3 point mowers. Finish vs Rotary cutters

[acktractor]

I am looking to mow fields of grass 6 to 12" in height. I have been using a Kubota zd331 with good results. I have allot of love grass which is hard to mow. I am looking at the ds96 woods or a prd 8400 woods . any thoughts

[dkhntr04]

i would go with a rotary cutter for that application.

[EverythingAttachments]

A flail mower is designed for rougher applications than a finish mower an gives you a much nicer finish cut than a rotary cutter. Have you looked into those?

[Soundguy]

hp per foot though.. hard to beat a plain jane rotary cutter. flails eat hp.. and have a higher maint cost / time with the knives.. etc..

the only people around here that even try to use flail mowers are the county.. and that's because they are spending our money.. not their own money.

not a single one of the commercial mower outfits around here mows with anything but a rotary mower.. or grub mower for the land clearing stuff.. etc..

[jlsmith]

hp per foot though.. hard to beat a plain jane rotary cutter. flails eat hp.. and have a higher maint cost / time with the knives.. etc..

the only people around here that even try to use flail mowers are the county.. and that's because they are spending our money.. not their own money.

not a single one of the commercial mower outfits around here mows with anything but a rotary mower.. or grub mower for the land clearing stuff.. etc..

Agree 100%. I do custom mowing also and use a rotary mower. Finish mowers were not made to cut like you are wanting to do, mainly yards and manicured fields.

[bigbull338]

no question id go with the 3pt shredder.

[nj gsp]

the only people around here that even try to use flail mowers are the county.. and that's because they are spending our money.. not their own money.

Flail mowers don't eject & throw stuff at high velocity like rotary mowers do, and they impact hard objects with minimal damage so they hold up better. When I was a kid all the municipal mowers used sickle bars to cut roadside ditches, now they use flails because they don't break as often and don't throw stuff through car windshields. But they are very slow going and do not leave a fine finish cut.

[Soundguy]

our county still has a couple older flails.. but hasn't bought a new one in at least a decade.. same goes for the cities too.

too easy to go with rotarry cutters, rubber or chain guards, where applicable / specified.. and 1mil insurance..

I don't recall reading about a municipal mower ever damaging a passanger car.. and I read the paper pretty much every day..

simply way cheaper to run a rotary...

[smstonypoint]

our county still has a couple older flails.. but hasn't bought a new one in at least a decade.. same goes for the cities too.

too easy to go with rotarry cutters, rubber or chain guards, where applicable / specified.. and 1mil insurance..

I don't recall reading about a municipal mower ever damaging a passanger car.. and I read the paper pretty much every day..

simply way cheaper to run a rotary...

I see counties using a mixed bag of rotary and flail cutters in my neck of the woods, although rotaries seem to predominate.

It has been a few years, but I recall reading about a Myrtle Beach (SC) motorist who was killed when struck by flying debris from roadside mowing by the county (or city?). I still cringe when I pass roadside mowers.

Steve

[LD1]

Finish mower would work better at the small end of your range. (in the 6" stuff), and leave a better finish.

But if finish isnt a huge concern, and time is, you cannot beat a rotary cutter. In 10-12" stuff, it will easily be 2x's faster than a flail or finish mower.