Weight of a Fox flail head?

[Don-Wi]

Dad's going to an auction tomorrow where they've got a fox 3000 with a flail head. The chopper is not so great with all 3 spiders busted off where one knife bolts on, but the rest of it could be used for parts for ours.

I was wondering what those flail heads weigh? The base unit, according to our manual wieghs near 3400 lbs but I have no idea on the head. Basically trying to find scrap value so I can give Dad a good base to quit bidding if it gets very high at all.

I was gonna guess maybe 1000 lbs on it, as our Gehl green chopper weighs in just under 2000, and the head has a little less there than a whole machine.

I'd go along tomorrow, but I've got a bachelor party and I'm the best man, so attendance is required.

Donovan from Wisconsin

 

[Red Roundhead]

I don"t think it will bring much. You and I are
probably the only two people even interested in it!
I still can"t decide if I want it; he used it to
chop stalkage for heifer bedding. It has seen alot
of mud. I did not look @ the knives.

 

[Don-Wi]

Were you there today? The knives were shot and the spiders were busted. 1 knife was completely gone where all 3 spiders had broke off. Musta been pretty hard whatever he ran in it. The blower band was packed with snow so I couldn't tell if it was decent or not. Just got one from a junk yard this past year for the one we run.

To be honest we could care less about the flail head. We've got a flail chopper again but we don't even use that too much. Just looking for servicable parts for our own chopper to keep it going. Would be nice if they grouped all the Fox parts with it, instead of on a skid by one of the NH choppers. Maybe someone will complain and set the auctioneer right.

Some of his equipment looked ok, others looked fairly beat up. Kinda mixed feelings about the auction. The 494A planter did look pretty imaculate though. Loads better than our 495A.

Donovan from Wisconsin

 

[Red Roundhead]

Well, Bill farmed full times, and he is quitting
because he is sick of it. Increasing prices on
everything BUT milk, and his knees are getting
bad. He just kept what machinery he had working,
but it did get used!!

I"m going to whine about those wheels by the
recutter screens; they should be separate, or go
with the flail head. What parts do you need?
From your previous posts I had believed you were
closely tied to the machining world? I usually
make my own parts, if possible.

 

[Don-Wi]

I'm not looking for anything in specific, because I never know what's gonna break next on ours. I am a mahcinist and make a lot of the parts we need, but it's nice to have a part laying around if we're in the middle of chopping and it breaks down. Was hoping for good knives, but it seems if they're in the chopper, they're always worn out.

I imagine you're at the auction already but if not my dad should be there. Just got done milking with him this morning so he'll be getting there late. Stands about 5'7" and 190 lbs. Drives a black tacoma.

Donovan from Wisconsin

 

[Red Roundhead]

Well, it brought $500. I don"t know who got it,
though. If I find any knives in the future, I"ll
let you know. Do you need 6 or 8, 3 hole or two
hole?

 

[Don-Wi]

Ours is a 6 knife 3 hole unit. Last spring I found some NOS knives advertised on craigslist for $100, only to find out they're 2 hole. Being a machinist I should have just bought them and figure out a way to make them work.

Donovan from Wisconsin

 

[Red Roundhead]

Hmmmm. I saw that ad, and thought the same thing.
Didn"t feel like spending $100.00 that day either.
Are you kinda looking for tungsten tipped? You
could EDM, or mill a hole in the old steel knives.
That goofy square/round-topped hole they have is
kinda annoying to work with.

If i find any, I will let you know!

 

[Don-Wi]

I wouldn't be able to get any time on our edm machines- we've got 3 and we're still sending work out to other shops because we can't keep up on them. Could probably drill out the square corners with a small drill and still mill them out in a VMC.

I still have the gent's contact info in my phone. I may mess around with some of the old 2 bolt knives we have from our previous chopper to see if it'd be worth buying them if he's still got 'em...

Gotta find time to do it though- got a plow coulter tore apart right now on my bench and it's been there since November. It's a spare, but I'm hoping to have it ready before we plow under some sod this spring/summer.

Just started a welding course at work last Friday- 2 hours every Friday for 4 weeks, have my 40-45 in by Thursday and go back in for that. Should just stay after and work on my own projects again.

Donovan from Wisconsin