Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[JWR]

To each his own but I'd consider a 5ft. bush hog for the work you describe. The hog will stand more unexpected heavy woody things. And rocks. And stumps. I know Autumn Olives and do not know Russian Olive. Surely you do not mean 10 to 18 FEET tall ? You're not cutting much of anything 18ft tall with a flail mower. You might with a bush hog depending on thickness, etc. The hog is a more universal tool, though when a flail fits your task it can be faster and in some cases do a cleaner cut. And the bush hog will be about half the price.

 

[ptoengageant]

Thanks. Keeping the walls clean may prove difficult without the offset of a flail mower though, unless I知 missing something. I realize that I may need to clear the larger stuff with a backhoe first. I壇 also prefer the mulching action of the flail but I知 certainly open to all options.

 

[cholland]

I have a Betstco EFG-175 on my CK3510. In the neutral position it is still a bit offset. For me it covers my tracks and stick out about 8" on the right side. Can adjust for 5 more inches of offset.
Seems well built. Its no tank, but it is clean and solid. Lube often! I use it mainly in grass but have backed it over some 5 foot tall poison oak. takes it down no problem.
The hammers do a decent job on grass, but they don't like big rocks. Broke a hammer on my last session.
When I ordered the guy on the phone was helpful. They don't show it on their website, but they do carry replacement hammers and knives.

 

[Rebeldad1]

if you use a brush hog get it wider than your tractor. you can get pretty close to it without the tractor hitting

 

[Rebeldad1]

Called Woodmaxx they could not figure anything for sure but because it is less than a year old they are sending me a new hydraulic cylinder.

did you tell them of your hydraulic fluid being low and foamed up? I am surprised they didn't tell you you have a major fluid problem that should be addressed first.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

Hi everyone, I'm new around these parts and am also a new owner of a Kubota LX2610. I'm in the market for a flail mower with hammers for a couple acres of land, mainly to be used for clearing and keeping some brushy overgrowth (think good-sized wild rose and 10-18' tall Russian Olive, along with a smattering of other invasive and unwanted shrubberies) away from our stone walls and keeping a small field mowed. I've done a bit of research and have come up with the following list of potential candidates. I'm trying to keep the price range to the sub-$2500 mark, but if there is a good reason to go with a more expensive option, I'd like to hear it. Also, please feel free to suggest anything that I've missed. I don't have rear remotes and would be happy with a manual offset, so side shift isn't necessary. Thanks!

Del Morino Flipper 158 (62") - $3100 (this is from my local dealer)
Everything Attachment SLE-160 - $3915
WoodMaxx FM-62 (62") - $2,499
Betstco FH-EFG135 (60") - $1625

I would avoid the Betstco, but that's me. For $2500 the WoodMaxx is a good option. SLE-160 is made by Sicma, an Italian company well versed in flail mowers. Del Morino is also an Italian company well versed in flail mowers.

One advantage the Del Morino has for you is local dealer support. If it were my money it would be between the Del Morino and the WoodMaxx. I'd go Del Morino if I could swing the extra $600. If not, then the WoodMaxx is a good 2nd choice. I almost bought a WoodMaxx until I found my Alamo SHD88 on Craigslist. The Local dealer didn't have any flail options.

 

[leonz]

Hi everyone, I'm new around these parts and am also a new owner of a Kubota LX2610. I'm in the market for a flail mower with hammers for a couple acres of land, mainly to be used for clearing and keeping some brushy overgrowth (think good-sized wild rose and 10-18' tall Russian Olive, along with a smattering of other invasive and unwanted shrubberies) away from our stone walls and keeping a small field mowed. I've done a bit of research and have come up with the following list of potential candidates. I'm trying to keep the price range to the sub-$2500 mark, but if there is a good reason to go with a more expensive option, I'd like to hear it. Also, please feel free to suggest anything that I've missed. I don't have rear remotes and would be happy with a manual offset, so side shift isn't necessary. Thanks!

Del Morino Flipper 158 (62") - $3100 (this is from my local dealer)
Everything Attachment SLE-160 - $3915
WoodMaxx FM-62 (62") - $2,499
Betstco FH-EFG135 (60") - $1625

If you don't mind some friendly advice;

NNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't even think about making a purchase yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I would rather see you spend the money on the 2 day rental of a Fecon self propelled forestry mulcher that will shred everything and go below ground level with the flail mulcher and eliminate the stumps on the first try and have good cleared land to live with.

The work your suggesting will destroy a non forestry flail mower of any brand with hammers.

The least I would do is obtain a quote for for a dozer to clear the lot as they can run a scarifier on the dozer to break the ground up and worse comes to worse they can bury the debris in a deep hole for you.

 

[ptoengageant]

If you don't mind some friendly advice;

NNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

Duly noted - I will look into it!

 

[Fallon]

If you don't mind some friendly advice;

NNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't even think about making a purchase yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I would rather see you spend the money on the 2 day rental of a Fecon self propelled forestry mulcher that will shred everything and go below ground level with the flail mulcher and eliminate the stumps on the first try and have good cleared land to live with.

The work your suggesting will destroy a non forestry flail mower. of any brand with hammers.

The least i would do is obtain a quote for for a dozer to clear the lot as they can run a scarifier on the dozer

Worse comes to worse they can bury the debris in a deep hole for you.

I tend to agree. My $8k 8' Peruzzo & 40hp L4060 will mow Christmas trees. Even then it's no forestry mulcher. The lack of HP is the biggest limit, but I wouldn't go any bigger even if I had more power. I don't mow trees often & they are usually pretty dead & soft or brittle by that point. You need heavy hammers to do much wood & the hammers on a $3k mower are going to be much lighter. Grass knives (duck foot or side slicers) top out at finger sized woody material.

A rotary will tolerate & chop wood a bit better than a flail. But it will be rough on everything & not leave the nice flail finish.

 

[def38]

If the cut material is left to decompose, the flail mower is the choice. It leaves much finer cuttings after one pass.

 

[Skagit]

Duly noted - I will look into it!

For what it's worth the local ag dealer here rents out a 5' brush hog for like $80 a day, might be something to look into. Then you're not beating up your new flail doing the initial clearing, they don't really like anything thicker than blackberries and small limbs.

If you have established trees that's a different ball game though, that takes a forestry mulcher.

 

[Rebeldad1]

I would avoid the Betstco, but that's me.

Would love to hear your personal experience story on the Betstco flail mower. What turned you off so much?
I bought one from them this spring. Free Shipping was super fast and the machine has worked flawlessly. Their customer support was great as well. All my tech questions answered in depth. I also bought spare parts an they showed up within 2 days. The best part was It was on a spring sale for about 1/2 the Woodmaxx.
If its used for what it was designed for ( as any brand of these) it should last a very long time.

 

[downsizingnow48]

I bought a Betstco flail mower too. Low hours so far but does what it is supposed to do. It arrived in Sacramento two days after I ordered it!

 

[JWR]

For what it's worth the local ag dealer here rents out a 5' brush hog for like $80 a day, might be something to look into. Then you're not beating up your new flail doing the initial clearing, they don't really like anything thicker than blackberries and small limbs.

If you have established trees that's a different ball game though, that takes a forestry mulcher.

Quite true, or in many cases a dozer is the best tool. Notice that we've made some pretty forceful or insistent comment on this guy's choice of mower but we've only heard a bare bones description of hptoengageant 's "stuff to be mowed." A picture or two would be nice.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

I would avoid the Betstco, but that's me.

Would love to hear your personal experience story on the Betstco flail mower. What turned you off so much?
I bought one from them this spring. Free Shipping was super fast and the machine has worked flawlessly. Their customer support was great as well. All my tech questions answered in depth. I also bought spare parts an they showed up within 2 days. The best part was It was on a spring sale for about 1/2 the Woodmaxx.
If its used for what it was designed for ( as any brand of these) it should last a very long time.

I tend to avoid cheap implements (and any tool) made in China. From what I've seen, the support and longevity just isn't there. With Alamo or Woodmaxx you can call and get someone who's first language is English to find out what you need to know. With the Del Morino the local dealer sells it so they can support it. There's also tons of aftermarket options for the Alamo. I'll take something I know will have parts available 20 years from now, and will last at least that long. Buy once, cry once. I've been taking that mentality with just about everything I buy now and I've been happy with it. It seems like if you pay a little more to get something higher quality you end up with better results, less down time, less frustration, and less money spent in the end, especially if you can find it used.

Again, that's just me. I've had bad experiences with cheap tools so I refuse to buy cheap stuff that I will need to rely on.

 

[def38]

So, I was cutting my meadow with my Chicomm flail mower. The meadow hasn't been cut in a while. Some 5-6 foot grass and weeds with small shrubs intertwined. While in tall grass where I couldn't see the ground, I was avoiding what I knew was a piece of concrete lurking below. I avoided the concrete but tangled with a large piece of sheet metal...looks like part of the hood of an automobile. Well, before I could take action, the sheet metal was wound up in the rotor and the 3 cylinder Perkins began to struggle and die. A quick stab on the clutch took power off the PTO. I drove back to the garage where i put he mower up in the air to have a good look. Its pretty well wrapped around the rotor, tangled in the hammer flails and will require some surgery to back out the sheet metal. I'll likely try barring over the flail rotor backwards. If that doesn't work, I'll try my angle grinder and cut up the sheet into bits. Either way, its going to take some effort and time. I'll disconnect the 3 point lift arms, leave the top link attached and pull the mower over on its back to get at the rotor. I'll likely spill some GL-5 gear oil.

So, is my approach OK? Anybody have other ideas, suggestions? Once I have the mower over on its back, I'll post some photos that will show details of the undigested sheet metal and what I'm up against. I do have some new-found respect for the Chicomm flail mower. It has suffered and survived some severe service.... rocks, Buick hubcaps and now what appears to be an automobile hood....maybe part of the Buick the hubcaps belong to.

While I have the mower inverted, maybe I'll put a grinder on the flails and touch them up a bit.

Comments solicited.

Thanks.

 

[K5lwq]

Def38, my suggestion is take your time, wear some really good gloves and be careful!

 

[Fallon]

So, I was cutting my meadow with my Chicomm flail mower. The meadow hasn't been cut in a while. Some 5-6 foot grass and weeds with small shrubs intertwined. While in tall grass where I couldn't see the ground, I was avoiding what I knew was a piece of concrete lurking below. I avoided the concrete but tangled with a large piece of sheet metal...looks like part of the hood of an automobile. Well, before I could take action, the sheet metal was wound up in the rotor and the 3 cylinder Perkins began to struggle and die. A quick stab on the clutch took power off the PTO. I drove back to the garage where i put he mower up in the air to have a good look. Its pretty well wrapped around the rotor, tangled in the hammer flails and will require some surgery to back out the sheet metal. I'll likely try barring over the flail rotor backwards. If that doesn't work, I'll try my angle grinder and cut up the sheet into bits. Either way, its going to take some effort and time. I'll disconnect the 3 point lift arms, leave the top link attached and pull the mower over on its back to get at the rotor. I'll likely spill some GL-5 gear oil.

So, is my approach OK? Anybody have other ideas, suggestions? Once I have the mower over on its back, I'll post some photos that will show details of the undigested sheet metal and what I'm up against. I do have some new-found respect for the Chicomm flail mower. It has suffered and survived some severe service.... rocks, Buick hubcaps and now what appears to be an automobile hood....maybe part of the Buick the hubcaps belong to.

While I have the mower inverted, maybe I'll put a grinder on the flails and touch them up a bit.

Comments solicited.

Thanks.

Experience says bolt cutters or angle grinder. Probably angle grinder in your case. Maybe a sawzall.

If 40hp or whatever + lots of momentum wedged it in there you aren't pulling it out. Maybe if you unhitch it, flip it over & are lucky enough to get a grip on it with something &use hydraulics or a huge lever.

Flipping it over may be a good idea anyway. Working over your head sucks. And make sure you block up your impliment before working on it. They leak down slowly even if there isn't a catastrophic failure that results in in you being instantly crushed.

 

[D2Cat]

A 4" angle grinder with a cutoff wheel will dissect an automotive hood easily and quickly.

Maybe slow down a bit while mowing. If you can't spot a car hood, you must be going too fast.

 

[JWR]

Car hoods? I thought I was bad hitting an occasional rock, brick or half rotted post. Somehow speed does not sound to me like the problem...