Pasture Mowing

[catskinner]

Flail or Bush Hog for pasture grass mowing?

 

[flusher]

Flail or Bush Hog for pasture grass mowing?

My bush hog leaves 4" stubble. I expect a flail will cut down to 1" or less. I'm looking for a 6-ft flail now for my Mahindra 5525 (54 hp engine, 45 hp pto). Talked to my dealer today--apparently my 5525 can handle a 10-ft flail on my relatively flat hay field (rule of thumb is 4-5 hp per foot of flail).

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

I mow mine with a bush hog
I don't want to cut them too short unless I'm going to disk and replant something

 

[CCWKen]

My flail doesn't leave clumps of grass like the rotary--It mulches it and spreads it out evenly. I have both and they're two different tools. The flail gives a nice finish and good for most grasses up to about 24" high. The rotary will cut just about anything I can get the tractor over but it's a rough cut and leaves clumps of grass in it's wake. The flail doesn't cut well in reverse but if you're backing up to a fence corner and pulling forward, that's not a problem. The rotary works good for backing up under low trees and for cutting down thick shrubbery and brush. I couldn't do without either and both do work the other won't.

And you don't have to cut grass short. Both are adjustable.

 

[sweettractors]

If you have any rocks or gopher, crawdad or ant mounds, go with Brush Hog type Rotary cutter. Ken Sweet

 

[IslandTractor]

If I had my druthers I'd have one of each. If I could choose just one I'd take the rough cut flail. Easier to manuver and store (but the bush hog's ability to back under bushes is lost). The bush hog requires less maintenance. Flail needs to be greased each day and while a bush hog's blade will likely never be touched, flails need turning or replacing every few years. As others have noted the flail cuts much finer and mulches. No sharp sticks left behind if you do mow over a bush with a flail. One other advantage if you mow near a road, dwellings or people is that the flail virtually never throws anything out while the bush hog does eject high velocity projectiles on a regular basis.