Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[IslandTractor]

You could always remove a few knives from one side of the rotor to depower it if necessary.

 

[KennyV]

Or you could leave all the knives and just not cut a full width after your first pass... KennyV

 

[IslandTractor]

Or you could leave all the knives and just not cut a full width after your first pass... KennyV

Yep, and that is the better strategy for general mowing. Taking out a balanced number of knives from the ends might work better for bush hogging especially if you are backing into thick stuff but just going slowly with the full rotor is what I would try first.

 

[spo307]

rules of thumb with flails, 5 pto hp per foot of flail
6' flail - 30 hp at pto

 

[IslandTractor]

rules of thumb with flails, 5 pto hp per foot of flail
6' flail - 30 hp at pto

I don't think anyone disputes that rule, the question is how to adapt either set up or mowing strategy/tactics if you don't have ideal horsepower.

 

[horsinaround]

I don't think anyone disputes that rule, the question is how to adapt either set up or mowing strategy/tactics if you don't have ideal horsepower.

Don't overthink it.
Either slow down where it is thick, speed up where it is thin or take a full swath where thin and half swath where thin.

I have an 88 inch flail mower and 50 PTO HP. In the thickest grass I have to slow to a crawl, but most of the time I can go faster than I want.

 

[dieselscout80]

Don't overthink it.
Either slow down where it is thick, speed up where it is thin or take a full swath where thin and half swath where thin.

I have an 88 inch flail mower and 50 PTO HP. In the thickest grass I have to slow to a crawl, but most of the time I can go faster than I want.

I've also found that the sharpness of my flails make a difference too.

 

[horsinaround]

I have a Alamo 88 inch flail mower and a 6 foot woods brush bull. I really like the Flail and am thinking about selling the rotary cutter.

Most of my mowing is pastures. Once in a while I go and knock stuff down on the trails in the woods.

Any thoughts from those that have been down this road before? Should I keep the rotary cutter or sell it? Would I regret selling it? I for sure won't be selling the flail.

 

[leonz]

I would rather keep my flail mower and sell the rotary cutter
If it were me as the brush is not shredded and it will not
degrade quickly.

The other thing is the flailmower will be able to go over it a
second time and shred it much more where the rotary cutter
will simply move it around and beat it down rather than
shred it up a second time.

The only time brush can be hacked well with a rotary cutter
is when it is so dry it breaks in your fingers and that is a
bad time for brush fires.

At least you can mow right down to the sod with a flail mower.



Welcome to another fine member of the "Flail Mower Nation".


"Once you go flail you never go back".:thumbsup::drool:

 

[IslandTractor]

I have both flail and a medium duty bush hog. I like having both. The flail can do most of what I need but I prefer to use the bush hog for heavy brush cutting as it is simpler and cheaper to maintain. The flail can handle the heavy cutting but I lose knives and clevises on rocks often enough ($13 a set) that it is annoying. Also, it is nice to have the cutter eight feet behind the operator station when driving backwards into thick brush as paradoxically I can more easily see what I am cutting than when the flail is three feet back but harder to see over my shoulder. To see where the hog is cutting is a simple glance over the shoulder, to see the flail I need to look over the shoulder and down. If I did yoga it would not be an issue but I'd give the advantage to the hog for backing into brush. The hog is also better for cutting under big blueberry bushes and small trees where low lying branches make it hard to get the flail into position without getting the operator station tangled up in branches.

Other than those examples I prefer the flail for everything else, especially for mowing fields and any mowing near people. The mounted flail fits easily in my barn but I need to dismount either the hog or grapple/bucket to fit the tractor due to the extra five foot extension when the hog is mounted.

I got my Woods Brush Bull 600 used for a great price and even though it is undersized I find it very handy. The cut is nowhere near as good but for first pass I like it in heavy brush or rocky areas with high grass. It is also more ballast by a factor of about two than the flail which is sometimes useful.

I'd keep both.