flail mowers waist HP?

[leonz]

Please post your definition of efficiency.
larry

The "Verticut" method of grass and brush mowing as item no. 7.

 

[SPYDERLK]

:confused2: So ... Are you researching in prelude to composing your definition of efficiency?, or should I just assume its wrong?
larry

 

[beppington]

IMO rotary cutters & flail mowers do 2 different things, enough so anyway that I'm not sure it makes sense to argue which one is more efficient.

Rotary cutters generally provide a rougher looking finished cut. But they also can cut heavier vegetation, compared to a flail that requires the same PTO HP. They will leave larger pieces/ clumps of stuff.

Flail mowers generally provide an almost-lawn finished cut. And the size vegetation that can cut is smaller, again compared to a rotary that requires the same PTO HP. They will leave smaller pieces, usually that you can't really see; It takes more HP to do that than to just leave big clumps of stuff.

If you want to beat up big stuff & are OK with a rougher looking finished cut, get a rotary. I think of a rotary as the mower to use when you'll be mowing big stuff & you don't know for sure what might be in there, or it's been overgrown for a loong time.

If you want a near lawn cut & are OK knowing it won't cut stuff as big as a rotary, get a flail. I think of a flail as the mower to use when you're mowing a lawn or field that's grown up some, not too long, but where you're pretty sure you're not going to encounter anything big.

 

[RickB]

6. A grass slicer Y blade is easier to sharpen using a wet knive
grinder or touching them up using a table belt sander.
.

Anyone claiming that sharpening a hundred or more blades of any style and configuration is easier than sharpening two rotary cutter blades has been out in the sun too long, or thinks the rest of us have been. An equal number, maybe. But never in apples-to-apples full set quantities.

 

[leonz]

What definition of efficiency are you asking me for?

Is it the definition of power in terms of force, distance moved in time?


Power= force x distance moved divided by time.

An over sized comparison to a hammer flail mower would be the "Pennsylvania Crusher Companies Bradford Breaker Hammer Mill Sizer" which is also operates on a horizontal axis.


Unfortunately for me I am not computer literate enough to type the formulas for rotating bodies and throw wieghts of objects attached to them.

 

[greg_g]

Anyone claiming that sharpening a hundred or more blades of any style and configuration is easier than sharpening two rotary cutter blades has been out in the sun too long, or thinks the rest of us have been. An equal number, maybe. But never in apples-to-apples full set quantities.

I'm guessing you've never touched up flail knives. It's a simple job with a rotary tool fitted with an emery stone. My flail has 66 double knives - 132 little edges - all of which takes me about 30 minutes to sharpen on the machine. My rotary cutter on the other hand, takes me 20 minutes to drop the blades, 10 minutes each to vice grind them, and another 20 minutes to reinstall. Not as many busted knuckles sharpening flail knives either.

//greg//

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I'm guessing you've never touched up flail knives. It's a simple job with a rotary tool fitted with an emery stone. My flail has 66 double knives - 132 little edges - all of which takes me about 30 minutes to sharpen on the machine. My rotary cutter on the other hand, takes me 20 minutes to drop the blades, 10 minutes each to vice grind them, and another 20 minutes to reinstall. Not as many busted knuckles sharpening flail knives either.

//greg//

I don't know why anyone would want to take off rotary blades in order to do a simple touch up, then re-install. A waste of time IMHO, not to mention repeated re-torquing bolts tends to eventually distort threads/stretch bolts. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to touch up SIX blades on a bat wing with a 4-1/2" grinder. (Did 2 mowers today in fact) NO busted knuckles either....

 

[RickB]

I'm guessing you've never touched up flail knives. It's a simple job with a rotary tool fitted with an emery stone. My flail has 66 double knives - 132 little edges - all of which takes me about 30 minutes to sharpen on the machine. My rotary cutter on the other hand, takes me 20 minutes to drop the blades, 10 minutes each to vice grind them, and another 20 minutes to reinstall. Not as many busted knuckles sharpening flail knives either.

//greg//

If it took me 20 minutes to get the blades off my rotary cutter every time, I'd sell it. It's about a 5 minute job on a single-spindle machine if you know what Never-Seize is.

 

[DK35vince]

I'm guessing you've never touched up flail knives. It's a simple job with a rotary tool fitted with an emery stone. My flail has 66 double knives - 132 little edges - all of which takes me about 30 minutes to sharpen on the machine. My rotary cutter on the other hand, takes me 20 minutes to drop the blades, 10 minutes each to vice grind them, and another 20 minutes to reinstall. Not as many busted knuckles sharpening flail knives either.

//greg//

I've never removed a rotory cutter blade on my mower to sharpen it.
5 minutes and an angle grinder is all I need.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

So.....I wonder if the OP has his answer yet?