The unit was delivered in less than 10 days to...read moreThe unit was delivered in less than 10 days to my land plot. The equipment came in with a few cosmetic rust patches, essentially on bolts and and the front of the gearbox (around the attachment point). I have tried it briefly on my 1023E sub-compact tractor (21 hp), which indeed appears to be able to handle it. Just be aware that you will need front weights on such a light tractor without a front attachment installed, otherwise the weight of the flail mower will tend to tilt the tractor backwards whenever you hit a bump on the ground. The mulching was nice and the cut efficient.
The side-shift sub-assembly is heavy, and while its installation is possible alone, a helping hand is a good thing to plan for. The position of the hydraulic piston upon arrival of the unit was not aligned with the intended holes - it was necessary to partially install the sub-assembly, then plug in the hydraulic to align the unit against the proper holes. We had to re-drill some holes a bit to be able to fit the bolts in, but once everything is installed, it looks quite robust. The hydraulic hoses fittings were apparently not standard and had to be replaced to fit into the 1023E tractor plugs for the unit to be usable as intended. There is a slight design flaw in the PTO protective cover and fittings where the plastic cover holes are not fully aligned with the plugs needed for gearbox oil handling, making it necessary to remove the cover for servicing (or expand the holes). It would have been convenient that the gearbox oil plugs were accessible from the side or behind, but this is not either a major drawback, just of a couple more minutes to put into upkeep when necessary. These overall are minor irritants that can all be circumvented with a bit of time and thinking, simply do not expect the unit to be fully plug and play at first.
My unit was delivered with two raker sub-assemblies and without the PTO protective cover and fittings, quite possibly a mix-up during factory packaging. I promptly contacted customer service by email with a few pictures of the package as received, and got an hassle-free follow-up where the missing part was delivered free of charges and without questions. I also had good phone service when I called relatively to the delivery process, including (a surprise for me) French service. Therefore, customer service is appreciated.
