Hello KenB2920,
I guess I should finish out the story... So I continued searching for used flail mowers in my area and was pretty much ready to pull the trigger on a "used" JD25A that was only a year old and about 12 hours (round trip) away from me. Till low and behold I stumbled across a used Vrisimo C184 that was just under 5 hours (round trip) from my house. After doing a little more product research, price negotiating, and confirming a few details we worked out a deal and I am now the proud owner of a Vrisimo C184 flail mower. To date I have mowed my field twice with it and I must say "I LOVE IT". I am still playing with the settings and figuring out how to use it to get the best results but so far it performs great behind our mule.
As I was told and discovered for myself it performs great at a lower mower setting vs. higher. My initial mowing of my field (field that hadn't been mowed in 2+ years) was cut at the highest setting (approximately 8") and I thought it did ok. I wasn't jumping up and down for joy but did like the look better than a rotary mower and was able to cut through some saplings without skipping a beat. I waited about 2-3 weeks and decided to cut the field a second time at much lower mower setting (approximately 2") and this time I was ecstatic at the results. I was so happy that I then tackled a little bit rougher terrain next to our lagoon that hadn't mowed or burned in 3+ years. AMAZING... This thing can leave a beautiful finish on the field then go and tear up saplings/small brush like it's nothing. An added bonus that I haven稚 really seen mentioned much in the Flail threads is that I really like how the mower hugs the land and leaves a nice even cut without scalping sections. Our field is rolling and after mowing at the lower setting we had zero scalping and could really see how the land curves.
The Vrisimo C184 behind our mule seems to be a great match as neither side seems to be bogged down/slowed down by the other which was a huge fear for me with this purchase. I will admit that I ended up spending the max amount of my budget for the Vrisimo but all in all I am very happy with the results and believe I made a sound purchase. Plus the good news is that the wife is still allowing me to sleep in the house vs. the shop with the mower. ;-) I will try to take some before and after pictures and gather a few more actual stats during my next round of mowing which won稚 be till the end of June.
Thanks to everybody who provided comments and suggestions. Special thanks Leonz. He took the time to answer questions, respond to multiple e-mails, and provided great advice throughout the entire process. Cheers to Leonz!!!
Cheers,
Scott
Hello Scott,
I am blushing, but I want to welcome you as the newest member of the Flail Mower Nation.
As you have found out from personal experience we collectively love our flail mowers.
Now what you have found is that the mower follows the ground contour as much as possible
and the rear roller is also a lawn striper at no extra cost.
As you have found the higher the mower setting the rougher the cut BECAUSE there is a reduced
pressure gradient moving the air entering the flail mowers hood to create a vacuum referred to as
Hg. The flail mower hood acts like a pipe to conduct the air flow from the front to the rear of the
mower hood over the flail mower rotor.
As you have found the slower you mow the smaller the clippings AT ALL TIMES. you will be able to mow
over the clippings already sliced by the knives and cut them even finer which will let them decompose
even faster.
AS long as you use a bubble level to make sure the top link adjustment is level by assuring the gearbox
lid is level you will be able to mow in the float position at all times with zero issues.
Welcome to the Flail Mower Nation Scott.
:drink::thumbsup:
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