Rear or Side discharge

[Xfaxman]

Here is the epic Flail Mower Thread: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/118882-lets-talk-flail-mowers.html

 

[Randy Gann]

Here is the epic Flail Mower Thread: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/118882-lets-talk-flail-mowers.html

Your profile shows that do not yet have a CUT or SCUT. So are you planning on buying a tractor to run a pto driven flail mower or rear finish mower or bush hog mower? All of these require a tractor with appropriate pto hp for the size of the mower. My thoughts are that tractor rear mounted pto driven mowers are better with rear discharge. Zero turn mowers and lawn tractors with mid mount mowers are better as side discharge. Even a mid mount mower for a CUT or SCUT is usually side discharge. Rear discharge commercial mowers are generally zero turns with a bagging and collection system like a Walker Mower or Toro Grooming mowers. These are designed for high quality lawn grooming. As someone already mentioned if you want a nice quality lawn - - keep the grass under control and mow weekly so you are not cutting more than 1/3 of the length at one cutting. For this the Zero turn with side discharge is most popular equipment. If you are not able to mow weekly and just want a mowed “field” look - - then you need a tractor with either a rear mount pto driven bush hog or flail mower.

 

[1Random1]

Your profile shows that do not yet have a CUT or SCUT. So are you planning on buying a tractor to run a pto driven flail mower or rear finish mower or bush hog mower? All of these require a tractor with appropriate pto hp for the size of the mower. My thoughts are that tractor rear mounted pto driven mowers are better with rear discharge. Zero turn mowers and lawn tractors with mid mount mowers are better as side discharge. Even a mid mount mower for a CUT or SCUT is usually side discharge. Rear discharge commercial mowers are generally zero turns with a bagging and collection system like a Walker Mower or Toro Grooming mowers. These are designed for high quality lawn grooming. As someone already mentioned if you want a nice quality lawn - - keep the grass under control and mow weekly so you are not cutting more than 1/3 of the length at one cutting. For this the Zero turn with side discharge is most popular equipment. If you are not able to mow weekly and just want a mowed 吐ield look - - then you need a tractor with either a rear mount pto driven bush hog or flail mower.

No I don't have anything, that is why I been trying to figure out which way to go.

I want something that will cut the field nice and short (flail definitely looks the goods for this) but I also want to roll down about 1 acre of beautiful buffalo grass around the house so that I got that really nice green lawn (not just farm type bush grass).

Wondered which mower can do it all if you will. When you are regular, and when you decide not to bother for a while... which one lends itself to both scenarios.

 

[Xfaxman]

A front mount flail mower would be at the top of the list: front mount flail mower - Image Search

Depending on your budget:

 

[Randy Gann]

No I don't have anything, that is why I been trying to figure out which way to go.

I want something that will cut the field nice and short (flail definitely looks the goods for this) but I also want to roll down about 1 acre of beautiful buffalo grass around the house so that I got that really nice green lawn (not just farm type bush grass).

Wondered which mower can do it all if you will. When you are regular, and when you decide not to bother for a while... which one lends itself to both scenarios.

One big question is your budget. To mow a field of any size the best choice is a CUT (compact utility tractor). A SCUT (sub compact utility tractor) will work but the lower ground clearance can be an issue. A rear mount bush hog pto driven rotary mower on either of these tractors will do a good job mowing the field and cost less than a flail mower. BUT this bush hog rotary mower is not great for giving you a nice looking lawn. The flail mower will cost more and would be able to mow both the field and do a decent job on your yard. The good news is that a tractor opens up your options and offers ability to do additional tasks. You already mentioned Kubota - - the B series are smaller CUTs that would be set up to mow both the field and the yard. The BX series are SCUT that are smaller and lighter and would work in a small field and would be more nimble in the yard. Once again - - it all depends upon your budget. If your budget is only enough for a "lawn mower" then just be careful that you don't overwork the machine trying to mow a field.

 

[crazyal]

Sounds like you could use a cheap or used zero turn for the house so you can mow once a week. Also a CUT to do the stuff that you just want cut but doesn't need to get done as often. The next best would be different attachments for a cut. A finish mower for the house and maybe a flail for the field.

My yard is too bumpy to go fast and too steep for a ZTR. I blow the clippings onto the next section to be cut but I do it when dry. As long as I don't wait for knee high grass before cutting (about once a week) I just make a pass going forward then back up and mow it a second time. I don't get the massive clumps of grass others get because the blades mulch it (which would also be a good option from around the house depending on your soil). Until this past fall I did the leaves the same way but now had a vac trailer. It works well with both leaves and grass cuttings but would fill up too quickly if you don't mow often enough.

 

[1Random1]

Thanks I will keep that in mind.

I tried a zero turn on my property... the grass is... how you say.... theres pa tches of dirt inbetween clumps of grass that grow. If you try to push a push mower through here... it gets jammed on the clumps of grass. Like... everything is green... (its not like big patches of dirt) I mean more like inbetween the grass blades you see the dry/flat stuff with grass clumps.

I dont know what it is, some people say its some african weed or something...

https://lawnsolutionsaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Wintergrass.jpg - I don't think it is this exactly, but if you think about this in about a 3-4 inch width... its like a dense clump of grass that if you pulled it hard enough by the blades you end up pulling this clump of roots out with the grass, its the stuff you need a spade/hoe to dig out because its really hard/tough. When you do manage to get it out, its like a ball of roots, all clumped together, thats why its hard like a bump.

https://cloudflare2.jove.com/CDNSource/teasers/53151.jpg - maybe more like this... and you can imagine a whole field (not this long- more like the first picture) but with that sort of root system.

Anyway the property 'field grass' is pretty much made up of this stuff, I used a Zero turn on it, and the handle bars are pushed not even half way forward. I tried to go faster but the mower (driving over these clumps) makes it bounce so much it literally throws me off the seat. The property is also on a hill, so everything is going downwards with those clumps bouncing the whole mower around.

I been to another place I used to live where my neighbour came and mowed our lawn, and he had this old red tractor. Big wheel on back, smaller wheel on front, was about 3-4 meters long. Had no cabin, seat was up high with the round wheel infront

https://c8.alamy.com/comp/M6E4C9/an...ious-works-on-an-agricultural-farm-M6E4C9.jpg - something like this.

He had a big square metal plate behind it (i think was a rotary) and he mowed the whole field with that.

That is really all I knew of for 'farm work' the whole Zero turn stuff was new to me. Even when i was a kid growing up I remember seeing full sized tractors (with the cabin) mowing parks.

Are all these sort of tractors slow though or can they be used to mow at a decent speed (like a zero turn in a straight line when it is flat)?

Only thinking a tractor because rather than buying a whole new mower for a different task, you only need to buy a new attachment for the one you already have (the tractor).

 

[Xfaxman]

Do you need a tractor for other jobs?

In my considerable experience an out front mower is the best setup for mowing.

And I sold my last tractor after I found something better.

 

[kwbretired]

I used a flail mower for years cutting pastures & open lots for other people. It performed very well cutting short or tall grass/ weeds. Keeping blades on the drum is a challenge sometimes depending on what you are cutting. When a blade is thrown off, you know it pretty quickly due to a strop of uncut grass & vibration. I had to replace the drum & bearings in mine due to it being so out of balance, that alone was a little over a $1000 20 years ago. Finally got rid of it, got tired of replacing blades.

 

[Xfaxman]

Check this thread and Flail Mower video: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...sshopper-928d-vs-post5685753.html#post5685753