Rotary Cutter Flail vs Brush cutter... Who wins?

[7sam15]

OK, new problem. I’m trying to decide between purchasing a medium duty rotary brush cutter (like a Woods 600 or BrushHog SQ600) and a flail for clearing my property. Either would be pulled behind a Kubota 3830 HST. I have used rotary cutters frequently to clear brush and heavy undergrowth. I have never used a flail before. Last night my neighbor brought his REARS SPF 5 foot flail over for a demonstration. He has been trying to convince me to skip the brush cutter and move up to the flail. He argues that it is a much strong tool which is better suited to clearing and maintaining my land.

Now the difference in price between the brush cutter and flail is substantial so I was doubtful that it would be a wise investment.

After last night I’m almost convinced. The flail was really amazing pulled behind a JD970. What I liked best was its ability to actually turn the mulched debris into the surface dirt. It left a much cleaner result than the brush hog. It didn’t bog on 6 foot high Scotch Broom, dense blackberry or 2-3 thick Holly trees. Really impressive!

So am I being bamboozled here?

Is the flail an appropriate tool in the long term? Are there downsides to the flail over the brush cutter? Is there anything that makes the brush cutter better?

Have you ever heard of “Rears” as a brand name? What other flails would you recommend I investigate?

Thanks for your time. My dealer is going to laugh…..


7sam15

 

[jrlichina]

Yes they do cost more but you get what you pay for. Also, why do you think all those tractors used to cut grass along the highways use flail mowers...because they are better. If you can afford one and you feel it produces better(or rather your desired) results get it.

 

[7sam15]

I imagine its poor form to reply to your own post…. I just finished searching the archives for information on flails. I found many comments that “They don’t work well on grass and heavy brush.”

Wow.. That’s really different from my short experience last night. The flail I used cut everything it ran over to less than 1 inch high.

Why is my experience so different from the collective wisdom? I don’t want to buy the wrong thing and this discrepancy has me worried…


7sam15

 

[Gatorboy]

<font color="blue"> Also, why do you think all those tractors used to cut grass along the highways use flail mowers </font>

Actually, I think it is because they are less likely to throw objects. They can't be damaging cars all day.

--

The cut from a flail mower is very distinctive and different from rotary mowers. The blades are often Y-shaped (or sometimes, half a "Y"), thus the mown grass has a combed or ridged appearance. Some people like this effect; some do not.

You can cut alot shorter with a flail mower -- which is why they are used on golf courses, parks, etc. But normally, you would be cutting your grass 3+".

I believe you can mow alot faster with a rotary mower than you can with a flail mower.

I don't see the advantage of paying the extra money for a flail mower for my uses -- but everyone has different needs.

 

[shady1701]

I seen a article on jd and said you can mow up to 7mph with a flail mower and claim it does all what you say. Not sure what mph but 7mph seems like pretty fast for cutting heavy brush?

 

[40Kchicks]

I have been wondering the same thing.

I go down the highways and see the crews chewing up 4 foot grass and brush all the time. But I borrowed my neighbors 7' flail and I had to use a lot of power and go slow to keep it from winding up. I was just mowing thin 2' tall grass. I was really disappointed although the cut was really nice.

Anouther friend just bought a 6' or 7' rears flail for his hazel nut orchard. It was full of grass and weeds up to the tractor. Like your experience the flail just chopped it down to dirt.

So is the diffence that one is new and the others cutters need changed or different flails are made for different jobs. Anybody know?

Rears makes lots of equipment mostly for the orchard buissness. The paperwork I have for my rears sprayer says it was made in Eugene Oregon. Their stuff is pretty good and is priced accordingly from what I have seen.

Eric

 

[Bird]

In my part of the country, I'd never seen a flail mower being used until this week. There was a New Holland tractor with a flail mower mowing along the George Bush Turnpike a few days ago. Everything else I've seen was brush hogs being used in this area.

 

[mgrick]

Here's some results from using my Honda 5518 and Honda Brush Hog.Although I just bought a Kioti DK35 and a Woods BB60,I find myself going back to the Honda.It will mow grass and weeds from 8" to 3'+.Also chops up the brush pretty good.I havn't seen the results from a Flail cutter but I have been pleased with the resuts of my brush hog.


Rick

 

[mgrick]

Here's another picture.

 

[s1120]

I have also wounderd this. My dad had one on the back of his old Farmall and it seemed to work real well. I can't remember if he cut a lot of big stuff. Are they any good at the thick, woody stuff?

 

[7sam15]

Talk about a different opinion. I just called the two local tractor dealers I have been talking with and got totally different opinions of flails. The first dealer said that they are not intended for “heavy brush”. He thought they would cut blackberry, scotch broom and holly up to 1 inch but repeated use will damage the bearings requiring frequent replacement.

The other dealer said that “heavy brush and thick grass” is the intended use for the flail. He said that ODOT specifies the REARS SPF flail with heavy hammers for all roadside cutting. They apparently beat them to death without problems. He admitted they do have problems cutting thinner longer grass. The flail tended to matt the thinner grasses without cutting and occasionally wrapping the grass around the drum.

Both dealers agreed that maintenance was higher on the flail than the rotary.


Now I’m more confused then ever…

Isn’t implement shopping fun…

7sam15

 

[gerard]

Not really too confusing but there are pros and cons. Flails will weigh more than a brush hog, they will NOT cut as heavy material, I don"t beleive you can cut at 7 mph unless your happy leaving a lot of uncut grass behind. All municipalities I see use flails but also cut VERY slowly. (Of course they also use a 3 gang set up so they're cutting 15 foot at a swath). Main pr of a flail is safety and the ability to hit things in the grass (bottles, cans etc) without tossing them. A flail can also cut closer to the ground due to the roller set up being able to follow the ground contour. BUT flails cost more and I wouldn't want to sharpen one. Every set of knives is individually bolted to the rotating drum, has to be unbolted, sharpened and re attached. Rotary cutter you just have the two blades.

 

[Gatorboy]

Don't be confused...just get yourself a nice rotary cutter -- Rhino, Bush Hog, etc. -- stay away from the Woods.

I've posted this in the past, but my opinion on the Woods mowers comes from conversations with my dad. My dad's business mows 400-600 acres PER DAY down in Florida. He has tried most of the mowers out there. Several years ago Bush Hog gave him a mower to use for a season to get his feedback on what the company could do to improve their mowers.

I'm sorry if I offend the Woods believers, but of all of all the mowers he has used, Woods is by far the worst. He was constantly having to repair the darn things. Even the wheels would fall off for Pete's sake!

His company now ONLY mows with the Rhino 15' and 20' flex-wings (Heavy Duty)

I am sure that for the average Joe out there any mower would work fine. I am just giving my 2 cents to those that may want to know how some mowers stack up when fully exercised.

Oh, for those wondering -- the tractors he uses are John Deere 7210's, and he has been in this business for over 17 years.

 

[Henro]

Gatorboy,

Do you happen to know if your dad's experience was with the older model Woods, or the redesigned BrushBull model?

 

[Gatorboy]

It was with a 15-footer -- about 10 years ago. He was very disappointed with the quality of the unit.

 

[mgrick]

Gatorboy you aren't offending me.I've got a new Woods BB60 and I can't see anything about it that was worth the extra money I had to pay for it.I've used it about 2 hours so far and the blades look worse than on my Honda that I've used for 12 years.The design may look good and allow the water to run off but when I stand on the back the deck will buckle all around the trap door because there's no cross members there like on other mowers and I weigh 200 lbs.Not to mention the paint melting on the gear box.I have to wonder how many years I'll get out of this thing.

 

[JFarms]

As mentioned above, there are two types of flails. Flail mowers and flail mower/shredders. The mowers have curved or L-shaped blades. I've no experience with the mowers, but I have a mower/shredder. Each cutter is sharpened "hammer knife." It is safer than a rotary brush cutter. It does throw stones but not far, in only one direction --forward at ground level. Mine leaves a much nicer cut than a rotary mower. The cut can adjust from inches above down to ground level. I don't mow sapling with it, but I mow branches pruned from the orchard, and there's no sign of the branches after the flail eats them. This spring I mowed grass and weeds over 6 feet tall without problem. What it leaves behind is finely chopped mulch, laid out evenly on the ground. If I remember right, there are flail shredders / mowers designed to cut saplings up to 4 inches in diameter, but those require a much larger tractor to run. I've had mine over 3 years, and love it. Also agree they are more expensive. Other than lube and sharpening the blades, I've had no maintenance. Hope this helps.

 

[Slamfire]

If it throws the stones forward at ground level, does that mean you hit 'em again, and again, until you pick up the mower. How many times can you hit a rock with a hammer before one or the other breaks. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[JohnMiller3]

Flail vs Rotary Cutters

 

[JFarms]

Slamfire, I've never hit a thrown rock twice. I'm sure because throwing a rock is really rare, but it has happened. The rocks usually break when the hammer knives hit them, but I've never had a knife break. The knives swing on a bolt similar to an axle so if they hit a large enough rock, they bouce off it. Hitting rocks has also decreased as I've improved the land (or broken up all the rocks with the flail /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif). I used only one set of knives since buying the flail. Rocks dull the knives and I sharpened them this year for the first time.