New to me John Deere 25A Flail mower setup and smoke test
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- Опубликовано: 25 окт 2024
- Setting up and testing my new to me 30 year old Flail Mower - a John Deere 25A. It's old, and well used, but in pretty darn good shape for as old as it is...
But it was a booger-bear to get attached to the tractor - which is why the previous owner sold it to me! He felt he was getting too old to wrestle with this beast. And I can totally relate!
When I attached this to my tractor for the first time - it was a royal pain the ass, as you will soon see. Hooking up the 3 point hitch wasn't a big deal at all. Hooking up the PTO and driveline was a real pain - as you will soon see!
Flail mowers give you a "golf course" cut to some degree. It mulches as it goes, leaving behind MULCH, not big clumps of long grass laying all over the place. They are kind of rare, more expensive and require a bit more maintenance.
It cut, much like I expected it to. For the most part, it did quite well! But it has been about 40+ years since I have used one of these type of mowers in earnest - and I was reminded of lessons learned long ago and then promptly forgotten over the years...
Slower is always better! LISTEN to the mower - it will tell you how it doing, just by the sound it makes. And watch for smoke! LOL
The tractor I am using now on this beast is easily twice the power I used on a similar mower as a kid. Dad's old tractor would bog down when stuff got too heavy and thick. THIS tractor does NOT do that, at all! It just keeps going like it's no big deal. Meanwhile, the mower is getting bogged down and smoking the belt like it's about to set it on fire!
After seeing this video and how the mower's top link was reacting to the ground it was rolling over, it is very evident to me that I was mowing way too fast, most of the time in this video. I have to go much slower when it is this thick for the first cut of the year.
I got an air-conditioned cab for a reason. So I could enjoy more seat time without melting in the heat and getting sun burnt! So going slow should not be a problem... I just need to remember that!
It is a long video. But it details the entire "first cut" of the year scenario. And a good shakedown run of the new to me John Deere 25A mower. Thanks for watching!
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Did something happen to the Nova?
Yep, it repeatedly destroyed itself under normal use. The roller broke away multiple times, bearing holders came apart and the belt assembly became a joke. In the very short time I have used this "new to me" used 30+ year old JD 25A I have mowed more acres than I ever have with the Nova. Without a single problem. The Nova is headed to the scrap dealers yard. Hardware has rusted shut so tight it can no longer even be worked on to repair it. EVERY single bolt on the belt assembly is either not removable or has broken off in the holes. Whereas the 30+ year old JD bolts are all able to be loosened - 30+ year old bolts function like the day they came out of the factory. The Nova, not so much. I spent $2700 on the Nova and got very little actual use out of it. The JD 25A I spent $800 on and have mowed with it quite a bit, without a single issue. Other than having to replace a couple of grease fittings that came out and were repaired easily and I put a new belt on it when I got it. The SPRING tensioner on the 25A works excellent. Something that the Nova sorely lacked. When it got too thick, the Nova would burn belts and destroy them - the JD25A lets them slip a bit and may smoke a little but doesn't totally destroy them. I am sorry I spent the money on the Nova, I love the old JD 25A!!
Can’t remember if your spread there is 10 or 20 acres although it looks like enough someone might cut the hay off of it for you for free.
Yeah, but I don't want them taking away my precious wildflower seed! I got this mower to help me spread that seed where it needs to be... This place used to be a hay field and had ZERO wildflowers. After carefully nurturing the wildflower population we now have a CARPET of wildflowers in the spring and one heck of a variety of butterflies, bugs and various pollinators visiting.
@@possumfarms Ah, I get it. That’s pretty smart, I never thought about that. It didn’t occur to me when you were talking about the new flowers with Henry.