brush mower vs flail

[farm23]

I probably have to get a mower for my BCS this spring and would like it to do more than one task. Most of my mowing will be for grass and cover crops but there will be the need to clear overgrown areas with multiflora rose and blackberries. Has anyone used the flail for this type of work? I donot mind it the flail will take longer if it will do the job.

 

[js5020]

Well I have never owned a flail mower for the Gravely, but I do have the brush mower, and since there are no replies, I'll toss out my 2 cents. The brush mower will cut darn near anything you can get into the blade area, weeds, small trees, snakes, childrens toys etc. however it doesn't like rocks. With the proper flails my understanding is they will cut/chop the same stuff as above but are more tolerant of the rocks.

 

[farm23]

That is good input. The one thing this area does best is grow rocks. I still get rocks up in a garden area I have been using for 4 years.

 

[js5020]

Another option would be a sickle mower, but it doesn't chop the stuff up. Just depends on what the desired result would be.

 

[clarksvilleal]

I probably have to get a mower for my BCS this spring and would like it to do more than one task. Most of my mowing will be for grass and cover crops but there will be the need to clear overgrown areas with multiflora rose and blackberries. Has anyone used the flail for this type of work? I donot mind it the flail will take longer if it will do the job.

Get the flail mower. I've got both, and my brush mower is just gathering dust. The flail (mine is 26") makes short work out of overgrown vegetation. I grinds it up into a nice fine mulch. I also use it to chop up leaves that I blow into the garden before turning them under with the rototiller. Look at my pictures over on the Yahoo BCS User's group:

http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/BCS_Users/photos

(I have the BCS 853). I sometimes even run it over tree prunings and chop them up with it, rather than take the time to run them through my (too small) chipper/shredder. I use a different set of blades for that - hammer blades - so I don't beat up my regular Y blades, which have a nice sharp edge for chopping up grass, weeds and cover crops.

A third set of blades I got are for slit-seeding grass. They make vertical slits in existing turf to allow new seed to fall in and germinate better. I think they can be used both for overseeding as well as for seeding an area that where you have killed off the existing sod and weeds. I haven't used them yet, but I plan to next season.

clarksvilleal