PDe
Silver Member
/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif Curious to know what the difference is between a rotary cutter and flail mower, and which one should be called a brush hog? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Rotary Cutter Rotary Cutter or Flail Mower?
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Junkman
Super Member
A flail mower has a drum that has knives mounted onto the drum. As the drum spins, the knives are thrown out by centrifugal force and they cut the grass.
The rotary cutter has blades mounted horizontally on bearing shafts that are driven.... just think of it as a large rotary lawn mower. They are also refereed to as a brush hog.
Personally, never having used a brush hog, I can't say which will give you a better cut, but I will tell you that the Flail mower can give you the vibration ride of your life if it is off balance....
The rotary cutter has blades mounted horizontally on bearing shafts that are driven.... just think of it as a large rotary lawn mower. They are also refereed to as a brush hog.
Personally, never having used a brush hog, I can't say which will give you a better cut, but I will tell you that the Flail mower can give you the vibration ride of your life if it is off balance....
DavidJ
Gold Member
A rotary cutter would be called a brush hog. It looks like a very large lawn mower. A flail mower looks more like a tiller, it has a horizontal drum with many "hammers/blades" attached to it.
bebster
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Rotary Cutters are common as a "rough cut" mower. Not designed to give a finish mow look, but rather designed to operate as a powerful cutting blade intended to cut brush. My property is about 25% lawn and the rest is brush and saplings, etc. The rotary cutter is ideal for cutting it down, and then cutting it again at a lower setting so that eventually it turns into a pasture-like lawn.
bebster
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This thread has more info on your question.
Rotary vs Flail
Rotary vs Flail
Golfgar4
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I will second what Junkman said about the vibration. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
I've only mowed with a flail mower one time, and I was doing the work for a friend and was using his equipment. I've never been so shaken after mowing for about 2 hours. And along with the vibrations, it was the loudest implement I'd ever heard.
I figured something was wrong with the flail mower, so I mentioned it to my friend, and he said that was normal for that mower. It may be that it was just his mower, and other flails aren't like that. But I'm not sure I'd want to find out.
And I didn't think the quality of the cut was any better than most rotary cutters I've seen.
I've only mowed with a flail mower one time, and I was doing the work for a friend and was using his equipment. I've never been so shaken after mowing for about 2 hours. And along with the vibrations, it was the loudest implement I'd ever heard.
I figured something was wrong with the flail mower, so I mentioned it to my friend, and he said that was normal for that mower. It may be that it was just his mower, and other flails aren't like that. But I'm not sure I'd want to find out.
And I didn't think the quality of the cut was any better than most rotary cutters I've seen.
