Flail Mower Rotary or flail mower ?

[Mugeye]

Don’t know which would be best for me . I’ll be cutting mostly brush . 1/4 inch and up , the bigger the more I’ll like it . Have a 73hp tractor . Don’t care if it’s perfectly cut . I while clean overgrown fields , trails and under brush . 7’ wide would be ideal . What’s your thoughts ?

 

[Z-Michigan]

Will you be mowing close to people or buildings? If not, and with brush as your material, a RC would work fine and probably cost less. For a flail your best bet would be hammers (not scoop knives, which are sometimes mis-advertised as hammers) for durability and mulching of brush. A quality brush cutting flail with true hammers is probably going to run US$5000+. There are several good lower cost flails for grass and pasture mowing, but not setup for heavy brush cutting.

I love flail mowers for grass and mixed weeds, and safety, but for brush in areas without stuff to damage, RCs have their place.

If you go RC you'll want either a 6' or a dual spindle 8' (two x 4' in one housing), because the 7' models are uncommon and huge. If you go flail you can find something within a few inches of 7'.

 

[leonz]

Dont expect to mow overgrown trails unless you plan on operating at 2 miles per hour or less to obtain
fine shredded brush as you will be burning up V belts.

Once you get it down to 2 inches in height and you look at how well it was mowed you will want to
keep it there and it will take less time to do.

Your budget and your wallet will be your overall decision maker.

There are many good American made flail mowers in that size that will work for you.
Iowa Farm Equipment sells many good brands of flail mowers both made in America and
the Italian brands and they stock parts.

As you are at the beginning of your search you need to make a decision tree and then
make a upside down decision tree to verify your previous decision.

If money is no problem the Vrisimo flail mowers made in California are top of the line
flail mowers.

Until you spend time looking and narrowing down your choices its a long process if you want a
flail mower will outlive your current mule and also be able to be used on your next mule if you invest
in a larger horsepower frame size.

 

[Utopia Texas]

Look up the thread "Let's Talk Flail Mowers".
There are over 4,900 posts in that thread.
Hopefully you will be finished reading all the comments before Christmas!

 

[powerscol]

I have used both and prefer my flail hands down. Does a better job for me.
Just my 02

 

[Fallon]

I'm likely replacing my ancient beatup 7' flail with a heavy 7' flail. Its goit to run me $6-7k. I could get a heavy rotary for half that, but i believe in the safety factor on flails. The cut quality is definately better.

Dont look for a 7' rotary. Go with a single spindle 6' or a double spindle 8'. Thelength on a 7' is crazy long, making for weight & manuverability issues. A dual spindle 8' is the same length as a 6'

 

[lpigott]

For what you describe a rotary is hands down the best. This forum is full of flail fan boys that do not live in reality. Unless you are working in a neighbor hood near glass building and people mark them off you list. Don't discount a 7' rotary either if you want that size and have the tractor to run one. They are longer and the weight is noticeable but on 70 HP and up they work good many have the highest tip speed and cut of any RCs. The only reason not to go with an 8' twin instead would be if that would be too wide. Bang for the buck, look at 6' HD units. You can cover a lot of ground and do some serious heavy cutting with a 6' RC on a 73 HP tractor.

 

[lpigott]

D.

Your budget and your wallet will be your overall decision maker.

Best point this guy has made with clearly says you need a rotary cutter.

 

[LD1]

For what you describe a rotary is hands down the best. This forum is full of flail fan boys that do not live in reality. Unless you are working in a neighbor hood near glass building and people mark them off you list. Don't discount a 7' rotary either if you want that size and have the tractor to run one. They are longer and the weight is noticeable but on 70 HP and up they work good many have the highest tip speed and cut of any RCs. The only reason not to go with an 8' twin instead would be if that would be too wide. Bang for the buck, look at 6' HD units. You can cover a lot of ground and do some serious heavy cutting with a 6' RC on a 73 HP tractor.

I cannot add much to this.

 

[shaeff]

I've got both, use both.

The RC for heavy clearing wins hands down in my book. If you're not near a populated area or buildings, the RC is going to make quick work for you.

The flail will give a better cut, at the expense of going much slower. If I had to choose, I'd go with the RC.

 

[Mugeye]

Now for you guys that are talking about a 6’ . Does it matter if the cutter is not as wide as the tractor?

 

[Z-Michigan]

Now for you guys that are talking about a 6’ . Does it matter if the cutter is not as wide as the tractor?

It's not ideal but it can work OK. The old Deere RC manual even suggested adjusting rear track to be wider than the mower width. (Back in the days when rear track was readily adjustable!)

Obviously you will be driving over what you're mowing, and a strip of it driving over it twice. That tends to mash down vegetation and it doesn't get cut, then a day later it pops back up and your mowing job is a mess. But it can be done.

 

[leonz]

lpigot is mistaken,

A flail mower of any manufacture is shorter and the steel construction method used to assemble them is stronger as the flail mower shroud is fully welded to the side weldments and they have tubular steel welded to the side weldments to prevent wracking and twisting of the flail mower and the rear roller also aids in maintaining the flail mowers strength in its construction.

You cannot find heavy steel construction in a rotary cutter unless you purchase a rotary crop shredder in a wider width that will typically have folding sections to allow the user to travel on the road with them.


You can purchase an integrally mounted three point hitch mounted flail mower with hydraulic side shift that employs a differential hydraulic cylinder that will allow you to mow close to obstructions and fence lines by allowing the mower to be shifted to the left or right beyond the right or left rear tire depending on the desired model.

You can also purchase a flail mower with an integrally mounted three point hitch that has a the ability to shift much further to the right and also lower the the flail mower to mow ditch banks while staying on the shoulder of the road.
This type of flail mower will also allow the user to retract the flail mower to the vertical position and also swing to the right and also elevate it with the three point hitch on the tractor to allow the user to trim hedges and also trim trees back to allow for easier mowing in general.

You have time to look at what is available and decide what you want in a flail mower;

1. a standard flail mower mounted on the three point hitch in the tractors center line.
a. a flail mower than can be manually adjusted to the left or right by unbolting the
three point hitch attachment frame and sliding the flail mower to the left or right and reattaching
the mounting bolts to allow the flail mower to mow to the left or right of center behind the
left or right rear wheel of the tractor to be used
b. a flail mower that can be used to mow ditch banks utilizing a secondary frame that allows the flail mower to move
further left or right to mow ditch banks using the second hydraulic cylinder the ability to be lowered to 45 degrees or
more to mow ditch banks.
This type of flail mower will also have the ability to be raised to mow up to 90 degrees from the level position to to trim
grape vines, berry bushes and also to reclaim tree lines to allow easier mowing.
2. a side shift flail mower mounted integrally with the three point hitch that can be shifted left or right
with the differential cylinder.

The side shifting ditch bank flail mower will allow the user to have the most versatile mowing attachment to mow everything using a heavy heat treated cast in one piece steel scoop knife.

I would much rather you spent time on the phone with the folks at Iowa Farm Equipment and ask about the side shifting ditch bank flail mowers as your conditions apparently would dictate investing in one of those flail mowers for your mules frame and power size as you will have plenty of power to operate a wider flail mower that will also reclaim tree lines to allow the area by the trees to be mowed more effectively without having to deal with tree branches hitting you or the tractor by cutting the tree line back at up to a twelve foot height depending on the size of the ditch bank/verge flail mower you purchase.
Depending on the manufacturer the ditch bank flail mowers may be quipped with heat treated side slicer knives or cast scoop knives are fewer in number and require less work to change and sharpen with a wet well grinder as needed by the end user.


Its your money you are investing in an integrally mounted implement that will outlast your current mule and can be mounted on its replacement with no issues.

I only want you to succeed not fail, that is the only reason I explain in intricate detail what is involved with flail mowers for the individual to examine the these machines and their construction and the major benefits of using them in close quarters.

 

[lpigott]

leonz, what is your profession? Seems like I read you were in accounting? Are the tractors listed all you own?

Me, I have extensive mechanical training and, as I type this, am sitting on a one billion dollar steel island in the Atlantic ocean off the coast of Africa that I cam in total charge of. There is over a 100,000 HP machines spinning 24/7 just outside that cost many millions. I live in the country and have all my live. I have many 1000s of hours experience running rotary cutters of various types, sizes and brands. I have one of the largest Kubota dealers in the country near me and asked them recently why they sold so many types and brands and sizes of rotaries and no flail mowers. He looked at me like I was nuts and said because they can't compete and they are in the business of making money.

You say you don't demonize rotary cutters, but you do! Over and over throughout the years on this forum you do. You always say you want these people to succeed but you constantly give bad or/and misleading advice. I think you must have pictures of flail mowers hanging in every room of your house, lol.

 

[Z-Michigan]

I have many 1000s of hours experience running rotary cutters of various types, sizes and brands. I have one of the largest Kubota dealers in the country near me and asked them recently why they sold so many types and brands and sizes of rotaries and no flail mowers. He looked at me like I was nuts and said because they can't compete and they are in the business of making money.

You say you don't demonize rotary cutters, but you do! Over and over throughout the years on this forum you do. You always say you want these people to succeed but you constantly give bad or/and misleading advice. I think you must have pictures of flail mowers hanging in every room of your house, lol.

You have your own bias, which comes through loud and clear. Simply repeating something and screaming at people doesn't make your opinions into facts.

I've used a 6' RC and a 6' flail mower on the same property, for the same tasks, for roughly 4 1/2 years each. The flail mower did all the mowing I wanted for tall grass, tall weeds, and woody brush up to about 1" diameter. It did not require more HP than the RC in my actual use. There was no difference in forward speed in my actual use, because ground roughness (and the areas were smooth by farm standards) limited my forward speed before any mowing issue did.

For my use on that farm, what did the RC do better for me? Nothing.

What did the flail do better for me? Several things:
-it cuts along a line and it doesn't stick out as much, so while mowing inside of fenced pastures I can turn closer to a corner without the mower swinging wide and hitting the fence.
-likewise I can back into corners to get the last few feet, and get it completely, because it cuts a line instead of a circular arc.
-it mulches the cut material, which the RC doesn't do. Even with 3' tall grass/weeds I didn't have dead or matted vegetation underneath, the cuttings fell to the soil within a few days and decomposed.
-it doesn't spit rocks any great distance. Yeah, it can still throw a rock 10-20 yards (which happened one single time over 4 1/2 years), but I saw my RC throw a baseball sized rock about 75 yards. I always kept people away from mowing, but a 75 yard danger distance means it's a hazard to mow roughly half that property (house and barn near the center in both axes). A rock that size thrown by the RC will not only go through glass but will break vinyl siding and severely dent steel siding. It may not happen often, but it's a greater danger than with the flail.

 

[powerscol]

Don稚 know which would be best for me . I値l be cutting mostly brush . 1/4 inch and up , the bigger the more I値l like it . Have a 73hp tractor . Don稚 care if it痴 perfectly cut . I while clean overgrown fields , trails and under brush . 7 wide would be ideal . What痴 your thoughts ?

Mugeye
leonz has given you good information. Iowa farm equipment even mounted up and measured two flails for me in their yard on similar tractors to check offset clearance of my rear tire. To mow a ditch bank it is best to have the pivot point outside the tire so you can stay on the flat. I have a Bobcat CT 235 and I am running a Maschio Giraffetta 160 SE with the outboard gear box (gives you about 12" more reach). For your tractor they have some even better units that would fit your needs, especially clearing trails. Give them a call and I am sure they will help match the unit to you needs. Their prices are very good too. Good luck

 

[lpigott]

Bias? Not in the least. If a flail was what was suited best for the OP in this case I would recommend it. Whereas, leonz and several other of the flail nation would recommend a flail for any type of cutting no matter what. Repeating something????? LOL, look at leonz's posts, he spews the same BS over and over not matter how many times he has been called out on it over the years. It appears to me that most of the long term members of this forum have given up on him and simply ignore his blather. I too have been charmed by the swinging pocket watch charm of the flail but the thumb snap common sense broke my stare before it was too late.

You have your own bias, which comes through loud and clear. Simply repeating something and screaming at people doesn't make your opinions into facts.

I've used a 6' RC and a 6' flail mower on the same property, for the same tasks, for roughly 4 1/2 years each. The flail mower did all the mowing I wanted for tall grass, tall weeds, and woody brush up to about 1" diameter. It did not require more HP than the RC in my actual use. There was no difference in forward speed in my actual use, because ground roughness (and the areas were smooth by farm standards) limited my forward speed before any mowing issue did.

For my use on that farm, what did the RC do better for me? Nothing.

What did the flail do better for me? Several things:
-it cuts along a line and it doesn't stick out as much, so while mowing inside of fenced pastures I can turn closer to a corner without the mower swinging wide and hitting the fence.
-likewise I can back into corners to get the last few feet, and get it completely, because it cuts a line instead of a circular arc.
-it mulches the cut material, which the RC doesn't do. Even with 3' tall grass/weeds I didn't have dead or matted vegetation underneath, the cuttings fell to the soil within a few days and decomposed.
-it doesn't spit rocks any great distance. Yeah, it can still throw a rock 10-20 yards (which happened one single time over 4 1/2 years), but I saw my RC throw a baseball sized rock about 75 yards. I always kept people away from mowing, but a 75 yard danger distance means it's a hazard to mow roughly half that property (house and barn near the center in both axes). A rock that size thrown by the RC will not only go through glass but will break vinyl siding and severely dent steel siding. It may not happen often, but it's a greater danger than with the flail.

 

[leonz]

leonz, what is your profession? Seems like I read you were in accounting? Are the tractors listed all you own?

Me, I have extensive mechanical training and, as I type this, am sitting on a one billion dollar steel island in the Atlantic ocean off the coast of Africa that I cam in total charge of. There is over a 100,000 HP machines spinning 24/7 just outside that cost many millions. I live in the country and have all my live. I have many 1000s of hours experience running rotary cutters of various types, sizes and brands. I have one of the largest Kubota dealers in the country near me and asked them recently why they sold so many types and brands and sizes of rotaries and no flail mowers. He looked at me like I was nuts and said because they can't compete and they are in the business of making money.

You say you don't demonize rotary cutters, but you do! Over and over throughout the years on this forum you do. You always say you want these people to succeed but you constantly give bad or/and misleading advice. I think you must have pictures of flail mowers hanging in every room of your house, lol.

============================================================================
Just to answer a few of your questions;

I have an unfinished BA in accounting.

If red loctite was used to secure nuts the rotary cutter blades on the machines they were mounted on they probably would have never come off unless the mower was damaged in some way and they would still need to be properly torqued with a torque multiplier to take out all the guess work.

I worked in one of the two deepest hard rock mines in the Eastern United States for 20 years as a laborer, stockroom clerk and journeyman mechanic rebuilding and repairing hydraulic equipment of many types as well as the Hewitt Robbins and Continental belt conveyors, J.H. fletcher roof pinners, face drills and Joy Mining undercutters as well as Wagner mining scoops and W.R. Stamler Belt Feeder breakers which were some of the machinery we used in room and pillar mining of rock salt not including the mobile equipment we used on the surface operations for stockpiling the finished rock salt and loading it into trucks and rail cars and the trackmobile railcar movers we used.

I am a NYDEC certified but unregistered water well driller and pump installer. I am very familiar with water pumping windmills and electric powered water and crude oil pump jacks and how they work.

It matters not to me whether you work on a floating oil drilling platform with anchor cables or water thrusters to secure its position while drilling or whether you have small battery of caterpillar or other brand of diesel generators to power the air compressor used for the casing spinner if you do not use a hydraulic drive casing spinner to assemble drill rods and rotary cone bits or the electric hoisting system for the lifting the drill rods from the lady fingers to the drilling floor of the rig and tripping the drill string out to change rotary cone bits or to store them back in the lady fingers in the drilling hoist tower or in drill rod racks on the drilling floor, the electric motor and gearbox for the chain driven table drive for the drill rods or the electric driven mud pumps, drilling mud screeners, the sea water pumps for the tower mounted fire control deluge guns used to control and knock down oil and gas fires on the rig you work that you are managing.

Is your drilling platform equipped with the rail mounted fully enclosed orange self propelled escape lifeboats? which ones do you use Vanguard, Royal, JFD global or the Verhoff life boats?

Does your company use Baroid drilling mud mixes?


I grew up using flail mowers on my parents place and I have my fathers 37 year old flail mower that I have maintained and use every year.

 

[lpigott]

I️ am not in the oil and gas drilling business I️ am on the production and processing oil and gas business. Where does red loctite fit in the context of this conversation?

 

[lostcreekranch]

I️ am not in the oil and gas drilling business I️ am on the production and processing oil and gas business. Where does red loctite fit in the context of this conversation?

Chevron Benguela-Belize by any chance?