Anybody running flail mower on BX 2380?

[BillP2]

Newbie here from the Pacific NW.

Have 5 acres, 3 wooded and 2 grass, either flat or gently sloping. Have cleared the small brush, and mainly fighting blackberries. Have a 2018 BX 2380 with a Land Pride 48" Rotary. Plan on planting 2 acres of fir and cedar trees for timber.

Thinking of getting a flail, if the 17.7 PTO HP would power one. Like the cleaner cut, and smaller profile hanging behind the tractor. Would keep the rotary for a season or two to make sure I could cut the spring grass and weeds with the flail.

Anybody successfully running a flail on the 2380? Which one?

Thanks in advance for your help and guidance.

 

[Henro]

I take it you do not have a mmm for your BX?

I deal with about 6 acres with my BX/mmm and find it satisfactory. 1.5 acres m/l is wooded and only cut two or three time per year. In times of need I use the 5 foot rotary with the B2910, but that is rarely needed anymore.

If I did not have a mmm on the BX, I would probably consider a flail mower like you are...

Bill

 

[BillP2]

You are correct, no MMM. Thanks.

 

[diesel85]

I run a Woodmaxx 62" flail mower on my BX2200. It's got more than enough power to chop through ~2 foot of thick grasses and bramble.

I've got the grass Y blades on it, because I also use it to occasionally mow my lawn (or remow it after my MMM does crapo job). It does a fantastic job.

I like that it can handle thick grass, but can also trim up my lawn. It's like having the accuracy of a finishing mower, but the power and durability of a brush mower.

If you are planning to cut anything heavier or something that has saplings, I recommend going a tad smaller like 48-54 inches to concentrate the power.

 

[BillP2]

Excellent D85, thanks for the positive response on a similarly-sized tractor to my BX 2380.

A 48" flail should get between most of the trees, so that is what I will pursue, and you confirmed the Y blades i was planning on.

 

[diesel85]

I did a video of my BX2200 with the flail a few years ago... don't mind the small talk (some people don't like chit chat in a video -- I don't care, everyone's entitled to their opinion!)... but here you go:

BX2200 with Woodmaxx FM62 Flail Mower - YouTube

Fast forward to ~4:10 to see it in action.

I'll shoot another video this summer with less chit chat and more of it running.

I hate doing videos, they are a pain in the you know what...

Enjoy! opcorn:

 

[BillP2]

No problem with the chit-chat. Thanks for the video.

 

[Begneaux]

Greetings

New here and a new owner of a small BX1880. I figured this thread would be a good place to start

Hoping someone can help me on deciding if a Flail Mower is a correct choice. My front yard is St. Augustine Landscaped which the MMM is working just fine. The back is... a project. I have been taking down some of the small Pines every weekend and base cutting the stump (a stump grinder is on my TO DO TO RENT list) so there are plenty of obstacles and plenty of other trees.
I need to do some light clearing but the back is a bit rough. The forestry mulcher and back hoe made some pretty gnarly ruts.. but I do not want the brush to come back with a vengeance. The small brush hog would be too difficult to maneuver around and I have read that the Flail can do light brush and saplings. Nothing bigger than the size of my pinky in width. Additionally we have been working on getting those vines pulled from the trees, so I am hoping the flail can eat those up. I have no qualms about taking it slow either. They Landsdown Moody dealer has a nifty little 40" flail that the 1880 can run, just want to confirm it can do the job. (tried to attach the picture, not sure if it worked.

*note this is North Waller County Texas and the soil is super sandy and soft; almost annoyingly so. There is also a good layer of mulched wood partially rotted; hoping that will be no issue for the flail.

 

[i7win7]

FLAIL MOWING (Kubota BX23S) - YouTube
TINY FLAIL MOWER FIELD TEST! WAY BETTER THAN A BRUSH HOG! - YouTube

Flail mowers can be setup with knives (grasses) or hammers (brush). Don't have one, use a rotary mower myself. Hope videos help.

 

[diesel85]

I can circle back another year owning my FM62 Woodmaxx on a BX2200, and it's a great machine. This year I mowed a neighbor's plot of about 3 acres with 1-2' high grasses and the machine handled it fine. I mowed it the same pace as I was mowing my lawn. Maybe bogged down 3-4 times, but some of the stuff I was going through was some weird twiny grass.

One thing to note about flail mowers is you need to keep them slightly raised, or the skids will line or divot the ground when turning. I was watching those videos, and those users were putting a lot of lateral stress on their machines as they turned.

As far as I'm aware, flail mowers are meant to go in a straight line, then you pick it up slightly while turning to avoid this.