Flail Mower flail mower

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davidseaquist

Silver Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2004
Messages
236
Location
Escondido California
Tractor
2005 Ingersoll Rand Bl370b
I got a 48" kubota flail mower with the purchace of my b7100 tractor. It has been used some of the blades/knifs are missing and the gear box shaft that the pto hooks on to is wobbly I haven't tried to fix it yet. What is the application for a flail mower. thanks david.
 
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<font color="blue">( What is the application for a flail mower. ) </font>

Cutting grass, weeds, etc.
 
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I've got a Mott Hammerknife flail mower on an old 47 farmall cub. It's also a 4 footer. I don't use it anymore but when I did I was quite impressed with its perfomance. For the small amount of horsepower that cub has, the mower would go through almost any weeds and grass you point it at. I mowed stuff 5 ft. tall with it.

Kevin
 
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Flail mowers are not meant for heavy or tall brush. They will give a great clean cut and NOT throw rocks and debris. This is why you see them used around schools and businesses where safety is of prime importance.
 
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There are actually different types of flail mowers with differing purposes: light duty, medium duty, and heavy duty. Light duty models use "knife blades" which cleanly cut grass stems and leave a "finish cut". Heavy duty models use heavy "hammer blades" which simply break whatever vegetation they hit (up to 1.5 or 2 inch dia. stems) and leave a "rough cut". Medium duty is a compromise between these types.

Flail mowers are relatively expensive and tend to be used commercially more than by private individuals. The light duty are used by grounds keeping crews, golf course maintenance crews, etc. while heavy duty are more typically used by highway crews on shoulders with rough thick, possibly overgrown, vegetation.

Because flails are not aggressively marketed to private individuals, the distinction between the differing types is not highly publicized. Often a person will come into contact with one type and assume that all flails are like that type. This is understandable because the industry does not go out of its way to inform us.
 
   / flail mower
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Tom thanks for the information on flail mowers. Mine is lite duty with the knifes bent at a 90 degree angel, and has a roller on it what is the purpose of the roller ?
David
 
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I bought a flail mower to pull behind my ATV -- came with a 14 HP Honda engine and was built solid. But it hasn't worked out for me.

While most of my problems probably don't apply to your situation (given yours is pulled by a tractor and fun off a PTO) the one general short-fall that may apply was clearance. The front lip of it would catch on a tuft of grass and cause problems including flipping over.

Also, as I found out too late, the blades were made for cutting lawns not fields of grass and weeds so it wouldn't handle anything too tall. If I were mowing a ball field it would be great but that wasn't the case. Can't blame the horse for not being a cow -- it just wasn't the right tool for the job.
 
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Who makes a flail for an ATV? I have seen several finish mowers for ATV but not a flail. Swisher and Bush-hog come to mind.
 
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Clean Cutter should have the replacment flails and at a good price. I have ordered from them them before. they were about 1/2 the price of JD.
 
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Who makes a flail for an ATV?

Alamo -- the same people who make the ones seen along roads and in parks, except with a gas engine mounted on top. They had stopped making them just before I bought mine (2001) but I found two at a warehouse in Bradford, PA.

Before buying I had exchanged info at ATVing.com with guys who use ATVs in landscaping businesses. They all said the Swisher-types just tear themselves apart so I went looking further. A neighbor in the country had a flail mower and liked it (but lost it in a divorce) so I thought it might work for me.

But as noted above, it just hasn't worked well in my situation. I put a ball hitch on it, got bigger tires, and installed anti-scalp rollers but it still is not the right tool for the job.

Also, I think I can safely say that an ATV makes a poor tractor. The main problem is keeping it at a steady pace -- its either surging ahead or bogging down, plus your thumb gets tired, the engine gets hot, your back hurts, your neck gets sore from looking behind, and so on.

I rest my case.

Thanks,

Rod
 
 
 
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