Contract Flailing

[clemsonfor]

Perhaps if you only think my comments are drivel you should avoid reading them???

Looking at the number of flail mowers used in Europe and required to be used in European mowing regulations I hardly think I am behind, and I can only hope we improve.


I am only ASHAMED when I annually read of the numerous accidents caused by rotary cutters and their aftermath; the recent accident in Kentucky involving a rotary cutter being used by a local highway department which killed a woman still gives me the chills.

SOOO, jsut cause europe makes there folks use flails FWJ should and put himself at a competitive disadvantage??

This makes no sense, read his points and take them for what there worth. No one is arguning that flails dont have a place. I wont even aregue that they are more safe than roteries but he cant run competivly like that, unless everyone uses them.

Europe also has government healthcare and many countries in far worse shape than us. Many cant defend themselves without us and in greece hair dressers retire at the government mandated 51 or so and get their check from the gov. Oh they also have 32 hour work weeks and get like 6 weeks of vacation a year form many of the governments. Yes that has nothing to do with flails my point is just cause europe does it dose not mean we have to follow.

 

[clemsonfor]

My sister got hit in the side of the head by a rock the size of a baseball by a road side rotary mowing crew while driving down the road. The years drag by, the speech therepy continues, the disability checks are really never enough.

I think that one really good lawsuit would send everyone scurrying for flail mowers. I have no love of lawyers, but using dangerous equipment such as a rotary mower around humans does not seem fair to the humans. Hurting someone with such an obviously dangerous piece of equipment should bring the wrath of a serious lawsuit down on your head.

But hey as long those of you using rotary mowers around roads and people are making lots of money what the :thumbsup:.


Did I mention that my sister got hit in the side of the head by a rock the size of a baseball by a road side rotary mowing crew while driving down the road. The years drag by, the speech therepy continues, the disability checks are really never enough.

I hope she sued and got every penny and more that she was deserved from that guys liability insurance, thats why they must carry liability insurance when bidding on these jobs. Im not trying to dawngrade her tragedy but i really hope she was compensated as it was not her fault.

 

[clemsonfor]

Again no fist fights here or my big *** 6'5" 250pound steve will get involved and whip some ***. Kidding!!!! I contract mow for home acreage owners. They like and nice cut with no tracks. I plan to get more contracts but all will likley be the same. My customers have money and want a clean cut. Im not mowing highways my customers want a nice finish cut of their 2, 3 or 4 foot high hay. I mow all of them 6 to 8 times a year. I have had comments about the cut and i will say simply say that they are not happy and want more. I dont get rich from my jobs at all. most say Im way cheap but Im still building my rep. I recently bought a new tractor. 40 couple hp (2x4 no cab no nothing) and using a very old and beat up bushhog. My jobs are just grass some brush and small limbs. One job has a bunch of stumps (I'm broke down now because I bent a pto shaft and bent the front of the bushhog on a **** stump ,I didnt see). Does this help the discussion? I have to do something (make a purchase)in the next week so please post your opinions!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks Guys, Steve

REMEMBER , TIME is MONEY. bushhog is cheaper to begin with allowing you to eather be cheaper or have a larger profit margin. If your mowing 3-6 foot hay you may want to consider a disk hay mower and a bailer and just cut and bail it as well and remove the hay for sale!!!

 

[Farmwithjunk]

So....I had plans of sitting down with my son and 2 grand sons to watch todays NASCAR race at Loudon NH. Scratch THAT plan. Gotta go meet with State Police at an accident site. One of my tractors was just hit by a car that ran off the highway.....Tractor was parked, un-manned, and over 300' off the roadway. It's been sitting there since thursday afternoon. Damage to the tractor is supposedly minimal, car was destroyed. Driver is in fair condition. Tractor is a 3 year old Deere 6430 w/Bush Hog 2715L bat wing attached. Would it have been hit had it had a flail mower attached?

4th one hit in 3 seasons.....

 

[Rockgod]

So....I had plans of sitting down with my son and 2 grand sons to watch todays NASCAR race at Loudon NH. Scratch THAT plan. Gotta go meet with State Police at an accident site. One of my tractors was just hit by a car that ran off the highway.....Tractor was parked, un-manned, and over 300' off the roadway. It's been sitting there since thursday afternoon. Damage to the tractor is supposedly minimal, car was destroyed. Driver is in fair condition. Tractor is a 3 year old Deere 6430 w/Bush Hog 2715L bat wing attached. Would it have been hit had it had a flail mower attached?

4th one hit in 3 seasons.....

Wow, 300' off the road. How is that even possible?

I hope all is well with everything. Keep us posted!

 

[leonz]

Wow, 300' off the road. How is that even possible?

I hope all is well with everything. Keep us posted!

Flail mower or not the driver probably fell asleep at the wheel of the car unfortunately; which hass a very high occurance for automoblie accidents by the statistical averages of miles traveled with weather and medical issues being second and third.

We had a young woman fall asleep behind the wheel of her car with child in the rear of the car in a safety seat. The young woman slid in the ditch, jumped the second culvert, skidded across the front yard, destroyed our raised flagstone planter along with the light in the middle of the planter, then she skidded across the rest of front yard and the asphault driveway barely misssing our utility pole and destroying our hedge; If she had clipped the utility pole they would have been killed by the both the impact and the electrical fire would have killed them and destroyed our home and attached garage.

Fortunately for that young woman and her child Fate was not looking for them that day 11 years ago.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Wow, 300' off the road. How is that even possible?

I hope all is well with everything. Keep us posted!

Back home....A drunk driver (imagine that...) fell asleep at the wheel, missed a bridge abutment by inches, ran over a small tree, then hit the right rear wheel of the tractor. Police estimate he was still doing close to 50mph on impact. "Minimal damage" to the tractor is a wasted tire, bent rim, and a bent rear axle. When I tried to move it, oil started pouring out of the axle seal. It's a cab tractor, so cab will have to be pulled, axle and housing will have to be replaced, not to mention tire and wheel.

Police said he travelled a 360' once he left the roadway.

Accidents happen, but I'm having a hard time considering this an accident.

More like stupid happens.

 

[boatyard]

I was not suggesting that rotary mowers be banned. I just do not understand using a dangerous piece of equipment in a place,[ the roadside], where a stone thrown by the mower has a good chance of hitting someone and really hurting them.
I own a rotary mower. I would never consider using it around people. Period. If I was so foolish and I hurt someone I would expect to get my pants sued off of me.

I work in a wood shop. We run dangerous machines. I would never rip lumber with the table saw with people standing in the path of the blade.

Rotary mowing on a busy road/ around people seems, well I don't know, maybe foolish, maybe selfish? Just does not feel right.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I was not suggesting that rotary mowers be banned. I just do not understand using a dangerous piece of equipment in a place,[ the roadside], where a stone thrown by the mower has a good chance of hitting someone and really hurting them.
I own a rotary mower. I would never consider using it around people. Period. If I was so foolish and I hurt someone I would expect to get my pants sued off of me.

I work in a wood shop. We run dangerous machines. I would never rip lumber with the table saw with people standing in the path of the blade.

Rotary mowing on a busy road/ around people seems, well I don't know, maybe foolish, maybe selfish? Just does not feel right.

I see your avatar photo shows you in a sail boat. 20 years ago, I lost 2 of my best friends in a boating accident off the coast of Florida. In the same vein as your assessment of rotary mowers, is sailing "foolish"? Selfish? No, I'd call that an emotional over reaction....

As far as your comment "good chance"....You have a much better chance of being struck by lightning than of being hit by a flying object from a ROW mower....More than 25 times more likely according to my insurance underwriter.

Oh, and about that insurance....Insurance companies do quite a bit of research on what is dangerous and what isn't. ROW mowing doesn't appear in the top 50 highest risk business' according to my insurance agent.

We carry 5 mil in coverage. As a sub-contractor of state/county, we're protected somewhat by tort claim limits. (Gotta let a lawyer explain that....Not my bailywick...)

 

[killdozerd11]

1. Seems to me that a single, more massive blade as is found on a typical rotary mower has ththe the potential to impart more energy into an object and therefore throw it harder and farther. I think we all get that. But the propensity to throw things is not based only on the blade type, is it? I mean could rotary mowers have a safer design? Chains? Swinging plates? Heck, could a rotary be designed with a full width rear roller, like a flail, instead of a guage wheel? Would it help if it was?

2. I forget my second line of thought....

When i bought my tractor and the bush hog with it the guy also had a flail mower he told me at the time that the flail was a loser in comparison to the bush hog

But also told me that after he got done one day running the bush hog he went up to his house and noticed the drivers window was broken in his brand new pick up the bus hog threw a rock

So he called the tractor dealership and had the guy in stall those chain curtains on the front and rear of the bush hog to help stop that from happening again

And since i have had it i always keep it as low to the ground as possible when mowing so far so good

And if i am mowing on unknown ground i put my loader bucket just about 4 inches off the ground that way i hit it with my bucket first and not the mower and of course you can't do that all the time in real heavy brush but i do it when i can but that's me with my tractor

And that ain't like skinning a road with a D9 or bigger cat that wouldn't care if i hit anything smaller than a house

As far as throwing things is concerned i had a guy standing and watching me ripping some rocks and a shard popped off and hit him just under the right eye cut his face open and broke his cheek bone
Never had that happen before but accidents happen