Rotary or Flail?

[MarkV]

Riddler, this is just my take on the situation. The flail mowers that I see used most often are in 2 categories like Mark was saying. Park districts and some city crews use them where flying objects could be a problem; they are finish mowing or close to it for the most part. Panache said he used his because it was more forgiving with rocks. The other type I see is used by road crews and power line mowing crews and is usually on a boom for cutting back tree lines or ditches. This is far from a finish mower and would not do much of a job on a pasture. I believe they are popular with orchard growers also because with an off set model they can mow under trees and it gives them a tighter turning radius at the end of a tree line.

The two things I see in your post that have you interested in a flail mower are a single pass cut on your pastures and cutting ditches. A standard rotary mower will do fine on a single pass if you haven’t let the grass get to far past cutting time. Panache said he has to go as slow as possible when his grass gets to tall and is using a flail. I’d call that a toss up. Two passes with a rotary mower or one pass as slow as you can go with the flail. Either way is a lot of time for 8-10 acres. Personally I don’t think your T&T system is going to be of any help with the ditches on either mower. There just isn’t enough travel on the cylinder to tilt a mower any significant amount. Also if you have a 6’ mower that over hangs one side by a 1’ and you could get enough tilt, you have the remaining 5’ of the mower running full speed up in the air. I would not want to be as close as the tractor seat to that.

I don’t have anything against flail mowers except the cost both initially and in repairs. In public areas they are great because they don’t throw objects; I just don’t let people in areas I am cutting. You can get a more finish mower type cut with one; I use a finish mower on those areas or if rotary cut regularly it looks close enough. I would love to be able to cut my ditches with a boom mounted one but the price tag is more than my ditches are worth.

I would about bet you could buy a 6’ rotary mower and a sickle mower for the ditches at about the same cost as a flail mower. You would be able to cut heavier brush with a rotary mower and the sickle mower will work at greater angles for the ditches.

Just another approach to think about.

MarkV

 

[Panache]

You misunderstood what I meant. The bahia slowed me down was Tifton 9 well fertilized and 24" high and cut to less than 1". I was able to cut it in one pass but slow. I dare say no 6' finish mower would come close to that. I have tried with a 60" 455D but that required 3 passes. On just grown up fields 4' tall the flail did it in one pass. This is in Alabama and I only cut fields twice a year. A brush-hog will cut in one pass but leave windrows, skidmarks and only cut to about 3". For my applications I prefer the flail. I don't see the "higher maint costs" either. 9 years and 1 set of cutters replaced- ~$120. yes a flail has a higher initial cost new. Compare it to a new sickle. The flail is cheaper, that is why I got a flail.

 

[KiotiJohn]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I don't see the "higher maint costs" either. 9 years and 1 set of cutters replaced- ~$120. yes a flail has a higher initial cost new. Compare it to a new sickle. The flail is cheaper, that is why I got a flail. )</font>
Very informative. Thanks, John

 

[MarkV]

Panache, you are right I misunderstood what you were saying. I am also impressed you only had to change cutters one time in nine years. Others I have talked with were replacing cutters much more often. Like anything I guess it depends on the conditions the tool is being used in.

What are the power requirements for the flail compared to a similar size rotary mower?

Thanks for the clarification.

MarkV

 

[Panache]

MarkV, Granted they were pretty beatup when I changed them but I use it more as a rough cut mower than a finish mower so I was not concerned about a perfect cut.
I have never used a finish mower on a UT/CUT so I have no knowlege in that area. I will check my JD ref catalog for what CUTs can handle the 25A. I had it on a MF 230 which is only 30hp and it worked ok but I will see what JD recomends. At 40hp I have not had a hp shortage, just the belt slips if the grass is too thick.
I used Clean-cutter blades when I replaced them. about 1/2 the price from JD. They also make tines for tillers much stronger than the foreign steel used in so many.

 

[Glenn9643]

To respond to your question about T&T use with a rotary type cutter... The problem, as stated above, with tilting the cutter to cut the ditchbank is that part of the deck will be in the air. I don't like that. If my ditches are dry enough (rarely) I cut with one wheel in the ditch center and make two passe, one for each sides. OK in the pasture, but wouldn't do for the yard. If the ditches are wet, which they have been most of this year, I use the sicklebar.
The hydraulic top link is helpful in raising the back of the rotary cutter to back over an area to cut if need be and to keep the skid plates from dragging into the ditch banks if you have to turn getting in or out of the ditch.

 

[Riddler]

All good stuff here. Given my precise needs, I believe that a rotary plus a sickle cutter may allow me to do a few more things than just a flail, so I plan to research that option more fully. The work will not be performed in occupied areas, and there is currently nothing close to finish mowing to do, so it sounds like it will be difficult for me to realize the full value of a flail. Thanks for helping me focus my thinking on this.