Flail Mower Flail mowers

[Bigfinn]

There was some interest in flail mowers mentioned in a previous thread, and I thought I would share my experiences with y'all since I just spent the weekend using mine for the first time. First of all, I wanted a flail mower because of it's compact design (does'nt extend out any further from my tractor than the box scraper does)and because it does not launch projectiles like a rotary can. This last point became even more important to me this weekend, as I found out my dog likes to walk along side the tractor as I cut. Anyway I found 5' flail mowers expensive, and used 5' flail mowers almost non-existent. Finally found a "slightly used"--according to the dealer /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif Ford 918L. This model rotates the knives in the opposite direction the tractor tires turn, for a mulching effect. It will cut brush up to pencil size in dia., anything bigger and it just beats it up some. I cut some waist high swamp grass and it worked well for that as well as the various grasses and weeds in my abandoned fields which had not been cut since the 1960's. I had the mower adjusted to it's highest setting since I was cutting such tall grass, but I don't think it would make a good finish cut. Just some thoughts...

 

[Hawgee]

Sounds like it worked for you. Do you know what kind of tooth is mounted in the mower? Have looked at the flail lately and did not know there were choices in teeth. Did you have any problem of the longer grasses wrapping up and around the shaft like I've had with the tillers in tall grass?

"What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered."
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

 

[W5FL]

Thanks for the nice user run down. I always thought I would like to have a flail mower for the same reason - that it was close to the tractor. I couldn't find many other things that I couldn't do with a rotary cutter so stuck with the rotary cutter. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[MarkV]

I am kind of new to mowing fields. Can anyone tell me the difference between a rotary and flail mower? I have an idea but would rather sound dumb here than at the dealer. Thanks.

 

[Bigfinn]

Hawgee, the knives I have on my mower are "L" shaped, with two mounted back to back to create a "T". I am not aware of any other options as far as knives go. I did not have any grass wrap around the rotor, however before I adjusted the roller down to allow for a higher cut there was a lot of mulch build up that would get stuck between the roller and the rubber flap. But again, once I adjusted to the highest setting that problem went away.

MarkV, I guess the easiest way to describe a flail mower is to imagine a rototiller attatchment that does not have tines, but small (2-4 inch)long L-shaped blades mounted on the rotor instead. The blades are able to pivot and are replaceable. I noticed the local municipalities use them for cutting in parks, around sidewalks, etc. Hope this helps.

 

[RickM]

Bigfinn,
My old boss uses a flail mower. I was impressed with the cut. It always equaled a finish mower in neatness. If the blades aren't sharp it will not cut well. He buys his blades from Flailmaster. They have a catalog and webpage here: http://www.flailmaster.com/. It also helps if your tractor can manage to carry the 3pt. at the same height when passing over uneven ground. (not easy with a compact, big wheels make a big diff. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif ).

 

[Bigfinn]

Thanks for the web address, Rick. I wanted to check the condition of the knives after I was done cutting just to see what kind of damage I did after hitting many rocks and logs hidden in the tall grass. But I left the mower at my farm, and forgot to look at the knives before I left. Since this is the first year of cutting, I figured I might have to replace the knives once I "learned" where all the rocks were./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif It is hard at times to keep the mower on the ground when the roller runs over a high spot(or rock), but I imagine a smooth ballfield or park could be cut nicely.

 

[W5FL]

A rotary mower is normally used for cutting rough areas. It is like your standard rotary mower you use to cut grass, but scaled up to 5 or 6 feet and driven from the tractor PTO. It does a pretty good job where you are mowing large areas and it does not have to be cut as short as a golf course or tiff bermuda lawn. A finish mower is also made up of several rotary mowers driven by belts. They work well for finish mowing, but will not cut high grass as well as the so called brush hog rotary mowers.

Don't know much about flail mowers (other than the write ups above). They cost MUCH more than a rotary mower and are easily damaged in rough areas and rocky areas. They do not cut brush well.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Bigfinn, would you like to update us on your success or lack thereof with your flail mower now that the summer is mostly over?

 

[Bigfinn]

omg, sorry not to have replied sooner, been to darned busy to even go on line! After one summer of cutting grass the flail mower has held up well. I broke the drive belt once when I lowered the mower onto a 12" dia. stump. Since the mower was not on the ground at the time the roller didnot stop the mower or make it ride up over the stump--I must have lowered the mower at precisely the right (wrong?) time. Nothing else was damaged. A couple of things to keep in mind: The mower does not cut when backing up. It seems the the roller pushes the grass flat and the knives can't touch it, and it will not cut grass unless the mower is on the ground. Thats how I broke the belt--I was trying to cut some waist high grass and I had the mower about two feet off the ground, was ineffective and so I lowered it--onto the stump. I checked the knives the other day and they are dull, about as sharp as dull butter knives. This weekend is the last cutting of the season,so I probably will wait untill the winter untill sharpening, but I can definetly tell by the cut that they are dull. Also, last weekend I cut some grass by my father's house, and after watching me he observed that the mower seemed to do a much better job on thick grass, because thin, light grass would bend over from the turbulence of the mower and again, the knives would not touch it. I do have the mower set to it's highest setting, so perhaps some of the above senarios would be different if the knives were closer to the ground. Would I buy a flail again? Yes, I still like the safety aspect of a flail compared to a rotary mower. Also, I am cutting grass between rows of Christmas trees and on walking trails, so a manicured cut is not nessecary, and once I "find" all the rocks knive life should be longer! Hope this helps. Have a good Labor Day weekend.