# Flex-Wing Mower



## mx180a (Dec 19, 2021)

Anybody have experience pulling a Befco 17' flew wing mower with an RK55?


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

No but IO pull a Landpride batwing 18 foot with my M9000, no issue but I have a bit more suds than you do.


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## BinVa (Sep 21, 2020)

Theoretically it will work. You’re on the low side of the recommended hp for 17’…but if you’re just trimming grass it may be fine, but I believe hard on the tractor and mower driveline. Rule of thumb is 5hp per foot for a rotary cutter…finish mowers can be driven by less, but you’re only about 42 hp (PTO). B.


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

I'd be concerned about the pulled weight as well. My Landpride bat wing weighs north of a ton. You need to make sure your tractor has enough ass to pull it.

I learned that lesson years ago when I mowed my hayfields with a JD 12 foot MoCo and my long gone Kubota 5030 HSTC. Was going down the road and dropped the right wheel off the road and into some soft stuff and the mower jerked me and the tractor right around. Quite an expericnce that taught me about tractor weights and pulled implements.


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## HarveyW (Sep 15, 2014)

Strange things can happen when pulling big mowers. Can't imagine they pull that hard. Must've had loose lug nuts?


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## BinVa (Sep 21, 2020)

HarveyW said:


> Strange things can happen when pulling big mowers. Can't imagine they pull that hard. Must've had loose lug nuts?
> 
> View attachment 76214


My worst nightmare!! I've had wallowed out lug holes due to loose lug nuts....but never quite that extreme... B.


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

Had that ONE TIME and one time only. Not on a tractor but on a big truck, my Freightliner road tractor in Chattanooga of all places. Rear left side drive outside rim and tire passes me up. Had changed on the tires on the drives and didn't bother to check the lug nut torque after mounting them. Was a very expensive mistake. When I dismount any rim/tire now, I'll drive the vehicle around for a while and retorque the nuts. Better safe than sorry.

Usually, on a tractor, you can hear the rim moving, it 'clicks' when the lug nuts have loosened up. Never use an impact wrench either, always a torque wrench.

My thousand dollar mistake in Chattanooga


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## unsquidly (Jul 13, 2021)

BinVa said:


> Theoretically it will work. You’re on the low side of the recommended hp for 17’…but if you’re just trimming grass it may be fine, but I believe hard on the tractor and mower driveline. Rule of thumb is 5hp per foot for a rotary cutter…finish mowers can be driven by less, but you’re only about 42 hp (PTO). B.



42.2 PTO HP to be exact according to Rural King's website........LOL I would drop down a foot on the cutter so you can actually mow stuff over a few inches high without lugging the tractor down.......


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

That picture really looks like a broken axle.


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## unsquidly (Jul 13, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> Had that ONE TIME and one time only. Not on a tractor but on a big truck, my Freightliner road tractor in Chattanooga of all places. Rear left side drive outside rim and tire passes me up. Had changed on the tires on the drives and didn't bother to check the lug nut torque after mounting them. Was a very expensive mistake. When I dismount any rim/tire now, I'll drive the vehicle around for a while and retorque the nuts. Better safe than sorry.
> 
> Usually, on a tractor, you can hear the rim moving, it 'clicks' when the lug nuts have loosened up. Never use an impact wrench either, always a torque wrench.
> 
> My thousand dollar mistake in Chattanooga



Most service centers now have as part of the warranty that the lug nuts have to be checked after the first 100 miles after any wheel being removed and replaced on either semi truck or trailer.....


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## Bob Driver (Nov 1, 2017)

unsquidly said:


> Most service centers now have as part of the warranty that the lug nuts have to be checked after the first 100 miles after any wheel being removed and replaced on either semi truck or trailer.....


Modern hub piloted semi-tractor lug nuts torque spec is around 450ft lbs, but then there's always the knucklehead outside tire guy using a 1" x 1,200ft lbs + gun. To much liability involved when you're dealing with passenger buses. Can't risk accident liability claims by not following OEM maintenance procedures and recommended maintenance practices (RMP's) to the letter. NTSB investigates passenger bus accidents, just like aircraft accidents, and the first thing they want to see is the maintenance records. All tires/rims get installed using "Torque Sticks".... The link below is to a lighter duty set that would work for the average homeowner. For your OTR truck, the 450ft lbs x 3/4" "stick", with built in socket, runs about the same price as this homeowner set.

Homeowner Torque Stick Set


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## ovrszd (12 mo ago)

I have a JD 15ft batwing. I pull it with a 95HP Kubota weighing somewhere around 10,500lbs. It handles it well.

I've never hitched it to my 47HP Ford that weighs 5,000lbs. So I can't testify. 

The HP needed to pull a cutter is hugely dependent on the job. When I cut my CRP I do so at a high cut setting. When I mow roadbanks I do that at a low cut setting. I cut the CRP at a pretty fast ground speed. I cut the road banks at a pretty slow ground speed. Lot of variables involved.

A 17ft cutter on your 55HP tractor is going to be a load. My Dad would have said "you ain't gonna have to worry about the hitch pin getting slack and jumping out".


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

55 pto is marginal at best and so is the tractive effort.


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