"

That would be what is suspended to your rotor. Another major mistake by its owners is to assume that their Y-blades (so good on grass) will cope on heavy brush. They won't. They will bend or break.

Hammer Blades are required to do real heavy work.

The 6-Inch Crush Capacity

VBM78 is equipped with 18 forged hammer flail blades with weight of 2.6 lbs. They are not small knives, but sledgehamers with a cutting edge.

l Material: Cast Steel.

l Capacity: This machine is rated to have a maximum cutting diameter of 6 inches in the spec sheet.

That is incredibly violent. We speak of small trees, dense brambles and bulky remains. The kinetic energy is sufficient in the hammer blade to smash woody material when it comes in contact with it, and convert it into mulch instead of knocking it over.

Combined with the variable rear roller and the removable back cover, it is a system which can handle large quantities of organic material without becoming clogged. If you hit a hidden stump? Anti-collision Bar and shock springs are installed to take the impact in lieu of your tractor frame.

6. Resolution: Precision Triumphs.

Generalization is costly when it comes to the purchase of flail mowers. It is easy to read in between the lines that all offset flail mowers are the same and that any 3 Point Offset Ditch Bank Verge mower could cut 6 inch trees. It is a fallacy that will cost you time and money.

Not only is the MechMaxx VBM78 bigger than other devices, but also due to its component options:

l CRM Italy Gearbox to be reliable.

l SKF Bearings for longevity.

l Hydraulic Articulation to be versatile.

l Raw power compatibility of 80-110 HP.

Do not expect to buy a mower which has the appearance but not the engineering in its support. It is true, whether you are keeping ditches in order in a municipality, or clearing back 40 acres of overgrown forest edge, that the proper tool will make the difference between a well done and a stalled tractor.

Ready to upgrade your fleet? Give the complete specifications of the VBM78 Heavy Duty Flail Mower a look and quit haggling over power.

 

7. FAQ

1. Which is better: a flail mower or a bush hog?

It depends on your goal. Choose a Bush Hog (Rotary Cutter) for speed and clearing rough, unknown terrain with hidden rocks. Choose a Flail Mower (like the VBM78) if you want a cleaner, manicured finish, need to mulch material back into the soil, or are working near buildings and roads where safety from flying debris is a priority.

2. What are the main benefits of a flail mower?

l Safety: It directs debris downward, minimizing the risk of thrown rocks breaking windows or hurting bystanders.

l Mulching: It pulverizes vegetation into fine particles, which decompose quickly and fertilize the soil.

l Quality of Cut: It leaves a smooth, even finish similar to a lawnmower, rather than the rough chop of a rotary cutter.

3. Will a flail mower cut wet grass?

Yes, but it is not recommended. Wet grass tends to stick to the inner housing and the rotor, which can cause clogging and cause the drive belts to slip or burn. If you must mow wet grass, drive very slowly and keep the PTO RPMs high to clear the discharge.

4. Is October too late to mow?

No. October is often the perfect time for a final "winterizer cut." Mowing now helps prevent snow mold and discourages field mice from nesting in tall vegetation during winter. Tip: Raise your cutting deck slightly to leave 2-3 inches of stubble to protect the root system against the frost.

5. Can you go backwards with a flail mower?

Technically yes, but you shouldn't. When you reverse, your tractor tires and the mower's rear roller trample the grass before the blades hit it, resulting in a poor, uneven cut. Additionally, reversing into an obstacle is the fastest way to damage the rear roller and linkage.