Hi Maine Hills
I have read your posts in this thread a number of times, and I think they are by far the best ones in the 2-wheel tractor forum, when it comes to comparing different mower types
I have no experience with a brush mower, so I can’t comment on that one. Concerning the sickle bar mower and the flail mower, I fully agree with all your comments - they fit perfectly with my experience as well, and they should be a great help to anyone considering to purchase some type of mower.
There is one subject though, that I would like to add to your comments, which I think is important to consider before choosing a mower, and that is what you want to do with the clippings. This question might seem obvious to the experienced user, but might be overlooked by someone with little or no mowing experience, and might therefore lead to the purchase of the wrong type of mower
In principle, there are two options when mowing: either you leave the clippings on the job to decompose, or you remove them.
If you want to leave the clippings to decompose, mowers like the flail and probably the brush mower are the obvious choice. If you want to collect the clippings, mowers like the sickle bar, the drum mower - and of course, the lawn mower are the better choice, depending on the job in question.
Sickle bar and drum/disc mowers all cut the material at the base, allowing it to be easily collected either by hand or by machine. In principle, it is of course possible to leave the material to rot, but that is usually not desirable. The brush mower - and especially the flail mower - both chop the cut material into smaller pieces, thereby allowing it to decompose better. On the other hand, it is difficult/impossible to gather the material for removal.
Best regards
Jens