Trying to Choose Flail Mower for Kubota L3710

[Suburban Plowboy]

I live on a farm in northern Florida. I don't grow anything except squirrels and spiders. I have around 16 acres of leathery bahia grass and about 18 acres of live oak woods.

I have a 72" King Kutter bush hog. It works okay on brush, but it tends to push grass over without cutting it. Also, it's cumbersome, and it makes extremely annoying banging sounds when I'm not using it. I keep it on the tractor for ballast.

I am considering getting a flail mower. I just found out about them. I am hoping it will cut the grass better while still doing a good job on brush and little trees. It would be nice if it were tough enough to survive hits from rotten logs I can't see through the vines and junk.

I do not want to spend $5K or more on a top-notch machine. I am thinking of getting a Caroni or a Woodmaxx, and I wondered if I could get some advice here.

Both of these companies have mowers in the 6-foot range, and they also have smaller mowers. I only have around 37 HP to work with. I'm wondering if I'll regret getting a 72" Caroni or 78" Woodmaxx.The specs say my tractor will work with them, but I don't know if that means they work WELL or just marginally. Also, is a hydraulic side shift a worthwhile investment? It would be nice to be able to reach under things, but on the other hand, I see that hydraulic-shift mowers don't shift all that much!

My tractor has a front-end loader. I don't know how a hydraulic side shift would connect to the tractor, however. I don't see any provision for it. I assume I would have to get someone to install some stuff?

Another thing: I'm not sure what kind of blades to order. I don't need my pasture to look like a golf course. I do need to be able to rip up 1" live oak saplings.

Any help you can give me is appreciated.

 

[N2DFire]

Well until the experts wander in, I'll give my :2cents: worth.

Hydraulic side shift was intended to mow closer to an obstacle (like a fence or a building) without your tires or FEL getting into it. If you're really looking to reach out, look at ditch/bank or verge mowers - keep in mind that these style mowers take a bit more tractor per foot in size (weight not HP) to offset the mower being swung out away from the tractor. And they will be in a higher price bracket for similar cutting widths than a side shift.

Regardless of which type you'll need something to operate the hydraulics. The cheapest rout will be to get extension hoses made and to run from your loader valve to the rear of the tractor however you won;t be able to use the loader while the mower is connected. The next option is to have rear remotes (SCV's) installed. You have a few options there and price will increase with the number of remotes you add.

The rest I'm going to just leave for the experts.

Best of luck whatever you decide to do.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

Thanks for the help. Do you have any idea what sort of money would be involved in getting rear remotes?

 

[DieselBound]

Thanks for the help. Do you have any idea what sort of money would be involved in getting rear remotes?

Search using "power beyond" and "remote" and "Kubota L3710". Cost would depend on whether one DIYs it or pays someone, as well as how accommodating the machine is. If you can do without your bucket curl function while mowing then I believe that you can pop off those lines and connect up to those ports (route hoses back to your flail, with appropriate fittings of course).

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

I'm guessing it's not $75! I may have to look into it.

 

[ericm979]

Figure very roughly $1k for the kit (plus install if you have the dealer do it) and half that if you DIY. I think there's a Kubota accessory catalog on line somewhere.

 

[TractorNH]

Titan also makes "budget friendly" flail mowers though I was considering a WoodMaxx with the side shift when the time comes for me to buy.

https://www.palletforks.com/three-point-attachments/flail-mowers.html

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

Should I expect a 37-HP tractor to do well with a 78" Woodmaxx?

 

[RjCorazza]

I’ve been looking at various flail mower types also. My previous tractors did not have remotes, but I ordered my current L4060 with dual remotes and a 3rd function up front. If you plan on keeping your L3710 for the foreseeable future, you may want to spend the money on rear remotes (diy or otherwise). The 10 series Kubotas are great machines, and worth updating.
In my reading about flails in general, going larger than recommended will show its limitation in heavier brush and saplings. Most posts I’ve read the operator is still able to complete the work, just at a slower ground speed.
Anyway... that’s not first hand experience. For my L4060 I believe I can handle a 7’ flail in reasonable brush, likely a snails pace with heavy brush and saplings. What I will end up with is a ditch flail mower 5 or 5 1/2 feet to mow my stream bank.

 

[DieselBound]

Should I expect a 37-HP tractor to do well with a 78" Woodmaxx?

How are you intending to use this combo? Are you looking to cut lawn or heavy brush? What you're going to do with the combo will say whether this combo would be successful or not.