Thank you for all the replies. I have obviously used the wrong terminology and ZZVYB6 has done a great job of clarifying. To summarize, I have a rear mounted flail mower that I am running at the correct speed and rpm but the grass is tall enough that the tractor pushes it down and then the flail is trying to cut the flattened grass. When the city uses them they have them on an arm and they are not 'pre-flattening' the grass. I am looking in to getting a rotary mower instead. My questions are:1. in long grass and up to 1" dense brush is it better to start with a rotary mower and then move to a flail mower when it is knocked down or the other way around? 2. should I just make multiple passes and lower the flail each time? 3. are there videos on how to do this correctly?
From THAT description (not your first post) I would guess that you have the front of the mower too low to the ground, i.e. maybe you are just "dropping" the 3 pt ?
I run with the top link in the "freedom slot" and lower the 3pt to a position I know will put the top link in just about the middle of the slot when level, then I watch it once I've started mowing on flat ground and make minor adjustments if needed.
I should add that this is with my hydraulic top link fully extended, which isn't a precise calibration that you can use - the point is that you want the front edge of the mower deck UP off the ground a bit so that it doesn't flatten the grass.
It will still bend it over, but in a gentler arc and the knives will be able to get it on the arc.
After that - KEEP it short.
I think the HUGE thread on "Lets talk flail mowers" covers this somewhere - heck it covers just about everything ELSE in life (-:
EDIT:
You might assume that you can't solve the problem you described by running backwards due to the rear roller having a similar effect on the grass just before it tries to cut it.
However, the Caroni flail performs surprisingly well when backing over stubble that just needs a bit more cutting down, also shrubs.
I don't know why this is, it just is.
I have tried running it backwards for some distance to see if it is an effect from running first forwards and then backwards, but it cuts just fine when running backwards for a hundred feet or more - a little odd, but I'm happy with this (-:
END EDIT