Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[Steave]

I have two flail mowers. One is 6', one is 5' and both have the Y shaped knives.

I have a field I would normally mow with a brush mower and leave 8" high for cattle to graze. It's grass with a few weeds and about 2' tall in places.

Would a flail do what I want done? If so, how would I set it up?

When the weeds and other grass gets above my clover patches I just raise mine up with the 3pt hitch and go. I know its not the proper way to cut with a flail but it still clips the weeds at the height I want. With the weight hanging on the rear it does make for a little more bumpy ride.

 

[audsp98]

I have a 78H and like it a lot. With the exception of the roller scraper which they have redesigned its been top notch all the way. I'm using the duck foot knives and don't have any regrets on the purchase. With about 40HP at the PTO the tractor handles it fine even in tall thick weed growth.

How does it handle saplings and brush?

 

[D2Cat]

When the weeds and other grass gets above my clover patches I just raise mine up with the 3pt hitch and go. I know its not the proper way to cut with a flail but it still clips the weeds at the height I want. With the weight hanging on the rear it does make for a little more bumpy ride.

That's the answer I was looking for. I'm using a Deutz 6206, so it has a nice adjustable seat to keep the ride tolerable. I'm not looking for pretty.

I'm going to make some metal brackets with a hole (and a notch for a chain) so I can pin the top link and another one at the 3 pt pin with equal chain. Then I can mow the entire field with be the same height, not concerned with hydraulic drifting.

 

[sidecarist]

How does it handle saplings and brush?

It isn't as efficient with saplings as a bush hog. It will take down 1.5" easily, but sometimes will just strip the branches. To really take care of something that size I back over it to push it down then pull forward slowly and it gets thoroughly mulched. It might do 2" but I haven't tried it.

Brush like berry brambles is no problem at all, probably easier on the machine than heavy clover/grass

 

[IslandTractor]

It isn't as efficient with saplings as a bush hog. It will take down 1.5" easily, but sometimes will just strip the branches. To really take care of something that size I back over it to push it down then pull forward slowly and it gets thoroughly mulched. It might do 2" but I haven't tried it.

Brush like berry brambles is no problem at all, probably easier on the machine than heavy clover/grass

Agree however the bush hog will turn a 1.5"- 2" sapling into a whole bunch of small 1-5"-2" chunks of wood. A flail will take longer but will turn the saplings into unrecognizable mulch.

 

[Steave]

That's the answer I was looking for. I'm using a Deutz 6206, so it has a nice adjustable seat to keep the ride tolerable. I'm not looking for pretty.

I'm going to make some metal brackets with a hole (and a notch for a chain) so I can pin the top link and another one at the 3 pt pin with equal chain. Then I can mow the entire field with be the same height, not concerned with hydraulic drifting.

Yep, I use a piece of chain bolted to each lift arm and drooped over the hanger (on the tractor end) for the top hitch. That holds it in place and I can still raise it higher if I need to then when I let it back down the chain stops it in the same place. My tractor has position control but the hydraulics has the hiccups sometimes so this keeps it level. I also use them for traveling if I'm going a good distance.

 

[Fallon]

Yep, I use a piece of chain bolted to each lift arm and drooped over the hanger (on the tractor end) for the top hitch. That holds it in place and I can still raise it higher if I need to then when I let it back down the chain stops it in the same place. My tractor has position control but the hydraulics has the hiccups sometimes so this keeps it level. I also use them for traveling if I'm going a good distance.

My 3pt has always been solid for height control. So no need for check chains. But I set the hydraulic toplink to float, which is similar to replacing it with chain. It lets the mower pivot on the lift arms more on uneven terrain. A little more likely to scalp, but also less likely to come off the ground when the mule goes down a hill before the mower.

 

[Steave]

My 3pt has always been solid for height control. So no need for check chains. But I set the hydraulic toplink to float, which is similar to replacing it with chain. It lets the mower pivot on the lift arms more on uneven terrain. A little more likely to scalp, but also less likely to come off the ground when the mule goes down a hill before the mower.

I might have not been clear in the way I use the chain. It's hard for me to explain things in writing. The chain is used to hold the lift arms in a fixed position. I chain them to the upper rear of the tractor to hold them up without depending on the hydraulics. I still hook up the flail as normal with the top hitch.

Wish I had the hydraulic toplink and would use it as you do. My flails all have just the single hole for the top link and don't pivot on the lift arms. Of course the lift arms float "up" and keeps from bending something. I have used the chain for a top link once but like you said it allowed the knives to hit the ground a few times over some humps so I went back with the top link.

 

[docsfarm]

Agree however the bush hog will turn a 1.5"- 2" sapling into a whole bunch of small 1-5"-2" chunks of wood. A flail will take longer but will turn the saplings into unrecognizable mulch.

I agree with the above. The flail really mulches it down!

 

[RoyJackson]

Finally got some pictures of the Caroni flail mower in use...





The maximum offset works best for me, so that's probably where I'll leave it.
The field grass was anywhere from a foot to about 4 feet high, thick in some areas, thin in others. The field hadn't been mowed in 5 or 6 weeks, and we've had a lot of rain during that time.
If I can keep it mowed biweekly, I reckon it'll look pretty good in about a month or so.
The pictures don't show it well, but there's a lot of bamboo growth just off the field. I made a couple passes to see how the mower would handle that...seems to do OK. Clearing that bamboo will be slow going since most is as tall or taller then the tractor (including the cab) and I know it's pretty rutty under the bamboo.

So far, I really like the flail mower. I don't know if the Caroni is a more robust implement than the Woodmaxx, but the Caroni was available...the Woodmaxx flails won't be available for another month.