Hi all, I'm the new kid on the block. I've skimmed part of this thread,
but I have a question that would probably be better answered as specific to my particular situation.
I'm starting a vegetable market farm and will be cultivating about 2 acres (to start with... up to about 6 acres are usable, plus another 20 in pasture, which will be rotationally grazed). I plan to use cover crops that will be grown quite densely, growing at least 4 feet tall (probably taller). Depending on what I'll be planting in that bed, I'll either cut it finely and incorporate it, or roll it and leave it on the surface as mulch. I'll also be maintaining fence lines that are pretty brushy with weed trees (goats will also help with this). So a flail mower is in my future. A tractor is also in my (very near) future. On craigslist right now I'm looking at tractors with about 30 HP that weigh less than 3500 lbs (for towing and soil compaction reasons).
Here's my question. When I look at flail mowers such as the Del Morino or Caroni (leaving aside any mudslinging about the Titan), and they say "suitable for tractors of 25-50 HP" (I'm looking at models about 60" wide since that's my bed spacing), is that range of suggested HP dependent on what you're cutting? That is to say, if I'm cutting dense tall cover crops and saplings, do I need to be closer to 50 HP, or would 30 still be fine? Conversely, if an implement says "20-30 HP" and I were to use, say, a 40 HP tractor, are there any problems with "too much" HP? (Can you tell yet that I grew up in the city? Sorry for the newbie questions!)
In terms of other power-hungry implements, I'll be using a power harrow and a chisel plow.
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Yes, I can tell your a city farmer.
1. "Save Your Money"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2. "It's your money"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3. "Read the entire flail mower thread"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
a. yes its must.
4. Talk to Joel at Earth Tools!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
5. read number one, read number two, read number three, read number four, read number five 6 times.
Do you really have the time, money, will, and good weather to do this????
OK if your starting with two acres I would only invest in a 2 wheel mule like the BCS853 with a rotary plow and the widest BCS flailmower. you can cover a lot of ground with a Berta flail mower and a BCS 853 as long as your willing to invest in the time needed.
The rotary plow on a BCS or Grillo two wheel mule will let you till below the hardpan at 14 inches deep and eliminate compaction every year.
You will need lime and gypsum to dissolve the clay and reduce the acidity of the soil.
Forget about rolling your cover crops they wont stay down unless cut them or you till them in!!!
You can build raised beds with the rotary plow and plow 14 inches deep and till in tall cover crops in one pass.
You need to "spend a lot of time talking to Joel" at Earth Tools to do this the right way.
You can always invest in a four wheel drive Series One JD or a Kubota 1870 later and add implements "as you can afford them".
You may end up with an walk behind German import flail mower that is branded as an ORECK flailmower.
BUT you will be limited as to what you can purchase for attachments for the ORECK Flail Mower being a rotary mower attachment.
You can do a lot of work with a two wheel mule like a BCS gas or diesel or Grillo gas or diesel mule with implements that are used in Europe in many small farms on a daily basis.
If you have a sulky to ride on the mowing is easy and will go quickly if you mow in spirals to recut the brush and grass.
Your going to spend less money this way and will allow you to build a truck farm garden with narrow raised beds that will choke out weeds quickly with the crops as they will grow much quicker blocking out the sun on the ground killing the weed seedlings.
It works, I have done it, I will do it again this coming season with my TroyBuilt tiller.
