Finish Mower vs Flail Mower

[CincyFlyer]

There are flails, and there are flails. You can get very lightweight (nearly sheet metal blades) flails for finish mowing, or heavy hammer flails (nearly a kilogram each, cast or forged!) that will mulch 75 mm saplings! (I'm just feeling metric today; two pounds and 3" for everyone in the USA.) So a flail mower can be a finish mower, or it can be, essentially, a bush-hog-type machine. Some dealers sell "in-between" machines. I need a hammer flail for a season or two, then I'll need a finish flail, so I'll likely end up with neither (have finish rotary plus a lawn tractor now).

 

[Buxus]

I agree with Leonz (surprise!?), a flail can cut lawn grass quite well. It will not reach the golf-course manicured appearance, but with sharp knives and regular cutting it is more than good enough for most lawns.

That said, I have always kept a separate dedicated lawnmower, not for cut quality but to avoid driving a 5000lb+ tractor setup (with R4 and now R1 tires) across lawn areas. If you have a much lighter tractor with turf tires this is not an issue. I would consider turf tires a must for cutting nice lawn areas.



This has also been my experience with flails. I leave them low because that's what I want, but if you actually want a 4.5" cut height then the conventional finish mower is probably a better choice.

I hope to get a flail soon. I am curious about the results if one cuts it to 4.5 inches as opposed to 3.5 inches. What is difference in appearance and why? Is this the "waffle" look I've heard of but can't picture?

 

[Z-Michigan]

I hope to get a flail soon. I am curious about the results if one cuts it to 4.5 inches as opposed to 3.5 inches. What is difference in appearance and why? Is this the "waffle" look I've heard of but can't picture?

OK, I've only used my Woodmaxx at the lowest cut height setting, where it came from the factory. However, I had a Caroni flail for 5 years and used that at a couple different heights, and on both mowers I also sometimes mow with the mower held in the air on the 3pt because the grass is simply too thick to mow on the ground. What I find is this:

1) Mowing at the lowest height produces the best cut quality. You do get a "waffle" or stripe effect because the Y-shaped knife sets don't mow at exactly the same height across the mower width. I don't find this objectionable, but it doesn't look like a putting green.

2) Mowing with the flail held in the air, maybe 6-8 inches above ground, produces a relatively poor and erratic cut quality - no surprise there. The only use for this is when your roller-adjusted height produces bogging.

3) I'm trying to remember because it's been 3+ years (probably 5-6!) since I used the Caroni at a higher roller-set height, but from memory that works OK but produces a less even, less manicured quality than setting at a low height. Still better than a rotary cutter (brush hog) but not terrific.

Someone who wants a great looking 5" cut height needs a finishing mower. The flail can produce a rough cut at 5" or a rather fine cut at 2". In my experience.

 

[Buxus]

OK, I've only used my Woodmaxx at the lowest cut height setting, where it came from the factory. However, I had a Caroni flail for 5 years and used that at a couple different heights, and on both mowers I also sometimes mow with the mower held in the air on the 3pt because the grass is simply too thick to mow on the ground. What I find is this:

1) Mowing at the lowest height produces the best cut quality. You do get a "waffle" or stripe effect because the Y-shaped knife sets don't mow at exactly the same height across the mower width. I don't find this objectionable, but it doesn't look like a putting green.

2) Mowing with the flail held in the air, maybe 6-8 inches above ground, produces a relatively poor and erratic cut quality - no surprise there. The only use for this is when your roller-adjusted height produces bogging.

3) I'm trying to remember because it's been 3+ years (probably 5-6!) since I used the Caroni at a higher roller-set height, but from memory that works OK but produces a less even, less manicured quality than setting at a low height. Still better than a rotary cutter (brush hog) but not terrific.

Someone who wants a great looking 5" cut height needs a finishing mower. The flail can produce a rough cut at 5" or a rather fine cut at 2". In my experience.

Thanks for the detailed answer. Now I finally understand the Waffle Syndrome . I still plan on getting one, maybe next year if budget allows.

 

[Z-Michigan]

Flail mowers are great, and as long as mine lasts or there is an affordable option, I will not go back to a rotary cutter.

So far I'm very happy with the Woodmaxx, but based on comments here I expect a lot more real-world experience to be available by next year, so you can decide if it's the best option or if you might want a Caroni or a more expensive brand.

 

[hawkeye08]

If cutting grasses and keeping them mowed, a finish mower would be fine, otherwise a flail mower is the ticket. I should have taken my own advice. I had never heard of flail mower until a year or two after I had my finish mower. I like my finish mower, but have beat it up mowing other than grass. It is more than it was designed for (my opinion, feel free to differ).

This year, with the wet spring, I could not get into much of the pasture to mow it until much of it was thick and 6' tall, weeds buried in amongst the grass. Would have been nice to have a nice cut with one pass (going slow in heavy areas) and not have to go over several times with finish mower to get it all cut.