The hammers are designed to fail to keep from a major incident and destroy the actual implement, the bolts are more shear pin to break under excessive strikes. Running the cutter too low is the issue and not the equipment.
Thanks for taking the time to post this video. I have owned and used the 165 version of this mower for a little over 2 years and cannot say I have seen any cracking in the hammers. Now that you have alerted me about this I will check more often. I'm wondering if maybe there is a QC problem with the casting of the hammers and you got a bad batch. I've hit my share of rocks too but haven't had the same issue. As to raising/lowering of the drum to avoid scalping - check! I do the the top link adjustment instead and don't have a problem with debris flying out the front. It would be nice to have an adjustable drum. I still have all my chains but like you, the rubber rear guard is torn-up pretty badly. And like you, I will fabricate something more rugged.
I have the 72" titan flail mower and have had mine for 3 years with 0 issues so far, i have the hammer blades and i am in very rocky ground, but i run mine with the 15 degree tilt and i generally dont run it directly on the ground , i usually run mine at about 4 inches off the ground , I have hit some rocks but never broken any blades yet ,I never tried to get any replacement blades since I have never broke any, but after watching your video I am going to buy a couple sets of the blades you have since titan doesnt have any and then switch to the new ones if one does break , great video and good luck in the future
@cullenfitchett8103 I think most people don't read their manual and then this may cause early failure or poor results ,so I agree everyone needs to read up before operating their Flail Mower, I have had other flail mowers that also said to operate around 15 Degrees, so that may be common for several brands and from one's I have operated it seems to be pretty standard .
Good review. But don't expect those "duck bill" flails to "power through" like the hammers. Suggest not attempting to mow so low.....rocks don't "mow."
I have the 72inch flail mower from titan. On my 2nd year. Same blades as yours. No blade problems at all. I don’t run over rocks with any of my mowers. I do not cut dirt nor rocks nor steel with my chainsaws! If you adjust your mower properly the roller in the rear will work properly!! Titan has a very heavy duty gear box. Rocks will damage all blades from any manufacturer of flail mower. My mower still looks new after 2 years of use. You really need a good weed eater for those rock 🪨 then you can just replace the string 😂
mate crap design is crap design... doesn't take a genius to realise that that blade angle is gonna result in the exact failures he's seeing... like striking the flat 'base' of the blade with a hammer aimed right a t the pivot point...
Had mine 3 years titan. Same blades as yours. Running all my original blades! I don’t have rocks 🪨 in my pasture! Any blade will get damaged with rocks 🪨
I'm heavily considering a flail for my Kubota L2501 and Titan so far, is high on my list. Primary due to price, the ability to articulate and offset mower, and the capability to work with my tractor. I already have a rotary. I appreciate you taking the time to make this video as I always do research on potential items I'm looking to buy. I agree the roller is set to low. If I brought this unit, I would modify and adjust the roller for more clearance. I would also use a zero-turn or a finish mower if I wanted to get the grass cut that low. The Titan at $4000 and the equivalent Maschio 4047 at $5500, I'd rather save the money and get the Titan.
I've considered getting that mower. when brushhogging I always keep my FEL down with the bucket about as low as I can go ~1-2" from ground, so can catch rocks before the mower does. The hammers do like the material could have been good, but the angle is just not right. Good job
Thanks. Besides the cutters, It's doing well. The back rubber guard is long gone. I still wish the height was adjustable. But for the price, I'll live with it.
Thanks for sharing your experience with your flail mower. I live up in Ontario and we have rocky areas too. And more clay then we need. But I make a point of clearing rocks every year and use a couple of crow bars to get the rocks out of the field. Some of those rocks on your video were fairly large. I think you gotta start over and move some rocks out of the areas where you want to cut. This will save you some parts.
Wish I would have seen this first. Mine lasted 15 minutes mulched some 2 inch limbs in my mowing path and it destroyed itself in fifteen minutes of use. And they won't warranty it. 82 percent bad reviews on warranty
Can't believe they don't sell replacement hammers...not that it would solve the problem. Thanks for the review, I seriously have been looking at their products and a lighter unit but... not gonna happen now.
@@stevencorry5790 exactly........this is not designed to be run directly on the ground beating the heck out of it.......the cutting height is adjustable, WOW!!
@@geneshippers5493 Agreed but $4k is not what I would call cheap. There are $2k - $3.5k flail mowers that I would call cheap in this context but $4k is gaining on the supposed quality machines. This is what I would expect sub-$4k.
@@chrischamberlain6817 Well I paid 6k for mine and have 0 problems. As a matter of fact it exceeds. I can raise and lower both the skid shoes and the roller to change cut height.
Thanks for the video! Rocks always seem to be a farm's best crop. Every spring we have a new crop that popup out of the ground. Couple questions for you. I need to cut some lawn at about 2 inches. The pastures get cut at about 4 inches. Do I have any hope of accomplishing that without redesigning the machine? Also, where did you get your replacement blades?
you can get a fairly even cut if you try to keep it at a fixed angle on the 3-pt hitch. But if the grade changes quickly, that angle will change and you will ride on the skid plates and dig up the lawn. Not as good as a finish mower, but I have no problem mowing around my greenhouse where it's flat. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08XFJ5XGX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 Just make sure you round over the top of it so it can swing freely. I have about 20 hours on this mower and just had to replace one of these blades. The others look good. In comparison to the 20 minutes out got out of the factory blades.......
@@Bigelowbrook thanks a ton! I'm wondering if this is the wrong choice for my needs. I may stick with the finishing mower. The height adjustment on that is very simple. I bet the hammer blades it came with are more for golf course or perfect lawn applications. Farm land like ours is far from perfect 😁 Thanks again!
I have the 165DB and after struggling through the learning curve , i have discovered the Y-Blades work the best for me. the hammer blades are junk around tall weeds and grass and they do not like rocks . the set of Y-blades come with spacer and bolts and i just throw them in the trash . i had to upgrade the bolts to grade 8 bolts and changed to solid bushing . and removed the back cretin . with these upgrades it handles scrubs up to 3" and grass and weeds up to 5' high . the most difficult part with dealing titan is there web sight and communication . they are realy bad when it comes down to customer service .
i notice theres a lot of products out there that is just junk even though its expensive my buddy had a $3000 snow blower i think it was ariens the main drive pulley was made of plastic lasted about 5 minutes and melted making the new machine useless my yamaha scooter clutch pulley wore out before the belt thats just not the way it is supposed to work. i wanted a little radio and got one and some batteries from superstore turn it on and am fm on at the same time i return it and the customer service says to me what do you expect for $10? i said i expect it to work like it is supposed to work as it was designed not a garbage product wast of time and money
I have the 165 , iv cut some thick stuff sweet gum trees everything, lov it now I have lost some hammer blades and bolts but that's part of it , back tracked and found them bought new bolt back to cutting lol
I've lost several of the guard plates that go across the front of the Titan 200DB mower..... they get knocked off by ingested sticks very easily. I've located a few of them, but am missing about 3 or so right now and no idea when they may turn up again. Rear rubber discharge flap is about gone, it's very thin soft rubber need to find something better with layers to replace it with! Tilt hydraulic cylinder is very bad about unscrewing itself then rupturing and spraying hydraulic fluid all over the place! What is the point of these little short stands, they need to be like 5 or 6 inches taller than they are! Arghhhh! Cut quality is amazing however, even 6 foot tall brier patches just disintegrate when this mower goes over them.
Awesome review…! As I’m reading this I’m plumbing my tractor to operate a new Del Morino…..mine has both an offset and 180 ram….hammers similar to yours and an adjustable back roller. Also ordered 6 extra hammers. I’m curious where your flail was made or built…? Are hammers from India? The reason I’m asking was my box blade rippers all failed until I found forged Kubota rippers….haven’t broken a ripper since…
I cut my own from a piece of black pipe. They didn't have to be very accurate. Otherwise I would have to pay $10 a piece from mcmaster...and I need 48 of them!
@@Bigelowbrook wow that is a bad design... my DP155 comes with three different levels. I figured that would be something that would be the same for all Flail Mowers.
well, you have a welding machine there? First thing I saw is that they did not weld the ends of the knobs holding the knifes/hammers, good sign of halfass work. It will rust in there but, maybe it will be scraped b4 the knobs start falling off.
I see this video is a year old. How has this implement held up since the review. I have a new 3046R and want to get a few implements and have been looking at TMG as they are the only ones readily available in my area. Would you buy it again? What other TMG implements do you own? Thanks in advance.
I wish I would have found this video quicker. I have the perfect material for the back skirt, you just have to punch holes in it for the bolts. Free of charge.
I just got a Titan flail mower that i traded for doing a brush hogging job. It needs a roller and apparently some hammers. I haven't had a chance to look closer at it. My problem is, where do I get parts? I've looked on line and can't seem to find any dealers. I have heard that the dealers are more centrally located in the country. I don't care where the dealers are that's why we have FedEx or UPS. Anybody know where I can go? If it matters, I'm in upstate NY.
HI there, I don't see this machine banks in any position to the opposite angle in order to clean water channels or water canals, like the machios Girafa does.
These new steel blades are only a couple bucks a piece. It's just easier to replace them then spending the time trying to fix a crappy Chinese blade. I don't even know what kind of metal it really is so it could be difficult to weld.
Read the instructions. They come from factory set at lowest setting. Everyone says to raise it to highest setting. Might need limiters on your hydraulics it is bouncing all over when you try to adjust it.
thanks for sharing the video I have the Titan fail cutter also mine is just like yours but it's 72 in wide. my drum is the same diameter as yours but the bolts that hold my blades on are 5/8. I've never lost one, my blades have never broke or bent I think the blades are 3 in wide I've hit plenty of rocks and worn them down but never broke one can you leave the link where you got those replacement blades thanks. I broke the chain support rod by a rock slamming into it so I individually screwed each chain on with a sheet metal screw. my cutter doesn't have the rubber piece hanging down on the back either
I wonder if your mower was made in a different factory. I think they are just reselling different models and putting their brand on them. I'm surprised it would have the 5/8" bolt in it. I confirmed the hole in the old blades and they are 0.5" with a width of 1.8", and the blade is 3.1" wide. They really are design to have a clevis to connect it to the drum but that would make them far too long. Also, I didn't mention it in the video buy I had to grind off the corner of the new blades so it could swing properly without hitting the drum. www.amazon.com/dp/B08XFJ5XGX?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
@@Bigelowbrook I beat the crap out of my first set of blades by hitting rocks. but all they did was wear down not one bent or cracked. they are forged blades so you can weld them where they crack. my Titan flail mower is about 3 years old. I double checked the blade mounting bolts and they are 5/8 diameter. I ordered a second set of blades from Titan. they weren't cheap they were over $300 for the set
@@michaelshrader5139 go to Titan attachments website punch in item number 191468 these blades look exactly like yours but mine doesn't have that triangle stamp on the back. like yours. I reordered a set last year maybe this is a new style and the old style not available.if you like send me your email address and I'll send you pictures of the ones I have thanks
Dude u really beat the hell out of that because u didn't adjust the height correctly! Obviously if u hit rocks u will wreck stuff, I run mine higher when cutting into the unknown
To all who say it's not setup right. How do you adjust the height on a mower that has no adjustment? It is a crap design. The rear roller should support the mower when flat and level not the shoes. The shoes should just assist on uneven ground but when he showed the mower it was resting on the shoes and the roller is off the ground. That means when you pull it around the shoes are going to digging up the grass. You should not tilt the mower back to make it ride on the roller it will deffinately throw debris at the tractor. Been there done that, no fun. The correct adjustment is flat, level resting on the roller with the shoes slightly off the ground. When the roller is on the ground the blades are only a 1/2 inch off the ground. The roller needs to be adjustable. That is the first flail I've seen without an adjustable rear roller. Flails have to be some what close to cut anyway but at least 2 inch minimum 3 better, unless your trying mulch everything into dust which is not what they are designed for. And what manufacturer doesn't offer replacement hammers...WTF! With a few mods it would be a great mower. To bad.
I purchased the 86" offset mower from Titan, took it into my field and was shocked--it would not mow!! It literally pushed the grass over and went over the top of it without cutting it. The front edge of the mower is too low and that is the problem. I had to return the mower.. At first I thought maybe they put in the wrong gearbox and that the mower was running backwards--Nope! There are better mowers out there, spend the extra money you will get a better product.
Probably, but these new blades are only a couple of bucks. I can't imagine anyone wanting to go through the expense of recasting something like this. Maybe a hobbyist would like to do it.
Neither the blades nor the mower itself is meant to mow rocks with though. While the Titan Flail mower has room for improvement, they never claimed it was capable of mowing rocks! I don't think any mower is going to perform well or for very long if it's being asked to ingest large rocks or chunks of concrete or metal or anything like that. I'm just saying, I think your expectations were not realistic... or your property needed a thorough going-over and cleaning up (removing or at least marking with red stakes where the hazards are) before mowing it. I bought the 200DB 78" Titan Flail Mower last Spring and haven't experienced a single blade failure mowing abused and neglected former hay fields that were overgrown with briers weeds and small pine tree saplings, all of which are well within the advertised scope of these mowers. Admittedly there are no natural (or unnatural) rock formations in this soil, it's just clay and sand.... and all concrete hazards have long been removed from when we used to bail hay here. There were fire-ant condominiums the size of which you would NOT believe though and the flail mower tore thru every one of those leveling them with no damage to the flails. I do wish Titan would stock replacement parts for the equipment they sell, I do not understand THAT at all! There are issues still with the Titan Flail Mowers, like that rubber discharge flap it tears apart in no time flat it's thin cheap single-layer rubber, and like you mentioned the stands are about 5 inches too short for some reason I have to put boards under them to disconnect it from the tractor.... but in-ability to mow rocks is not one of the issues IMHO. Just saying.
You are correct that they don't say it can deal with rocks, but they do say it could handle a branch up to 3" thick and dense debris, which is highly unrealistic. In my area of the country, anyone that I know that has a flail deals with rocks...there's no such thing as rockless ground so it's our expectation that the equipment is able to deal with them. I have worked with several other flails in my past and they have never had issues like this. Even our road crew mows 35 miles of town roads every year, twice a year, and only has to replace a few blades...these roads are lined with stone walls and you can hear the mower from miles away as it bounces off the rocks. It was very evident that the Titan blades are poorly designed and just pain crap. It's even worse that you can't get the replacement blades. Thank goodness I was able to find these other blades. If they only put good blades on this, it would have been an excellent mower!
@@Bigelowbrook you're comparing commercial flail mowers with a non-commercial unit for one. Two, if that's what your flail looks like after 30 minutes of use, you are definitely using the wrong tool for the job and also do not have it setup correctly. If you use a chainsaw to cut a fence, is it a faulty chainsaw when the chain dulls after a few cuts?
@@mimimoo4493 That's not the case. The mower is working substantially better now that it has good blades on it. The reviews on Titan's site also have many people commenting on how horrible the blades are. The rest of the equipment is holding up very well except for the rubber flap which many people complain about.
Wow.... Disturbing. What did Titan say? On the other hand your new blades must have given your tractor so much more power because of the weight difference. I use those same blades on my tow behind flail I pull with my quad. It's very fast and can go almost anywhere.
@@Bigelowbrook hey I forgot to mention the spacers you made. I noticed the material on mine are some kind of pressed composite or something which I could not find to replace because they break too. I still haven't found the proper spacers. The pipe is a possibility. Thanks for the idea
Mixed thoughts... Why not derock the place enough to not have your mower take the abuse? I'd be willing to bet the original blades would last a long while in grass. I bought a used brush hog when I first moved in to help me find and rid my land of things, gave it away when done. But in your situation I must say having them brake like they are isn't good, I'd not be happy with it.
The roller wheel is not adjustable. If you lift it with the 3-point hitch arms, it will mow higher but if you go over a hill or bump, it will mow higher or scalp the ground.
It's such a sad statement about our society. This product was designed, marketed, distributed and sold by people, who all simply don't care. I bet most of the people who buy it don't care (as it's just some minor cost item in the accounting) and the minimum wage employees don't care either. Next to nobody cares and that's why next to everything sucks.
@@Bigelowbrook And that's my point..... no mower is going to work well or for long if you are mowing large rocks with it. Even just occasionally hitting a large rock is going to cause damage. No mower manufacturer to my knowledge makes any claims that their mower can be used to mower over rocky fields. Your expectations have to be in-line with that reality.
Titan flail mowers are total junk. I went through two of them. I literally had the roller fall off because the way it is mounted is not rugged. I also had the 3 point lift mechanism break. Cheap price but poor quality and zero parts availability. There are considerably better ‘value’ brands for just a little more money.
Probably. Or some Asian country no doubt. It a solid mower but still has room for improvement... I don't expect the ability to mow large rocks will be in their marketing claims anytime soon however. Have reasonable expectations for the machinery and you will not be displeased with it. My 1st Flail200DB was replaced under warranty after I discovered the PTO gearbox mount welds were un-zipping! The welds were bad, hollow from what I could tell (the weld didn't penetrate into the corner of the joint fully). They didn't want the mower back, they just asked for pics of the problem then approved a new mower be sent to me which took about a month. So I still have the bad mower for spare flails and any other parts if I need them. Of course that rubber discharge flap just shreds in no time flat, even the replacement mower is already missing most of it's flap and the original one's flap was gone in like under 8 hours of runtime! Anybody know where I can buy an 8 foot length of conveyor belt possibly? At least I now have enough lower hitch pins to properly connect the mower to the tractor (the 200 series mowers take 3 lower hitch pins, but only come with 2 of them.... I have no idea why and have made Titan aware of the issue).
@@michaelshrader5139 I guess it's the tradesman in me that makes me able to identify crap before I purchase. There is no way I would have bought this, it just screams chinesium right from the onset. I'm not saying everything from China is bad they're getting really good, really quickly, but they do still export a lot of crap that shouldn't be allowed into the country. In my opinion, there should be a minimum quality standard that the importer has to meet, and a minimum warranty period, and the importer should have to pay for an independent body to certify to the quality standard. People say: oh but that will push the price up... yes, yes it will, then you will be able to actually compare domestic products to cheap inferior imports. you would still be able to buy imported stuff but it would be of similar quality to domestic stuff and similar price. I guarantee, most people would chose domestic stuff if the quality and price were similar.
You need too be smart enough to size the equipment to the tractor you bought. The mower you bought is for a 25 to 40 ho tractor you have some were around a 60 plus hp tractor. So it's not the equipments fault and yes it is a cheaper mower like your tractor.
here i see this on the front of a loader or tractor with a long arm attachment. doing the ditches by the road and where needed hedges etc. to to restore visibility www.trondelagfylke.no/globalassets/bilder/veg/kantklipp.jpg
The hammers are designed to fail to keep from a major incident and destroy the actual implement, the bolts are more shear pin to break under excessive strikes. Running the cutter too low is the issue and not the equipment.
Thanks for taking the time to post this video. I have owned and used the 165 version of this mower for a little over 2 years and cannot say I have seen any cracking in the hammers. Now that you have alerted me about this I will check more often. I'm wondering if maybe there is a QC problem with the casting of the hammers and you got a bad batch. I've hit my share of rocks too but haven't had the same issue. As to raising/lowering of the drum to avoid scalping - check! I do the the top link adjustment instead and don't have a problem with debris flying out the front. It would be nice to have an adjustable drum. I still have all my chains but like you, the rubber rear guard is torn-up pretty badly. And like you, I will fabricate something more rugged.
I have the 72" titan flail mower and have had mine for 3 years with 0 issues so far, i have the hammer blades and i am in very rocky ground, but i run mine with the 15 degree tilt and i generally dont run it directly on the ground , i usually run mine at about 4 inches off the ground , I have hit some rocks but never broken any blades yet ,I never tried to get any replacement blades since I have never broke any, but after watching your video I am going to buy a couple sets of the blades you have since titan doesnt have any and then switch to the new ones if one does break , great video and good luck in the future
The manufactures specs state to operate at a 15 tilt........read....
@cullenfitchett8103 I think most people don't read their manual and then this may cause early failure or poor results ,so I agree everyone needs to read up before operating their Flail Mower, I have had other flail mowers that also said to operate around 15 Degrees, so that may be common for several brands and from one's I have operated it seems to be pretty standard .
Sounds like an operator issue to me.😂
Good review. But don't expect those "duck bill" flails to "power through" like the hammers. Suggest not attempting to mow so low.....rocks don't "mow."
So far, no problems with the lighter blades.
I have the 72inch flail mower from titan. On my 2nd year. Same blades as yours. No blade problems at all. I don’t run over rocks with any of my mowers. I do not cut dirt nor rocks nor steel with my chainsaws! If you adjust your mower properly the roller in the rear will work properly!! Titan has a very heavy duty gear box. Rocks will damage all blades from any manufacturer of flail mower. My mower still looks new after 2 years of use. You really need a good weed eater for those rock 🪨 then you can just replace the string 😂
The new blades I put in it haven't had any problems with hitting rocks
mate crap design is crap design... doesn't take a genius to realise that that blade angle is gonna result in the exact failures he's seeing... like striking the flat 'base' of the blade with a hammer aimed right a t the pivot point...
Had mine 3 years titan. Same blades as yours. Running all my original blades! I don’t have rocks 🪨 in my pasture! Any blade will get damaged with rocks 🪨
I'm heavily considering a flail for my Kubota L2501 and Titan so far, is high on my list. Primary due to price, the ability to articulate and offset mower, and the capability to work with my tractor. I already have a rotary. I appreciate you taking the time to make this video as I always do research on potential items I'm looking to buy. I agree the roller is set to low. If I brought this unit, I would modify and adjust the roller for more clearance. I would also use a zero-turn or a finish mower if I wanted to get the grass cut that low. The Titan at $4000 and the equivalent Maschio 4047 at $5500, I'd rather save the money and get the Titan.
Great video, thanks for sharing your experience and approach to dealing with the failing blades.
Glad you posted this. I was about to buy the same model, but don't like it at all if it was damaged so much after 30 minutes usage.
As an equipment inspector the common failure point on equipment is usually the operator.
I've considered getting that mower. when brushhogging I always keep my FEL down with the bucket about as low as I can go ~1-2" from ground, so can catch rocks before the mower does. The hammers do like the material could have been good, but the angle is just not right. Good job
Thanks for the honest review. I was considering a Titan or Del Morino but because videos like this I am going with Vrisimo.
Your analysis of the problem seemed pretty spot-on to me. Nicely done.
As our friend Robbo would say: I hope you’re well and happy.
Im shopping for a flail atm. Thx for the heads up. Great job troubleshooting and your repair was well done.
Thanks. Besides the cutters, It's doing well. The back rubber guard is long gone. I still wish the height was adjustable. But for the price, I'll live with it.
Thanks for making the video. It is a design flaw. Good to know going into a purchase. Thanks.
I was about to purchase one of these mowers now I have to look for a different brand thanks for sharing
Get a peruzzo, never had any issues with mine. I hit rocks 3 inch limbs and put it in my pond to cut the edges.
Thanks for sharing your experience with your flail mower. I live up in Ontario and we have rocky areas too. And more clay then we need. But I make a point of clearing rocks every year and use a couple of crow bars to get the rocks out of the field. Some of those rocks on your video were fairly large. I think you gotta start over and move some rocks out of the areas where you want to cut. This will save you some parts.
Wish I would have seen this first. Mine lasted 15 minutes mulched some 2 inch limbs in my mowing path and it destroyed itself in fifteen minutes of use. And they won't warranty it. 82 percent bad reviews on warranty
It won’t mulch?
That’s the whole point of having one…! @@tonyneves1089
Can't believe they don't sell replacement hammers...not that it would solve the problem. Thanks for the review, I seriously have been looking at their products and a lighter unit but... not gonna happen now.
they do sell replacement hammers? they are also a relatively universal style
They do....$7-$8 a piece.What I don't understand is how the hell you tear this thing up in 30 minutes?
@@stevencorry5790 exactly........this is not designed to be run directly on the ground beating the heck out of it.......the cutting height is adjustable, WOW!!
Wow 30 minutes of service thanks for the video
If you read the instructions they recommend the mower be tilted up in the front 15 degrees which does keep the cotters higher off the ground.
That's about what it is set to mainly because I couldn't get it any lower. Regardless, the blades are poorly designed.
Sounds like you needed a longer top link so you could get the roller on the ground and the front would have been higher off the ground.
Wow! I'm glad I spent more and bought a better unit. I've used mine a lot and no problems. Doesn't pay to buy cheap.
@@geneshippers5493 Agreed but $4k is not what I would call cheap. There are $2k - $3.5k flail mowers that I would call cheap in this context but $4k is gaining on the supposed quality machines. This is what I would expect sub-$4k.
@@chrischamberlain6817 Well I paid 6k for mine and have 0 problems. As a matter of fact it exceeds. I can raise and lower both the skid shoes and the roller to change cut height.
I was gonna buy one , I have changed my mind now!! Thanks for the info sir
Overall it's not bad....it's just those horrible hammer blades!
I dont think that rocks would be good for any hammers no matter the design.
I'm not convinced the original blades are forged. I suspect they are cast steel and not even a good steel for this application.
Titan clams they are forged. Since I can see a parting line down the sides, I would also suspect they are cast.
They're cast, I tell by looking at them.
Thanks for the video! Rocks always seem to be a farm's best crop. Every spring we have a new crop that popup out of the ground. Couple questions for you. I need to cut some lawn at about 2 inches. The pastures get cut at about 4 inches. Do I have any hope of accomplishing that without redesigning the machine? Also, where did you get your replacement blades?
you can get a fairly even cut if you try to keep it at a fixed angle on the 3-pt hitch. But if the grade changes quickly, that angle will change and you will ride on the skid plates and dig up the lawn. Not as good as a finish mower, but I have no problem mowing around my greenhouse where it's flat. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08XFJ5XGX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 Just make sure you round over the top of it so it can swing freely. I have about 20 hours on this mower and just had to replace one of these blades. The others look good. In comparison to the 20 minutes out got out of the factory blades.......
@@Bigelowbrook thanks a ton! I'm wondering if this is the wrong choice for my needs. I may stick with the finishing mower. The height adjustment on that is very simple.
I bet the hammer blades it came with are more for golf course or perfect lawn applications. Farm land like ours is far from perfect 😁
Thanks again!
Tell us what replacement blades get better life…?@@Bigelowbrook
I have the 165DB and after struggling through the learning curve , i have discovered the Y-Blades work the best for me. the hammer blades are junk around tall weeds and grass and they do not like rocks . the set of Y-blades come with spacer and bolts and i just throw them in the trash . i had to upgrade the bolts to grade 8 bolts and changed to solid bushing . and removed the back cretin . with these upgrades it handles scrubs up to 3" and grass and weeds up to 5' high . the most difficult part with dealing titan is there web sight and communication . they are realy bad when it comes down to customer service .
yup. It's too bad....probably if they spent 5% more on product quality, it would be an excellent mower.
Is that one blade at 11:00 on the bottom mounted backwards?
LOL, yes! I actually noticed when filming it but that part got cut out of the video. It still mows, even backward! ;-)
😂
i notice theres a lot of products out there that is just junk even though its expensive my buddy had a $3000 snow blower i think it was ariens the main drive pulley was made of plastic lasted about 5 minutes and melted making the new machine useless my yamaha scooter clutch pulley wore out before the belt thats just not the way it is supposed to work. i wanted a little radio and got one and some batteries from superstore turn it on and am fm on at the same time i return it and the customer service says to me what do you expect for $10? i said i expect it to work like it is supposed to work as it was designed not a garbage product wast of time and money
I have the 165 , iv cut some thick stuff sweet gum trees everything, lov it now I have lost some hammer blades and bolts but that's part of it , back tracked and found them bought new bolt back to cutting lol
I've lost several of the guard plates that go across the front of the Titan 200DB mower..... they get knocked off by ingested sticks very easily. I've located a few of them, but am missing about 3 or so right now and no idea when they may turn up again. Rear rubber discharge flap is about gone, it's very thin soft rubber need to find something better with layers to replace it with! Tilt hydraulic cylinder is very bad about unscrewing itself then rupturing and spraying hydraulic fluid all over the place! What is the point of these little short stands, they need to be like 5 or 6 inches taller than they are! Arghhhh! Cut quality is amazing however, even 6 foot tall brier patches just disintegrate when this mower goes over them.
Awesome review…!
As I’m reading this I’m plumbing my tractor to operate a new Del Morino…..mine has both an offset and 180 ram….hammers similar to yours and an adjustable back roller. Also ordered 6 extra hammers. I’m curious where your flail was made or built…? Are hammers from
India? The reason I’m asking was my box blade rippers all failed until I found forged Kubota rippers….haven’t broken a ripper since…
It's made in China. The replacement blades have been working great.
I was looking to get one... Thank You for the review.
Will you use bushings to center the new blades?
I cut my own from a piece of black pipe. They didn't have to be very accurate. Otherwise I would have to pay $10 a piece from mcmaster...and I need 48 of them!
@@Bigelowbrook being a farmer is expensive! But some day I will have land!
so on my fl ail mower (not this brand) the ''ski's'' are adjustable, did you try to make them higher?
They aren't adjustable. :(
@@Bigelowbrook wow that is a bad design... my DP155 comes with three different levels. I figured that would be something that would be the same for all Flail Mowers.
well, you have a welding machine there?
First thing I saw is that they did not weld the ends of the knobs holding the knifes/hammers, good sign of halfass work. It will rust in there but, maybe it will be scraped b4 the knobs start falling off.
Dont they make a chain attachment that 'gives' when younhit rocks? Im looking at a flail mower for mowing atv trails.
I see this video is a year old. How has this implement held up since the review. I have a new 3046R and want to get a few implements and have been looking at TMG as they are the only ones readily available in my area. Would you buy it again? What other TMG implements do you own? Thanks in advance.
I don't own anything else from them nor plan on getting anything else. It runs fine with the replacement blades.
Thanks for the quick reply. I thought I was commenting on a previous video I watched.
I was waiting for this video but had to go looking for it. I guess youtube wasn't pushing it out. Did you post it on FB?
Yep! I published it on RUclips, The RUclips community tab, Facebook, and Instagram. ;-)
I wish I would have found this video quicker. I have the perfect material for the back skirt, you just have to punch holes in it for the bolts. Free of charge.
I just got a Titan flail mower that i traded for doing a brush hogging job. It needs a roller and apparently some hammers. I haven't had a chance to look closer at it. My problem is, where do I get parts? I've looked on line and can't seem to find any dealers. I have heard that the dealers are more centrally located in the country. I don't care where the dealers are that's why we have FedEx or UPS. Anybody know where I can go? If it matters, I'm in upstate NY.
HI there, I don't see this machine banks in any position to the opposite angle in order to clean water channels or water canals, like the machios Girafa does.
It goes in both directions
Keep the old blades, grind off bottom, weld up cracks, keep for spares?
These new steel blades are only a couple bucks a piece. It's just easier to replace them then spending the time trying to fix a crappy Chinese blade. I don't even know what kind of metal it really is so it could be difficult to weld.
So, Where did you get the lighter blades? Maybe I missed something?
Amazon. I put a link to them in the video description. Thanks!
Read the instructions. They come from factory set at lowest setting. Everyone says to raise it to highest setting. Might need limiters on your hydraulics it is bouncing all over when you try to adjust it.
The roller is not adjustable
@@Bigelowbrook Many simply drill a couple new holes. Set it at 4" instead of 2".
@@oakoliver7183 What? And void the warranty? LOL
thanks for sharing the video I have the Titan fail cutter also mine is just like yours but it's 72 in wide. my drum is the same diameter as yours but the bolts that hold my blades on are 5/8. I've never lost one, my blades have never broke or bent I think the blades are 3 in wide I've hit plenty of rocks and worn them down but never broke one can you leave the link where you got those replacement blades thanks. I broke the chain support rod by a rock slamming into it so I individually screwed each chain on with a sheet metal screw. my cutter doesn't have the rubber piece hanging down on the back either
I wonder if your mower was made in a different factory. I think they are just reselling different models and putting their brand on them. I'm surprised it would have the 5/8" bolt in it. I confirmed the hole in the old blades and they are 0.5" with a width of 1.8", and the blade is 3.1" wide. They really are design to have a clevis to connect it to the drum but that would make them far too long. Also, I didn't mention it in the video buy I had to grind off the corner of the new blades so it could swing properly without hitting the drum. www.amazon.com/dp/B08XFJ5XGX?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
@@Bigelowbrook I beat the crap out of my first set of blades by hitting rocks. but all they did was wear down not one bent or cracked. they are forged blades so you can weld them where they crack. my Titan flail mower is about 3 years old. I double checked the blade mounting bolts and they are 5/8 diameter. I ordered a second set of blades from Titan. they weren't cheap they were over $300 for the set
@@madtater5948 I stick to the scoop blades now....I'm not very pleased with how Titan dealt with the situation. ;-)
@@madtater5948 What's the link to that parts page where you ordered the parts from? I couldn't find it. Thanks!
@@michaelshrader5139 go to Titan attachments website punch in item number 191468 these blades look exactly like yours but mine doesn't have that triangle stamp on the back. like yours. I reordered a set last year maybe this is a new style and the old style not available.if you like send me your email address and I'll send you pictures of the ones I have thanks
Dude u really beat the hell out of that because u didn't adjust the height correctly! Obviously if u hit rocks u will wreck stuff, I run mine higher when cutting into the unknown
No, the design of the blades is flawed. The new blades I put on it are working perfectly fine.
The poster talked about hammers hitting a bolt and cracking.... if he replaced that bolt with a elevator bolt that would solve his clearance issues
To all who say it's not setup right. How do you adjust the height on a mower that has no adjustment? It is a crap design. The rear roller should support the mower when flat and level not the shoes. The shoes should just assist on uneven ground but when he showed the mower it was resting on the shoes and the roller is off the ground. That means when you pull it around the shoes are going to digging up the grass. You should not tilt the mower back to make it ride on the roller it will deffinately throw debris at the tractor. Been there done that, no fun. The correct adjustment is flat, level resting on the roller with the shoes slightly off the ground. When the roller is on the ground the blades are only a 1/2 inch off the ground. The roller needs to be adjustable. That is the first flail I've seen without an adjustable rear roller. Flails have to be some what close to cut anyway but at least 2 inch minimum 3 better, unless your trying mulch everything into dust which is not what they are designed for. And what manufacturer doesn't offer replacement hammers...WTF! With a few mods it would be a great mower. To bad.
thank you!
Thanks for the video - very informative
When are we gonna get a review of that sweet lookin Massey?!?!
LOL. YUp. I need to compile everything together. ;-)
I purchased the 86" offset mower from Titan, took it into my field and was shocked--it would not mow!! It literally pushed the grass over and went over the top of it without cutting it. The front edge of the mower is too low and that is the problem. I had to return the mower.. At first I thought maybe they put in the wrong gearbox and that the mower was running backwards--Nope!
There are better mowers out there, spend the extra money you will get a better product.
I'm surprised they let you return it. They wouldn't take mine back nor would they replace the defective blades.
@@Bigelowbrook That sucks for sure.. I had bought mine with my credit card and they had my back thankfully.. Hope you can do something with yours.
What style cutters did your “pusher”…have…?
@@offgridmangogrower Whats a pusher?
‘Pushed the grass over”@@gorgonbazil2652
I wonder if you could do a collab with one of the channels that do metal casting and design a new hammer blade for it?
Probably, but these new blades are only a couple of bucks. I can't imagine anyone wanting to go through the expense of recasting something like this. Maybe a hobbyist would like to do it.
@@Bigelowbrook That's what i had in mind, thought it would make a neat video.
Why are you mowing rocks with a flail mower, or any mower for that matter?
Neither the blades nor the mower itself is meant to mow rocks with though. While the Titan Flail mower has room for improvement, they never claimed it was capable of mowing rocks! I don't think any mower is going to perform well or for very long if it's being asked to ingest large rocks or chunks of concrete or metal or anything like that. I'm just saying, I think your expectations were not realistic... or your property needed a thorough going-over and cleaning up (removing or at least marking with red stakes where the hazards are) before mowing it.
I bought the 200DB 78" Titan Flail Mower last Spring and haven't experienced a single blade failure mowing abused and neglected former hay fields that were overgrown with briers weeds and small pine tree saplings, all of which are well within the advertised scope of these mowers. Admittedly there are no natural (or unnatural) rock formations in this soil, it's just clay and sand.... and all concrete hazards have long been removed from when we used to bail hay here. There were fire-ant condominiums the size of which you would NOT believe though and the flail mower tore thru every one of those leveling them with no damage to the flails. I do wish Titan would stock replacement parts for the equipment they sell, I do not understand THAT at all! There are issues still with the Titan Flail Mowers, like that rubber discharge flap it tears apart in no time flat it's thin cheap single-layer rubber, and like you mentioned the stands are about 5 inches too short for some reason I have to put boards under them to disconnect it from the tractor.... but in-ability to mow rocks is not one of the issues IMHO. Just saying.
You are correct that they don't say it can deal with rocks, but they do say it could handle a branch up to 3" thick and dense debris, which is highly unrealistic. In my area of the country, anyone that I know that has a flail deals with rocks...there's no such thing as rockless ground so it's our expectation that the equipment is able to deal with them. I have worked with several other flails in my past and they have never had issues like this. Even our road crew mows 35 miles of town roads every year, twice a year, and only has to replace a few blades...these roads are lined with stone walls and you can hear the mower from miles away as it bounces off the rocks. It was very evident that the Titan blades are poorly designed and just pain crap. It's even worse that you can't get the replacement blades. Thank goodness I was able to find these other blades. If they only put good blades on this, it would have been an excellent mower!
@@Bigelowbrook you're comparing commercial flail mowers with a non-commercial unit for one. Two, if that's what your flail looks like after 30 minutes of use, you are definitely using the wrong tool for the job and also do not have it setup correctly. If you use a chainsaw to cut a fence, is it a faulty chainsaw when the chain dulls after a few cuts?
@@mimimoo4493 That's not the case. The mower is working substantially better now that it has good blades on it. The reviews on Titan's site also have many people commenting on how horrible the blades are. The rest of the equipment is holding up very well except for the rubber flap which many people complain about.
Great info , thanks.
What size spacers did you use
I cut my own out of some black pipe
What length did you cut them @@Bigelowbrook
where did you get the blades
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08XFJ5XGX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 I rounded over the back side so it could swing properly.
11:07 you can see one of the blades is on backwards at the bottom
yup. someone else noticed that too. ;-)
What is the purpose of the roller anyway
It just keeps it from scalping the ground....barely
Titans customer service is non existent, it used to be good 5 years ago, I’ll never buy from them again, that lost a good customer
Wow.... Disturbing. What did Titan say? On the other hand your new blades must have given your tractor so much more power because of the weight difference. I use those same blades on my tow behind flail I pull with my quad. It's very fast and can go almost anywhere.
They wouldn't help at all. The new blades work great.
@@Bigelowbrook hey I forgot to mention the spacers you made. I noticed the material on mine are some kind of pressed composite or something which I could not find to replace because they break too. I still haven't found the proper spacers. The pipe is a possibility. Thanks for the idea
4:30 nope it wasn't the force that broke it. Guaranteed they're not grade 8 bolts.
You should consider sand casting some new blades.
Mixed thoughts...
Why not derock the place enough to not have your mower take the abuse?
I'd be willing to bet the original blades would last a long while in grass.
I bought a used brush hog when I first moved in to help me find and rid my land of things, gave it away when done.
But in your situation I must say having them brake like they are isn't good, I'd not be happy with it.
The rocks keep coming back....in New England they're called the winter crop.
A lot of great information here but I think you are trying to run this thing too close to the ground!
The roller wheel is not adjustable. If you lift it with the 3-point hitch arms, it will mow higher but if you go over a hill or bump, it will mow higher or scalp the ground.
It's such a sad statement about our society. This product was designed, marketed, distributed and sold by people, who all simply don't care. I bet most of the people who buy it don't care (as it's just some minor cost item in the accounting) and the minimum wage employees don't care either. Next to nobody cares and that's why next to everything sucks.
Yup, im not pointing fingers at anyone but companies wont stop making garbage until people stop buying it
Mine didn't last 15 minutes and it destroyed itself on 2 inch limbs tittan warranty department has 82 percent bad reviews
Ahhhhh! What happen to the Ford?
It happily has a new home with my daughter and her husband.
@@Bigelowbrook aweeeee… ☺️
Massey, (short a) not Masey (long a)
Yes, I know that. My mouth didn't say what my brain said and wasn't going to record it again.
I have very rocky soil so I went with a brush hog
I also have a brush hog but wanted the offset feature. I've also have broken the blade on that too. ;-)
@@Bigelowbrook And that's my point..... no mower is going to work well or for long if you are mowing large rocks with it. Even just occasionally hitting a large rock is going to cause damage. No mower manufacturer to my knowledge makes any claims that their mower can be used to mower over rocky fields. Your expectations have to be in-line with that reality.
Guess he should have paid more for another brand so he can bitch about it.
Buy a Maschio, Muthing, Rinieri… you will not have those issues.
Those are not rocks, they're "BOULDERS"
Titan flail mowers are total junk. I went through two of them. I literally had the roller fall off because the way it is mounted is not rugged. I also had the 3 point lift mechanism break. Cheap price but poor quality and zero parts availability. There are considerably better ‘value’ brands for just a little more money.
Dude! It’s not made to cut a rock field……!
Looks Chinese... I wouldn’t have bought it...
You're correct, it's made in China
Probably. Or some Asian country no doubt. It a solid mower but still has room for improvement... I don't expect the ability to mow large rocks will be in their marketing claims anytime soon however. Have reasonable expectations for the machinery and you will not be displeased with it. My 1st Flail200DB was replaced under warranty after I discovered the PTO gearbox mount welds were un-zipping! The welds were bad, hollow from what I could tell (the weld didn't penetrate into the corner of the joint fully). They didn't want the mower back, they just asked for pics of the problem then approved a new mower be sent to me which took about a month. So I still have the bad mower for spare flails and any other parts if I need them. Of course that rubber discharge flap just shreds in no time flat, even the replacement mower is already missing most of it's flap and the original one's flap was gone in like under 8 hours of runtime! Anybody know where I can buy an 8 foot length of conveyor belt possibly? At least I now have enough lower hitch pins to properly connect the mower to the tractor (the 200 series mowers take 3 lower hitch pins, but only come with 2 of them.... I have no idea why and have made Titan aware of the issue).
@@michaelshrader5139 I guess it's the tradesman in me that makes me able to identify crap before I purchase. There is no way I would have bought this, it just screams chinesium right from the onset. I'm not saying everything from China is bad they're getting really good, really quickly, but they do still export a lot of crap that shouldn't be allowed into the country.
In my opinion, there should be a minimum quality standard that the importer has to meet, and a minimum warranty period, and the importer should have to pay for an independent body to certify to the quality standard. People say: oh but that will push the price up... yes, yes it will, then you will be able to actually compare domestic products to cheap inferior imports. you would still be able to buy imported stuff but it would be of similar quality to domestic stuff and similar price. I guarantee, most people would chose domestic stuff if the quality and price were similar.
You need too be smart enough to size the equipment to the tractor you bought. The mower you bought is for a 25 to 40 ho tractor you have some were around a 60 plus hp tractor. So it's not the equipments fault and yes it is a cheaper mower like your tractor.
that tractor is 35HP and it's a Massey Ferguson...nothing cheap about that machine.
here i see this on the front of a loader or tractor with a long arm attachment. doing the ditches by the road and where needed hedges etc. to to restore visibility
www.trondelagfylke.no/globalassets/bilder/veg/kantklipp.jpg
We have those here too....a bit too expensive for me!