I first posted on the “Buying Advice” forum since I am looking for both a tractor and flail. Most of the responses there dealt with the tractor aspect, with only generalities about flail mowers. So I want to come here for more specific recommendations on flail mowers. Apologies to anyone who is rereading my background.
I am a complete newbie, never even owned a riding mower. My wife and I bought a 9 acre spread with house and pole barn 20 years ago as a retirement home. We rented out the house and paid someone to bush-hog the half of the fields twice a year for $500 a pop. Two other fields were being hayed by a neighbor, and another neighbor fenced in another pasture for their cow. Sometimes I would cut the sections of lawn with my push mower (4+ hours), sometimes hire someone. But now the cow is gone, the first neighbor is talking about moving further south, and we are in the house. I figure it is time for me to do the mowing.
The lawn is by no means pristine, so I'm hoping that I can get by doing most of it with the flail instead of using a regular mower, and don't want to spend the close-to-$2K for a belly mower. The fields are pretty clear, both rolling and flat, nowhere that I would term steep. Most of the fields have some trees, but not many. We've always had a bunch of honey locust saplings sprouting up which we then have to deal with by hand, so I figure more frequent mowing will help stop that. I'm not going to making new trails, pretty much maintaining the fields, so I shouldn't need anything heavy duty.
The grass is pretty high right now – was last bush-hogged 2 months ago.
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My wife was the one who first heard about flail mowers and they really appeal to us. I've been doing some research, found this forum, and have learned a lot. At this point I am thinking about either a Kubota
B2601 or
B2650 (PTO = 19.5 for either) with a FEL. Now I am leaning toward the smaller, less expensive tractor. For flails, I had been thinking about a
WoodMaxx, but they are backed up on delivery. Some people in the forum like the Caroni flail a lot, plus it is in stock. The question is what width to go for, whether the 4’ version or the 5’ one (can anyone tell me why the smaller one is more expensive at Agri Supply?!?). Also given my PTO, I’d be going for the TL version. Leonz said to another poster to go with the 4’.
Given my application, I'm still unsure of which flail blades would be best.
WoodMaxx says to use the duckfoot blades for clearing saplings (1" diameter or less), and the Y-blades for grasses, but I thought I read here that the duckfoot blades give a nice appearance to lawns. Does it make sense to spring for both set of knifes, based on the application?
Any comments, advice, and/or suggestions would all be appreciated. Now I need to convince my wife that spending $20K+- on the pair is money well spent.
