Flail Mower Flail mower or rotary mower???

[EMcPhee]

Hello,

Need some advice. I want to purchase a mower but I'm not sure which way to go. I need to mow about 10 acres to knock the weeds down a few times a year. The land is not even and is also covered with rocks in some areas. What are the pros and cons of each mower, considering these conditions.

Thanks!

 

[sandman2234]

I would think that a flail mower blades would not stand up to the rocks, but I don't have any to try my flail mower out on.
I did have a bush hog that I mowed a lot regularly with that had buried concrete pieces all over it, and sent many of them flying. The bush hog took the abuse and kept on ticking.
David from jax

 

[Z-Michigan]

When you check prices I think you will find the decision is made for you in favor of a rotary cutter.

Flail mowers are less likely to throw objects and produce a somewhat finer cut. Rotary cutters are cheaper and will handle larger diameter brush/saplings. People generally choose flail if they need to mow near people. But many use rotary for this even though there may be a safety issue (in my area all highway mowing is done with rotary cutters).

 

[IslandTractor]

You need to be careful when looking at flail mowers to distinguish between heavy duty and medium or light duty models. The very heavy duty and expensive models are designed for roadside maintenance and often come with "hammer" rather than blades. There are medium duty models such as the Caroni's which are intended for use on terrain that is rougher than any finish mower could handle but that will deliver a much better cut than a bush hog. Check out AgriSupply as they are the main dealers. Several people on TBN have these Caroni flail mowers and are happy with them. They cost LESS than the equivalent sized "big three" brand finish mowers. 59 inch version is about $1500 so they are very good values.

 

[jbrumberg]

EMcPhee:

Welcome to TBN ! If your land is uneven and you have a lot of protruding rocks I would recommend a rotary cutter. RC's are also cheaper but the finish cut is not as "fine". A lot of TBN'ers report an improved RC "cut" by sharpening the RC's cutting blades (which I have not done). Jay

 

[PBinWA]

Flail Pros:

Even discharge of cuttings (no windrowing).
Shorter tail (easier to navigate around obstacles).
Lots of blade options (Especially for commerical versions).

Flail Cons:

Lots of blades to change. (Something like 32 on my 58")
Expensive
Not as rugged (unless you buy a commercial version).


I've owned both (currently have a Flail). If I was just mowing the occasional field with rocks and no obstacles then I would go with a Rotary cutter. You can get a good quality cut from a Rotary cutter if you don't let the field get too long. Rotary cutters are generally pretty tough and can take some serious abuse.

The Flail is great if you need to turn in tight areas and if you want a decent looking cut. I like how they lay all the clippings down flat so I don't get the rows of clippings.

 

[chrisjbell]

You mentioned that you wanted to cut your pasture just a few times a year. I find that flail mowers don't deal with really tall stuff as well as rotarys. As mentioned, the flail mower will deliver a better cut, but the rotary will work better at knocking big stuff down.

 

[EMcPhee]

Hey,

Thanks for the feedback provided.

Regards,

Eric

 

[Tom_H]

Use the search function to find this same discussion in many previous threads in the archives of this same forum.

For all the reasons above, and more, you should go with the rotary cutter (It's not a rotary mower) aka brush hog, rough cutter.