Kawasaki Mule 600 with Scintex Paddock Flail Mower

[Mousehog]

We bought a Kawasaki Mule 600 Pro EPS to get onto our very soggy property in South East Queensland, Australia. We love it. We use it to haul wood, pull lantana, tidy up, clear prickly pear, do fencing, haul fence posts and a whole lot more.
We have been clearing fallen timber and burning it. We just purchased a Flail Mower which we are adjusting level, changing wheel position to rear etc. I will be reporting on how it goes after this coming weekend.
Our property is hilly and rocky in sections. We have a Sota 55 HP tractor and slasher but cannot get to certain areas of our farm

 

[groundcover]

Welcome, can't wait for the pics !

 

[Mousehog]

Okay we had a first pass this afternoon, through very long grass from which we have been pulling fallen timber.
We gave it a first run through previously slashed paddock. We then took it through long grass and woody weed. Grass clippings were evident flowing over the drum. Then we lost a cotter pin holding the front curtain on. I pinched some tie wire from the nearest barb wire fence and off we went again.
It hit high roots and hidden logs, sparked against a rock or two but mulched fairly well until we got a big chunk of prickly pear cactus wedged between the flail drum and housing. Smoke ensued. And stink but DH managed to get the mower shut off almost instantly. He checked the belt and I picked grass and cactus out of the mower. We mowed until almost dark.
We found lots more timber, the mower manages long grass well. It does not like woody weed or saplings. Those require 2 passes.
More tomorrow!
Picture shows one section of the long grass. It is a wooded area which would be impassible for our tractor/slasher.

 

[Mousehog]

Before mowing and after first pass. The flail mower did a much better job than the slasher. One more pass and it should be good. We also mowed other sections recently cleared of fallen timber, so now my job is to have a second pass through all mowed sections to pick up the newly exposed timber.

 

[Mousehog]

Also, a battery lead came loose when a nut fell off, so everything had to be looked at and tightened. We were promised by Scintex sales staff that the mower was ready to go. We were rightly skeptical so checked basic items. That same salesman told us that the mower had a gearbox. Obvious lie. We were left shaking our heads. The Briggs and Stratton engine had two dipsticks but it turns out they are both engine oil. We have had our share of teething problems but having said that the mower seems to be cutting the long dry grass left from nearly 2-1/2 years of rain. We plan to take the mower out again today to hopefully finish the first pass of the section with very long tussock grass. We need to pull out lantana roots and pry out a couple of cactii and pick up more branches before mowing.

 

[Mousehog]

We are burning lantana. DH assisting with tractor.

 

[Mousehog]

The wind is down today, so it will be another burning day. I get to burn the big piles of timber we have pulled from the long grass.
Here are some pictures of what we are dealing with.