Rotary Cutter 60" or 72" Bush Hog for brush clearing with 40hp

[JerryG]

Ed,
I hope you don't mind me asking but why a flail? They are more expensive to purchase and are more expensive to maintain. Do you just like flails or is it because they are shorter or is there a reason that I don't see? Just curious. It just looks like a rotary cutter would be a much better choice. What am I missing?

 

[IslandTractor]

Ed,
I hope you don't mind me asking but why a flail? They are more expensive to purchase and are more expensive to maintain. Do you just like flails or is it because they are shorter or is there a reason that I don't see? Just curious. It just looks like a rotary cutter would be a much better choice. What am I missing?

There are several reasons for the flail. Cost was not a major barrier as the Caroni TM1900 can be purchased from AgriSupply and delivered for about the same or even less than a premium brand rotary cutter or finish mower. I think I paid just under $1600 delivered. It is not the sort of heavy duty (expensive) flail you'd see a highway crew using but rather something to be used on athletic fields or in populated areas etc. The reason for choosing it was primarily that a good part of the routine mowing that I do is in close proximity to houses and pedestrians including children. I've shot enough lumps of wood and rock out the back of my bush hog to have worries about that issue. I didn't want a finish mower as then I'd definitely need a full sized Bush Hog too and that would essentially double the cost, storage and to some extent equipment maintenance.

I got the TM1900 because it has hammers not knives and the area I mow has lots of rocks. I'm not interested in "lawn" mowing so a rough pasture cut will be fine. I also wanted to be able to cut lower than I had been able to cut with my Bush Hog without gouging/scalping. I could never get the Bush Hog to cut reliably below about 4 inches without damaging the turf when I turned. The land is just bumpy enough that every 5th or 6th turn the conditions were such that the front edge of the Bush Hog would start plowing the turf when I tried to cut any shorter.

Storage was also a consideration. I have an old barn which was big enough to store my smaller tractor plus bush hog attached but which would have been too small/short for the DK40 plus a 6ft bush hog. The flail is much shorter so will fit in the barn. Saves time taking it on and off etc.

I am aware that flail mowers require more maintenance than other mowers but I don't think (at least I hope) that will not be a big negative. The Caroni flails are built in Italy and while they are not heavy duty flails like some of the US companies sell, they seem to be quite reliable. Again, I chose the rough cut hammer model which has "only" 56 hammers rather than the finish model with almost double that number of knives partly to cut down on maintenance.

We'll see how it goes. I know that flails are not that common in the US or on TBN but there do seem to be an increasing number of folks who have bought them and report they are quite happy with the results.

 

[JerryG]

The reason for choosing it was primarily that a good part of the routine mowing that I do is in close proximity to houses and pedestrians including children.
That is a good enough reason. From reading about you property, it didn't seem like there was home close by.

 

[scott_vt]

In 1939 it was a pristine farm. In 1972 there were junk cars lining the fields and some areas had returned to brush. In 1992, the cars were gone (thank heavens) but the brush was worse. The brush today fully covers one 5 acre field so thickly that you cannot walk at all and cannot even see beyond the first bushes. My original estimate was that the land had not been mowed in 8-10 years but now it appears we are talking 15 years minimum.

Afternoon Ed,
One word of caution, maybe you have even thought about it allready yourself ! If there were junk cars in that field becareful when doing the preliminary mowing, you may have some old car rims, etc that type of debris !

 

[IslandTractor]

The reason for choosing it was primarily that a good part of the routine mowing that I do is in close proximity to houses and pedestrians including children.
That is a good enough reason. From reading about you property, it didn't seem like there was home close by.

I think you are referring to the conservation property that I am getting ready to clear and was the subject of this thread. That is the largest area that I will work in but is a mile away and is indeed remote and not in contact with homes etc. The rest of the land I mow is near my own home and is about 4-5 acres that is surrounded by homes and roads on three sides. Several paths go through the property and are used regularly by neighborhood kids going to the beach etc. I cannot control access and I mow on weekends just when pedestrian traffic is most likely so am just being conservative and choosing the least risky (and hopefully flexible) mowing device.

 

[Soundguy]

Hmm.. junk cars used to line the field? i think I'd go at it with my existing 4' mower and let it take the beating... when / if it dies.. then get something else.

Why buy a mower just for this one time use? Once you have it tamed.. keep it trimmed with the flail..

Soundguy

You have summed up my thinking and why I have been considering the 5ft bush hog despite knowing the tractor will easily "pull" a 6 footer. I really need the bush hog just for the initial brush clobbering. What I intended to do was to use a combination of grapple pushing, ripping, lifting and as necessary a bush hog backing into the mess to open it up. Once the land is sufficiently clear that I can drive forwards, I can use the flail (again the flail has hammers so should do fine once I can get the land to resemble a rough pasture). It just seemed logical to me that putting the power into a smaller cutter would be more effective when trying to cut heavy brush. But that thought is not necessarily based on experience.

It appears I have my work cut out for me. Toe to toe combat with Mother Nature. And she is well entrenched. I got some aerial photos today taken in 1939, 1972 and 1992 of the land that I'll be clearing/mowing. In 1939 it was a pristine farm. In 1972 there were junk cars lining the fields and some areas had returned to brush. In 1992, the cars were gone (thank heavens) but the brush was worse. The brush today fully covers one 5 acre field so thickly that you cannot walk at all and cannot even see beyond the first bushes. My original estimate was that the land had not been mowed in 8-10 years but now it appears we are talking 15 years minimum. The only good news is that it is all softwood/brush/vines/briar and it is flat.

Ideally I'd probably use a medium duty cutter like the 285 but the economics don't work for me and this is after all a one time 10+ acre task. I'd hope a light duty Bush Hog would survive that and based on my experience with the SQ480 I think it will. Kossetx's suggestion that I use the 480 I already own is interesting. If I didn't need to jump through hoops to get things delivered to the island I'd surely try that first but I may need to take advantage of the truck/trailer bringing my new equipment over to get everything delivered at once.

Thanks for the advice. I'd be particularly interested in hearing from those who have tackled this type of clearing before.

 

[IslandTractor]

Hmm.. junk cars used to line the field? i think I'd go at it with my existing 4' mower and let it take the beating... when / if it dies.. then get something else.

Why buy a mower just for this one time use? Once you have it tamed.. keep it trimmed with the flail..

Soundguy

That's the plan. I do have pretty good aerial photographic evidence that the junk cars were removed sometime between 1972 and 1992. Might be a stray hub cap or tire though so I will be careful in that corner of the property.

 

[jcotta]

Ed,

Have you considered slash and burn ? Almost all the land in New England was cleared this way. Cut paths with your 4 foot brush hog and then use your grapple to create piles for burning. We are allowed to burn from Nov 1 to April 30. I am in the process of clearing 4 acres and this will be my method. You will get great new growth after the burn and will be able keep it down with your flail. You will also uncover any nasty surprises hiding in the weeds.

John

 

[Soundguy]

Yep.. if junk was ever stored there.. i'd bet on finding at least a few pieces of scrap at inopertune moments.. etc..

soundguy

 

[IslandTractor]

Have you considered slash and burn ?

The plan is to pile bushes etc that are too big to mulch with the mower into burn piles. We have only a volunteer fire department on the island and a history of tragic fires dating back as far back as British raids during Revolutionary times that have caused lots of damage so the island community is a bit shy of burning. Nevertheless, the volunteer fire dept will supervise burns when climactic and water supply issues permit so I can dispose of slash that way.