SCUT mower. Rotary cutter, mid-mount, or mid-mount mulching?

[GManBart]

Thanks for the great video. I appreciate it. That mower rocks!! I will definitely price and consider one.

Is a flail mower equally tolerant if you hit a rock, or would using one require a higher vigilance to keep the pasture as clear of rocks as possible?

I guess it depends on how big the rocks are, and how you set the cut height for the flail. I have mine set on the high side (slightly different from the video), so I can go right over the top of a rock the size of a baseball and probably not know it (other than the bump when the rear roller goes over it). Anything bigger than that would likely be a problem, but shouldn't do any damage other than hurt some blades. That's the nice thing about a flail....the rotor is turned by belts, and the blades are hinged, so with small objects, the blades just hinge out of the way, and for big objects, the belts can slip before it causes driveline damage.

Generally speaking, the first time you clear the field will be slow, you'll have to watch for rocks, etc, but after that it shouldn't be a factor. Sure, you can get rocks that show up from frost heaving, but they don't usually pop out of the ground right away (at least not around here)....you see part stick out, and that won't be enough to cause a problem for a flail, giving you time to get rid of the rock before it causes problems.

 

[GManBart]

Curious who makes a good flail mower for a 15 to 20 pto hp. tractor?

I've seen quite a few of the 48" models show 20hp as the minimum. Value leader even lists a 33" model with a 14hp requirement.

I ran a 5' rotary cutter behind an 8N that only had 22hp at the engine (early model) and it was no problem. Flails tend to require a bit less power than rotary cutters, so I can't imagine he'd have an issue with something in the 48" range.

This guy is running a 48" BEFCO with a Deere 2305 (18hp PTO) and it seems to do a nice job:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trOEYkbSWoY

 

[jenkinsph]

I've seen quite a few of the 48" models show 20hp as the minimum. Value leader even lists a 33" model with a 14hp requirement.

I ran a 5' rotary cutter behind an 8N that only had 22hp at the engine (early model) and it was no problem. Flails tend to require a bit less power than rotary cutters, so I can't imagine he'd have an issue with something in the 48" range.

This guy is running a 48" BEFCO with a Deere 2305 (18hp PTO) and it seems to do a nice job:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trOEYkbSWoY

Watched the vdeo, the mower performs well. If I put that Befco on my x749 it would maneuver so much better and take one third the time. He spent most of his time backing up.

I do so little mowing of taller grass and weeds that I sold my brush mower. I like the flail because it would be easier to transport and would take up less room on the landscape trailer.

 

[plowhog]

When I first looked at the video, I believed the mower was tackling 3-4 foot weeds. That's what it looks like based on the first camera angle, but once a new angle is used it changes.

After looking at it a few times, it seems that most of the mowing is re-mowing over areas already mowed. Not entirely, but a lot of it. Anyway, I don't think I would let the weeds get that high anyway?

 

[GManBart]

When I first looked at the video, I believed the mower was tackling 3-4 foot weeds. That's what it looks like based on the first camera angle, but once a new angle is used it changes.

After looking at it a few times, it seems that most of the mowing is re-mowing over areas already mowed. Not entirely, but a lot of it. Anyway, I don't think I would let the weeds get that high anyway?

It looks like he has a path cut between the 3-4' weeds and the stuff he was cutting was more like 12-18" give or take. I still think it would cut that tall stuff just fine, but would mean a low ground speed. I certainly would avoid letting the grass get that tall with that size machine just because the total time spent would probably be less if you cut it more frequently, but can have a much higher ground speed.

The same guy has another video where it's more obvious what he's cutting with that rig. It's also a great argument for why HST is so handy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmcgqnMjnYY

 

[plowhog]

That's one is much better- thanks for posting!

 

[GManBart]

That's one is much better- thanks for posting!

Sure thing

 

[DK35vince]

It's also a great argument for why HST is so handy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmcgqnMjnYY

Can't say I'm seeing anything I don't do just as fast and easy with my shuttle every time I mow.

 

[GManBart]

Can't say I'm seeing anything I don't do just as fast and easy with my shuttle every time I mow.

Haven't seen many power shuttles in tractors of the size we're discussing and a standard shuttle would be one heck of a lot of clutch action for what was being done in the video.