Sickle Bar Brush Hog or Sickle Bar

[Z-Michigan]

Does anyone make a mid mount flail mower for thr 3030.

I've never seen a mid-mount flail mower for anything. The design of the flail mower has little knives being swung by a shaft that rotates perpendicular to the direction of travel but parallel to the ground - basically a sideways shaft. (Look on the implements section of the New Holland website for photos.) The flail mower housing is typically a nearly square box (rounded top edges) that's more than a foot high and wide. I guess it might be possible from an engineering perspective to make one fit under a typical tractor's 15" of ground clearance, but it would be really tight. They are a specialty item.

One item to note - rotary cutters can throw rocks and debris a long distance at high speed, although they usually have guards to prevent this. One reason people choose flail mowers is that they are much less likely to throw objects, but shred material at least as well if not better than a rotary. The sickle bar shouldn't throw objects at all, but as noted it's really more of a specialty mower for hay or straw than for routine maintenance.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Either of these will be about $700 or less. I'd expect a sickle bar to be almost twice that much or more.

The New Holland 451 I have now, I bought at auction 2 years ago. I paid $315. I spent less than $100 to get it into like new condition. You won't ALWAYS find 'em that cheap, but they're around.

Since they demand less power, mowing with a sickle bar will use significantly less fuel for clipping pastures.

It all depends on what I'm cutting. I still use my bush hogs a lot more than the sickle bar, but both have their advantages.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I've never seen a mid-mount flail mower for anything. The design of the flail mower has little knives being swung by a shaft that rotates perpendicular to the direction of travel but parallel to the ground - basically a sideways shaft. (Look on the implements section of the New Holland website for photos.) The flail mower housing is typically a nearly square box (rounded top edges) that's more than a foot high and wide. I guess it might be possible from an engineering perspective to make one fit under a typical tractor's 15" of ground clearance, but it would be really tight. They are a specialty item.

One item to note - rotary cutters can throw rocks and debris a long distance at high speed, although they usually have guards to prevent this. One reason people choose flail mowers is that they are much less likely to throw objects, but shred material at least as well if not better than a rotary. The sickle bar shouldn't throw objects at all, but as noted it's really more of a specialty mower for hay or straw than for routine maintenance.

There are several brands of "mid-mount" flail mowers that hang to the SIDE of the tractor. They almost require a dedicated "single purpose" tractor though.

I tried a Mott flail mower a few years back. In tall, stemmy grass, it tended to wrap around the cutter as opposed to cutting cleanly.

In the end, it's like so many other things. Nothing is a "do all" tool. They all have their distinct advantages and DISadvantages. But for the typical end user, a bush hog is probably the most versitile.

 

[jinman]

The New Holland 451 I have now, I bought at auction 2 years ago. I paid $315. I spent less than $100 to get it into like new condition. You won't ALWAYS find 'em that cheap, but they're around.

Well, of course I was speaking of a new price, and with a little searching I found I was way low in my estimating. CCM has a 7' for around $2300 and Northern Tool has one for around $3300. I can buy a lot of new rotary cutters for that price. I could probably buy a KK rotary cutter and a KK RFM for the price of a new sicklebar.

But as you say, there are always bargains to be had if you look long enough and are willing to invest a little sweat-equity. I think I'd have a smile on my face everytime I looked at my sicklebar cutter if I had found the bargain you have.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Well, of course I was speaking of a new price, and with a little searching I found I was way low in my estimating. CCM has a 7' for around $2300 and Northern Tool has one for around $3300. I can buy a lot of new rotary cutters for that price. I could probably buy a KK rotary cutter and a KK RFM for the price of a new sicklebar.

But as you say, there are always bargains to be had if you look long enough and are willing to invest a little sweat-equity. I think I'd have a smile on my face everytime I looked at my sicklebar cutter if I had found the bargain you have.

Keep in mind, with me, you're talking about the guy my son described as "so cheap, he wouldn't give a nickel to see a mosquito eat a bale of hay".

 

[Fredex]

As most have mentioned, both rotary & sickle have their uses. Wish I had both.
One thing not mentioned about sickle bar mowers: keep your dogs & cats penned up or in the house - the neighbor's too. Those things will cut off a leg far faster than you can get stopped.
Fred

 

[mjarrels]

Never knew a sickle bar owner who had 10 fingers if he used it for many years. Once had a cat named "lucky" who walked on three legs... Sickle bar mower are dangerious.

mark

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Never knew a sickle bar owner who had 10 fingers if he used it for many years. Once had a cat named "lucky" who walked on three legs... Sickle bar mower are dangerious.

mark

Let me introduce myself.........


I've OWNED sickle bar mowers of one brand or another for almost 40 years. I grew up using them. My first experience with cutting hay using a sickle bar goes back almost 50 years. In those years, I've cut literally THOUSANDS of acres without the first accident. I can still count to 10 without taking off my shoes. I don't know of one single incident of a sickle bar attacking an unsuspecting bystander. If someone cut off a finger, that's because the USER wasn't careful.

 

[53gravely]

saplings will break a sickle bar.....brushhogs break the #$%%^ out of saplings!

 

[Tom_H]

I agree completely with Farmwithjunk re. sicklebar's complexity, cost, and maintanence. If you want to harvest hay, it would be better than rotary. Also may cut under a fence better.

Rotary is cheaper, simpler, and shreds stuff up, but would not leave bailable hay of any quality.

The Woods RM990 is a hybrid between a brush hog and an RFM, but a B3030 may not power it as well as you'd like:

http://www.woodsequipment.com/turf_grounds/commercial/rearmounts/RM990_P990.asp