Installing grass blades on a Betstco flail mower

[@danielmarkleblanc1800]

Great video. I just purchased a Betsco 105 Flail mower. It came with the blades and I purchased a set of hammers for heavier woody work. So far the Blades are working much better than anticipated. I was going to switch the blades as soon as I received the mower ; however, I decided to see how they would perform and so far their pretty impressive . I will just switch to the hammers when the blades get to warned out. Fabulous video.

[@wraith3951]

I have this exact same hob to do once I get back from vacation. I also have the EFG-135 for a John Deere 1025r

[@DubberGuy12]

Very informative video, thanks 😊

[@jimdandy7772]

Nice video, very informative

[@alisaid3182]

Hello, can you explain to me how I use each type of blade, some of them are used for low grass. Thank you

[@Neighbour_Al]

The hammer blades are intended for thicker "woody" material. They will cut grass, but the edges won't be as clean. The Y blades are thinner and will make cleaner cuts on grass, but can be damaged by woody material. The flail is better than a brush cutter, but it's not as clean a cut as a finish mower. I'm pruning now and will use the hammers in the spring to chew up the cuttings in the orchard aisles. I hope that this helps. Always good to have a nice place to work and good tunes playing for this job. Be sure to support the mower with safety jacks!!!

[@alisaid3182]

@@Neighbour_Al thank you for your answer. It helped me

[@ingvarleskovar7169]

Alan, so which ones cut grass better? Y-s or hammers? I

[@Neighbour_Al]

Ys Hammers are for mulching and really shred their way through grass. They tend to clog too. Remember, a flail mower is not a finish mower.

[@ingvarleskovar7169]

Thank you. Just looking at the grass after cut- what gives better look? I like "shred better" but not sure what it ends looking like.

[@Neighbour_Al]

@@ingvarleskovar7169 Sharp Y-blades give a better look. The torn ends that the hammers leave behind yellow and brown leaving the lawn looking rough. Like cutting with a dull lawnmower blade.

[@jekjr1957]

Where can you order blades for this mower? I recently purchased a 165 used. Thanks

[@Neighbour_Al]

betstco.com/ You have to call and ask to order them.

[@jameshardin1820]

The hammer blades are the best for mowing grass and everything else! I've found the so called grass blades pretty much worthless!

[@Neighbour_Al]

Honestly, I prefer the grass blades on grass. That said, it could be the stiffness of your grass versus mine. The mulching hammers work, but not as well. I started with hammers and ended up ordering the blades.

[@jameshardin1820]

Everyone thinks I'm mowing my woods and pastures with a zero turn lawnmower instead of my flail mower with hammers on it! I've had several flail mowers with the y blades and never liked them!

[@faceious2006]

@@jameshardin1820 I just purchased a front mount grasshopper with a 35 HP Vanguard and got the flail attachment with hammer blades. I agree 100% and that’s why I went with hammer blades instead of grass blades

[@jameshardin1820]

The one thing with hammer flail blades they work the best when you are mowing short . Mow about 2 inches and it will mow a lot nicer then Y blades!

[@RCplanesrfun]

What is your reason for making the change to the grass Y blades?

[@Neighbour_Al]

Grass blades cut trass more cleanly than the hammers. The hammers are better suited for woody material. I mow the orchard (and my lawn) in the summer with the blades. I'll put the hammers on in the spring to chop up prunings.

[@ingvarleskovar7169]

It is believed that Y blades cut grass better and leave better cut. Well, I have Betsco self powered flail, with 64 Y blades and let mew tell you this. Problem with Y blades is they do not really cut horizontally. They literally comb the grass and I have plenty of long stem grass that is missed by Y blades. I figure, it simply goes between the Y-s. Not supposed to, yet.. Also, add to this another practical drawback. I have 32 mounting points and SIXTY FOUR blades. Even flipping them, they eventually need to be sharpened. You know, how long it takes to sharpen 64 double edged blades and how much of grinder stone it takes? Yep, THAT long. That said, I am honestly considering hammer, or T-blades, replacement. Hoping for actual horizontal cut, not lawn, looking like as if someone ran a huge comb across it. Also, what I found about my mower, it wants to mow only in same direction. If I found unfinished spot and want to tackle it "against the hair", to really cut - mower chokes. Reason being, as flail rotor spins, it lays grass down. So when you go against the previous direction, it lifts that grass up+clippings and chokes mower. Maybe it's different with PTO flail, mine only has on mower 15Hp gas engine, not really too powerful. I am considering doing a hybrid flail - swapping 16 blade stations to hammers and keeping 16 stations Y blades.

[@Neighbour_Al]

@@ingvarleskovar7169 A flail mower is not a finish mower. You want a finish mower for a really smooth cut. The advantage of a flail is that it drops the cutting directly behind the mower and you don't have to cut over clumps.