Flail Mower Need advice on right cutting attachment

[Farmingthefarm]

Hi All,

I'm in Australia looking for advice on what you guys think would be the best cutting attachment to initially clear, then keep this scrub cut down to reduce the fire hazard.

I've chatted to a few dealerships, they have all said different things about slashers, mulchers, and brush hogs. The ground is very flat, little to no rocks, and some branches from the gum trees around it.

It's 8AC but limited to Bobcat 26HP, I don't mind taking a little longer to mow it down, especially if it's kept nice and low.

I'm totally at a loss on the right choice.

 

[ptsg]

A slasher will do it easily. Get one properly sized for the tractor.

 

[RjCorazza]

That looks pretty light, so practically any type of cutting implement would get the job done. After having used a flail mower for the last 2 years, I would definitely recommend the same for your application.

 

[hayden]

A slasher will do it easily. Get one properly sized for the tractor.

Is a slasher the same thing as a brush hog or field mower or rotary mower? I just haven't heard that term used before.

I would also recommend the above. They will deal with fallen branches better than a flail mower, but also not leave as finished a cut. If you want a more finished cut, then a flail mower could be better. They just strike me as a lot more more moving parts and maintenance vs a rotary mower, so I'd only get one if a clean, finished cut was really important.

 

[ptsg]

Is a slasher the same thing as a brush hog or field mower or rotary mower? I just haven't heard that term used before.

I would also recommend the above. They will deal with fallen branches better than a flail mower, but also not leave as finished a cut. If you want a more finished cut, then a flail mower could be better. They just strike me as a lot more more moving parts and maintenance vs a rotary mower, so I'd only get one if a clean, finished cut was really important.

Yes. It's an Aussie term for brush cutter I believe.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Yeah, I used what in my part of the USA is called a "Brush Hog" but most manufacturers here call a "rotary cutter" ... This is my 4' (44" cut) behind my 25 HP SCUT ... Three years ago ...

Small 1" - 1.5" cedars and multi-flora roses had to go ... And I had go very slow, and to back up and "hit them again!" (It's rated at "up to" 1"!)

The stuff on the right was cut once by me after purchasing it ... On the left is probably more than 10+ years of neglect ...

I traded the 4' for a 5' (56" cut) which does a pretty good job, but heavy stuff I gotta go slow ...

All done in that corner after 1st cutting!

If you want it to look more like this ... I'd suggest at least three cuttings a year!

Now I mow it with a finish mower ... Looked like this last week! (Standing in the same corner as the picture two above here "all finished in that corner" looking back from where the Bush Hog brand, brush hog is!)

ETA - A rotary cutter will leave a trail, or windrow of cut "grass", that a flail won't ... A rotary cutter is much longer than a flail ... A rotary cutter is easier to sharpen the blades ... A rotary cutter is less money, and tends to take rough treatment/terrain better ...

 

[leonz]

Hi All,

I'm in Australia looking for advice on what you guys think would be the best cutting attachment to initially clear, then keep this scrub cut down to reduce the fire hazard.

I've chatted to a few dealerships, they have all said different things about slashers, mulchers, and brush hogs. The ground is very flat, little to no rocks, and some branches from the gum trees around it.

It's 8AC but limited to Bobcat 26HP, I don't mind taking a little longer to mow it down, especially if it's kept nice and low.

I'm totally at a loss on the right choice.


View attachment 4213733

Good evening farmingthefarm,

In order to deal with that bush land you need flail shredder.

With 3.24 Hectares to deal with and with your bobcats horsepower
you will be limited to a 48 inch/122 centimeters /1.22 meters width
of cut to mow and not overload the tractor.

To manage this you need a flail shredder with a 4 row flail mower
rotor with side slicer knives to create a fine clipping that will dissolve
into the soil quickly and reduce the fire risk by reducing the fuel load
to just the bush sod after a few mowings.

I want to help you with this so you have a forever flail mower that you will
be able to use for a very long time and have bush land that will be easy to
manage with mowing and reduce the fire risk to a minimal amount.

Please take the time to tell us what brands of flail mowers the tractor dealers
in your state are selling so I can help you pick the right one.

When it is convenient for you I would like you to visit youtube and type in
"tractor time with tim" and look for his flail mower videos to see him mowing
using a John Deere sub compact tractor with a flail mower. He is not mowing
bush land but you will see the quality of cut that it will provide you.


Leon

 

[airbiscuit]

Cut brush 8' tall with a 15hp Shibaura and a 4 foot rough cut mower/rotary cutter.

 

[ssgp2]

A rotary cutter / brush hog will do just fine. If you keep it mowed regularly it will look great. I use a 6' Bush Hog (BH26) and a Titan/Ironcraft 1506. Both will leave a very nice finish for a field if it isn't more than a couple of feet high depending on the speed you travel. The Titan/Ironcraft will cut a little shorter (lower) without gouging the ground, but the Bush Hog will handle the very thick and tall stuff better. Personally I don't think the finished cut a flail leaves justifies the price and maintenance.

 

[paulsharvey]

That looks like a mix of very wirey grasses and fibrous palms. A flail mower may not work that well. A 4 or 5 ft bushhog/rotary cutter/topper/slasher will work.