Brush Hogs-Meanest & Nastiest

Anonymous Poster · Aug 13, 2001

JonLeonard,
So a flail mower rotates around a horizontal axis sorta like the old reel mower dad made me push as a kid? Can they handle tough brush like a rotory mower?

PitbullMidwest

JonLeonard · Aug 13, 2001

It seems to be made very similarly to a rototiller, but the blades swing freely like the ones on a bush hog, they are shaped like an L. I have seen them pulverize some relatively large things like 6' tall sapplings (I know, thats nothing compared to what some bush hogs will do!). The use the highway department puts to them is semi-finish mowing, so they would logically seem to be somewhere between a finish mower and brush hog in terms of capabilities.

This thread has gotten me to wondering if it might be a good substitute for the mid-mount mower and bush hog combo that most people buy.

We need to find someone who has actually used one to comment on its abilities.

Hillbilly · Aug 13, 2001

I have seen a lot of brush hogs and side mount brush hogs for the banks here in West Virginia,they mow the road I live on once a year whether it needs it or not.A lot of blacktop was put on the roads last year during the election campaign.

Bird · Aug 13, 2001

Hillbilly, our county has a tractor with a heavy duty brush hog on a hydraulic boom on the right side, and a big heavy weight box on the left side. They not only mow a few steep banks, but raise that thing up and "prune" trees along the road. And they can prune them pretty high up, too.

Bird

Anonymous Poster · Aug 13, 2001

...big heavy weight box on the left side...

That's the hydraulic tank to run that massive hydraulic motor on the cutter... {~~15-25 gpm} /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

MReeter · Aug 13, 2001

John,As you know, we just bought a Rhino Turf Flex Mower.I researched this type mower for the past year,comparing every other make I could find.I decided on the Rhino because of the reasons that your post displays.This equipment is BUILT,I mean "that dog will hunt".A few years ago I was in my stand Bow Hunting,when I heard the damned noise coming down a set of Railroad tracks I was set up next to.The ground was shaking and the closer this "thing" got,the louder it became.I became soo nervous that I scaled down my tree to see just what this "thing" was.Turned out it was a Rail Machine that had a Massive brush cutter on both sides of it,reaching out and clearing the Right of Way.This cutter was chewing up trees that were close to 6"-8" and spitting them out like toothpicks.I have not seen anything that would compare to these cutters until now.

Bird · Aug 13, 2001

Hadn't really thought about that, John. I've never stopped to look at that thing when it parked, and don't want to be anywhere in the vicinity when it's running, but I guess that's a possibility; just looks like a monstrous square steel box. I'll be it'd hold a hundred gallons./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Bird

Mike_Dumond · Aug 14, 2001

I had the ocassion to use a flail mower a few years back. Actually used it for two years. Belonged to my brother, and I was storing/using it. It was a five foot, (I think woods, not sure), and I was runing it on my B6100D. Took a few seconds to run up to speed, then away I went.

Didn't matter if I was mowing the back yard, or going through the brush. It did a magnificent job. The grass was cut as clean and neet as my Husqvarna ever did. And the brush was cut and chipped in one pass. Also used it in the garden, just before tilling. I'd make a pass, pulverizing whatever plants and stalks were there, then I'd till them in.

Don't know why he sold it without giving me a chance to buy it first, but I still haven't forgiven him.

ljh2 · Aug 14, 2001

The hydro-axe looks like
this. They used to use them to clear HEAVILY overgrown highway frontage in northern MN where I grew up.

-larry

Edited by ljh2 on 08/14/01 02:53 PM (server time).

Hillbilly · Aug 14, 2001

I know, they really cut some big stuff,it really makes a racket,I do not know how it holds together,they are really rough on the equipment,I guess that is ok when someone else is paying for it!