In need of implement advice for 10 acres.

[lostru]

Well my wife and I are the proud owners of a home on 10+ acres. I purchased a 2009 L2800 with a FEL and no other attachments. That痴 the issue. The land is 1/4 acre nice groomed grass and 4 acres of field straw some small stumps and weeds. The rest is overgrown and in need of thinning. Most of it is tall grass and 1/2inch dia brush. I'm was looking at purchasing a Flail mower if it will keep the grass neatly cut and handle the really light brush. I also want to put in a half acre garden this year but plan on expanding it to a full acre over time. This would be your standard row type vegetable garden. The soil is dark and loose. There are a few rocks and a light root structure from old trees. What will set me up for success with little buyers remorse? Thank you in advance.

 

[Verticaltrx]

I'd start with a 5' bush hog, 5' tiller, and a 5' box blade. Those three implements will do 90% of what you need around a small property. A set of forks for the loader is also invaluable. For the 1/4ac of groomed grass I'd just get a little lawn tractor.

 

[Soundguy]

overgrown? for sure the rotary cutter.. and hard to knock a box blade too.

soundguy

 

[lostru]

Should also inclued that my wife is wanting to make as much of it groomed grass as possible. She does photography.

 

[Bigfoot62]

I'd start with a 5' bush hog, 5' tiller, and a 5' box blade. Those three implements will do 90% of what you need around a small property. A set of forks for the loader is also invaluable. For the 1/4ac of groomed grass I'd just get a little lawn tractor.

:thumbsup:

Instead of buying a separate riding lawn mower, just get a finish mower for the groomed areas. Something like this:
Grooming Mowers | Land Pride

 

[flusher]

Should also inclued that my wife is wanting to make as much of it groomed grass as possible. She does photography.

So you want to end up with 1 acre veg garden and 9 acres of lawn.

Veg garden: middle buster plow ($150), 4-5 ft wide rototiller (used $500, new $1500)

Lawn: brush hog to handle the tall stuff (5-6 ft $1300), finish mower to handle the lawn ($1500-2000).

Prices are approximate

Good luck

 

[Soundguy]

yep.. if mowing more than 3/4ac as finish lawn.. forget a rider mower and get a finish mower. use a push mower fro the 1/10 ac strip right around the house.. etc..

 

[lostru]

Thanks all. Would a Flail do the job on the lawn and the future expansion?

 

[psdx]

I don't think you'd be happy with a flail mower for a finished lawn look. Get a good quality new/used finish mower. The key to a nice cut is mostly about the tip speed of the mower blades. 18,000 feet per minute will do nicely.

 

[Soundguy]

you can get a finish flail mower.. however.. i wouldn't want to use a finish flail on rough cut areas to tame it.

not to mention, flails eat a bit more hp per foot than a rotary mower... and cost a bit more. / slower cut when all things considered.. plus a bit more maintenance with all them knives to deal with.. some people love em'.. me personally.. I wouldn't own one unless it was given to me.. or I could get it for half the price of a cheap used rotary mower AND I needed one..

soundguy

 

[greg_g]

Should also inclued that my wife is wanting to make as much of it groomed grass as possible. She does photography.

Only having used a RC and a finish previously, I bought a flail at an auction a few years back. I rationalized that my $150 winning bid wouldn't represent a meaningful loss - if it didn't actually work out after I got it home. Overhaul expenses came to 'bout $350 (my labor). The results were so impressive that I quickly and without regret sold the finish mower. FWIW, I installed the T-type knives rather than individual finish knives, as the T-type are as good in brush as they are on grass (this flail is used to maintain 15 acres of former pasture).

So my recommendation - to the mower question - is put your money into a flail. Then just hire someone with a rotary cutter to do the initial rough cut. A flail will deal with the shredded rough cut leavings much better than will a finish mower.

//greg//

 

[leonz]

Thanks all. Would a Flail do the job on the lawn and the future expansion?

A flail mower will handle all and I mean all your mowing needs for the short term and long term.

To name just one brand John Deere makes a great line of finish flail mowers up to eight feet+ wide; My father used his seven foot finish flail mowr to reclaim 12 acres of overgrown pasture right down to the sod using a Ford Jubilee gas tractor with an oil bath air cleaner.

The John Deere finish flailmowers have or did have three rows of grass slicers on the flail mowers rotor assembly.

The flailmower will give your entire area a well groomed look after mowing and if you get behind in mowing chores you wil have the ability to shred the clipping and rooster tails back down to the sod and you will have very litttle residue to deal with as it will decompose quickly.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

If you ever have the call for mowing anything except nearly scalping turf, avoid flails like the plague. They do a pitiful job if you try to cut "long"..... They require much more power per ft in dense grass. They're useless in wet grass. And flails equipped to do rough cutting aren't worth the time of day as a finish mower (and vice versa) Not such a glowing report from a mower that will cost several times as much as a more durable, more versitile rotary cutter.

For the record, I own a commercial mowing business, which mows (literally) thousands of acres per season. I've used some of the most expensive, highest quality flails in the business. I had plans of marketing that portion of my business as "an advantage".....Gave up on that idea real quick once I found out the added cost, lower productivity, higher maintenance cost, MUCH higher initial cost, and in most cases mediocre performance would have made my business uncompetitive.

If you have endless hours of spare time on your hands, aren't interested in quality of your work, have plenty of money laying around with nothing else to do with it, plan on mowing on an intense schedule, and just LOVE spending your time S.L.O.W.L.Y. mowing what could be done better in less time with a good rotary cutter, by all means....buy a flail mower. BUT....If money IS an object....IF time is a valuable commodity.....and being able to buy one LESS EXPENSIVE mower that does the job seems like a more intelligent solution to your needs, buy a GOOD rotary mower.

Can (and WILL) furnish you with MUCH more (detailed) facts on ground speeds in various condition/hp required in various conditions/cost (flail vs rotary) of routine maintenence per operating hour upon request. There's a perfectly good reason why over 95% of commercial mowing is done with rotary mowers (vs flails)......When practicality and common sense are factored in on the decision, the choice is simple....

 

[Bigfoot62]

If you ever have the call for mowing anything except nearly scalping turf, avoid flails like the plague. They do a pitiful job if you try to cut "long"..... They require much more power per ft in dense grass. They're useless in wet grass. And flails equipped to do rough cutting aren't worth the time of day as a finish mower (and vice versa) Not such a glowing report from a mower that will cost several times as much as a more durable, more versitile rotary cutter.

For the record, I own a commercial mowing business, which mows (literally) thousands of acres per season. I've used some of the most expensive, highest quality flails in the business. I had plans of marketing that portion of my business as "an advantage".....Gave up on that idea real quick once I found out the added cost, lower productivity, higher maintenance cost, MUCH higher initial cost, and in most cases mediocre performance would have made my business uncompetitive.

If you have endless hours of spare time on your hands, aren't interested in quality of your work, have plenty of money laying around with nothing else to do with it, plan on mowing on an intense schedule, and just LOVE spending your time S.L.O.W.L.Y. mowing what could be done better in less time with a good rotary cutter, by all means....buy a flail mower. BUT....If money IS an object....IF time is a valuable commodity.....and being able to buy one LESS EXPENSIVE mower that does the job seems like a more intelligent solution to your needs, buy a GOOD rotary mower.

Can (and WILL) furnish you with MUCH more (detailed) facts on ground speeds in various condition/hp required in various conditions/cost (flail vs rotary) of routine maintenence per operating hour upon request. There's a perfectly good reason why over 95% of commercial mowing is done with rotary mowers (vs flails)......When practicality and common sense are factored in on the decision, the choice is simple....

+1 What he said.
A small local municipality bought a brand new tractor and flail mower, just to use in town. Used it less than one season and replaced it with a brush-hog for the tractor and a large Dixie Chopper. (zero-turn rotary mower)

 

[greg_g]

If you ever have the call for mowing anything except nearly scalping turf, avoid flails like the plague.

Give the guy a break. He's lookin' for something to maintain 10 light duty acres with. You probably put as much use/abuse on equipment in a single day, as the OP would casually maintaining private property in a whole year

//greg//

 

[Bdavis]

I'd start with a 5' bush hog, 5' tiller, and a 5' box blade. Those three implements will do 90% of what you need around a small property. A set of forks for the loader is also invaluable. For the 1/4ac of groomed grass I'd just get a little lawn tractor.

Ditto,
I have a similar situation 13 acres but about 5 acres clear and my overgrown is real overgrown. (some 6 inch saplings)

The only difference is I would be looking to add a used finishing mower very quickly. A used riding lawn mower and a used finishing mower are not that hard to find. ( I use my rider for trim work and ditches)As you get more cleared the finishing mower is going to be a real time saver. But do yourself a big favor and smooth out the rough stuff with the box blade before you start cruising around in 4th gear with the finishing mower. You will have holes and it will make for a much better ride.
Good luck

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Give the guy a break. He's lookin' for something to maintain 10 light duty acres with. You probably put as much use/abuse on equipment in a single day, as the OP would casually maintaining private property in a whole year

//greg//

"Give the guy a break"

EXACTLY what I was doing. Seems you are suggesting the occasional user would be better served by paying far more than needed to buy a piece of equipment that doesn't serve his needs as well, has limited use, uses more of his time to do the same task, ect.....

I'm about making practical, useful, intelligent choices based on facts and NOT about buying something that isn't as useful, comes with a MUCH higher initial cost, requires more maintenence and FURTHER cost as time goes by, and will take up more of his time. Obviously, none of those are considerations in your world.

With ALL the facts, let the OP make his own choice.

 

[lostru]

Well here is the final on what has ben decided on. Tiller: RTR 1260 Landpride. RCR 1860 Rotary Cutter Landpride. The other addition will possibly be a Box blade at the same time to level this property better. Ive decided to spend time preparing the property over the next few seasons before I invest in a high dollar finish mower that would not help reclaim the property. I have plenty of time just not enough money for equipment that doesn't work as needed or that I have not reached that phase in progress to properly utilize. Now I will try out a Flail that anyone has and believes in any time. After pricing them I could get a finnish mower and a brush hog with money still in my pocket for the price of a flail. I like all in one equipment but I'm going to stick with the tried and true designed for specific job equipment. Thank you for all the experience that you all lent to me. I'm sure I'll be back.

 

[Bigfoot62]

Well here is the final on what has ben decided on. Tiller: RTR 1260 Landpride. RCR 1860 Rotary Cutter Landpride. The other addition will possibly be a Box blade at the same time to level this property better. Ive decided to spend time preparing the property over the next few seasons before I invest in a high dollar finish mower that would not help reclaim the property. I have plenty of time just not enough money for equipment that doesn't work as needed or that I have not reached that phase in progress to properly utilize. Now I will try out a Flail that anyone has and believes in any time. After pricing them I could get a finnish mower and a brush hog with money still in my pocket for the price of a flail. I like all in one equipment but I'm going to stick with the tried and true designed for specific job equipment. Thank you for all the experience that you all lent to me. I'm sure I'll be back.

:thumbsup:

 

[Soundguy]

yep.. sounds like a great plan.

once it's all tamed, them a finish mower may be an option, if needed.

and a box blade is always a nice tool to have.

soundguy