Flail Mower Rotary or Flail?

[Mark4510]

I have some uneven land where I would like to knock down the grass and small saplings that come up in spring.

I have been looking at a rotary mower but recently found a bunch of older implements in a pasture. Included in that, was an older 72 “ JD flail mower. The owner has moved off his property and into town and seems willing to sell his tractor/implements.

So I have two questions:
1. what are the opinions and experiences out there? Rotary or Flail as my best solution for my needs?
2. Assuming it is in good workable condition, what would be a fair price? What would I check to make sure it’s in good shape? Other than some sun exposure and surface rust it looks pretty good.

Thanks in advance….
Mark

 

[HomeBrew2]

You might try doing a search on this site to see if you can get any info you need. There are folks that use flails and have had good info in the past. I have a rotary and am looking for a used flail.

Rotaries:
Seem to be cheaper, maybe much cheaper and are quite easy to find to buy.
Use massive, high speed blades to break/cut brush/grass which can create pretty violent reactions when hitting rocks, stumps, etc and have a habit of throwing debris quite a ways.
Medium and heavy duty models can cut pretty thick saplings (2"+) and most models can accomodate fairly tall vegitation.
When adjusted properly, they can give a finish mower type of cut on grass/weeds.

Flails:
Seem to be much less common around this part of the country and are pricey.
Light duty models use a bunch of knives arranged like a rototiller (except that they are loose on their mounts rather than figid) to break/cut vegitation. Heavy duty models have "hammers" instead of knives for heavier material.
My understanding is that flails aren't quite capable of cutting heavy tall brush that a similar duty rotary can.
There is very little debris throwing which, I believe is why they are used by grounds keepers, etc. where public traffic is present.
Some have complained about the roughness/raggedness of the cut.
They are supposed to be superior for rocks at the ground suface.

Check the Agri Supply website for prices on flails and knives.
Used flails seem to go for $400-600 around here if you can find one. And for that price, I'd assume to have to replace the knives.

Hope that helps a little.

Cheers!

 

[Mark4510]

Thanks Steve and good input.

We dont have a lot of exposed rocks but we do have uneven ground. I will check the Agri site and see what is out there.

I may end up looking at a rotary mower if I cant get this for a good price.

By the way....took a quick run to Reno for a horse show over 80. This is my favorite time of year for Tahoe.

Regards,
Mark

 

[jd4115]

Mark, Been using a Deere 25A Flail and love it. We recovered an overgrown pasture of 20 acres -- brush-hoged it for the first year to get rid of 10-15' saplings and untold other junk.

This year I used the flail and it's giving amazing results. I don't know which model you're considering rebuilding but the 25A cuts 6-1/2 feet and is offset about 2 feet -- really handy for mowing along the side of a road.

The mower weights about 700 lbs and rides on a 6" diameter steel roller. You adjust the roller to get the desired cutting height. The roller does a great job of smoothing the ground -- after just three mowings, the field was much smoother.

And, as HomeBrew mentioned, it cuts the stuff up into pieces 4 to 6 inches long no matter how tall it was. So the stuff falls down in between the grass and you don't see it. Makes the field look very good.

The 25A came with the 'smooth cut' blades - there's 36 of them and they cost about 2.50 each to replace.

The roller rides up over obstacles and I don't hit as much stuff with the flail as I did with the brush hog.