Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[TC33D Abe]

Well, I sold my Woodmaxx FM-78 today, the FM-88 I ordered should be here in 2-3 weeks. It'll be nice to have the extra width and offset to mow ditchbanks.View attachment 707742

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[TC33D Abe]

how did u like the woodmax 78, how good did it cut,hammers?

 

[GSVette]

Thanks for the responses-6’-7’ is more than adequate for my needs-I just want to keep the brush back from whipping me in the face when I take the quad or side by side down the trails.

 

[ShowroomShine]

Well I sold my Bush Hog FH188 flail (Ford 917 really) that I bought while my Alamo SH74 was in the shop for bearing replacement. It was ok, certainly better than a rotary still, but nowhere near the mower that the Alamo is. It seemed flimsy and thin compared to how heavy my Alamo was. Heck, my Alamo has been beat to piss, and still is a heavier mower than I’ve seen out of other brands.

 

[leonz]

So I’m seriously contemplating a ditch/bank flail to complement my old, beat to s*** 917. I have a need to trim the brush back on many of my access roads. It would seem that a ditch/bank mower run in the vertical or near vertical position would be ideal for this. I’ve had very little luck verifying that any of the mowers I’ve looked into thus far ( very preliminarily) can be operated in the near vertical position.

Can someone who actually owns one ( and better yet has operated it in the vertical or near vertical position) respond? Manufacturer of your flail would be nice to know as well.

I’ve considered the Lane Shark but saw one and was not thoroughly impressed with some of the construction details.

Thanks, in advance.

These flail shredders are designed to work in the fully elevated position as they are used for shrub rows on estates,
cutting back berry can rows and in orchards growing tree fruit.

The best thing you can do is purchase a orchard and vineyard flail shredder(ditch bank mower) large enough
for your LS XR4155HC and its 3 point hitch lifting weight to its fully elevated height as it will be able to handle
the job of clearing back your lanes in its fully elevated position with boom fully extended to the right.

When you start looking at them they will have the dimensions of the mower fully elevated and extended in relation
to the centerline of the tractor and its position on the road shoulder or the pathway.

The key to mowing with the mowing heads in the vertical position is mowing very slowly as it will shear the brush
and make a lot of noise as it moves forward which tells you it is breaking the brush back as it moves forward.

 

[Skagit]

how did u like the woodmax 78, how good did it cut,hammers?

Mine had hammers, it was a good mower but if you cut tall grass it wouldn't pick up the tire tracks very well. Awesome in brush or even short grass though. Knives cut better if you're just planning on mowing grass.

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[Fallon]

Mine had hammers, it was a good mower but if you cut tall grass it wouldn't pick up the tire tracks very well. Awesome in brush or even short grass though. Knives cut better if you're just planning on mowing grass.

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My Peruzzo Brush Bull with hammers is VERY prone to leaving partiallt cut tire tracks that spring back up instantly or eventually. I think my 917 with side slicers wasn't really much better, but it's been a few years. Knives give a little better cut in grass over hammers, but my hammers do a better job than any rough cut rotary. Great for field/pasture, OK at best for a lawn (but it is an 8,000lbs setup, which doesn't belong on a good lawn anyway).

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

My Peruzzo Brush Bull with hammers is VERY prone to leaving partiallt cut tire tracks that spring back up instantly or eventually. I think my 917 with side slicers wasn't really much better, but it's been a few years. Knives give a little better cut in grass over hammers, but my hammers do a better job than any rough cut rotary. Great for field/pasture, OK at best for a lawn (but it is an 8,000lbs setup, which doesn't belong on a good lawn anyway).

I use my Alamo to cut my lawn, and it has the rough cut blades. Granted it isn't the prettiest cut, but I don't care much about my lawn (I've debated letting it grow and baling it...). My 917 did and SHD88 does leave tire tracks in tall grass (both had/have knives), but in short grass that isn't an issue. I'm at about 7,000 lbs with the mower, but I have industrial tires so it helps preserve the lawn a little better (again, I don't really care about my lawn). About the only way to get away from the tire track issue is to mow a 2nd time a day or 2 later. There's a reason hay-making cutters are always off to the side of the tractor.

 

[Fallon]

I use my Alamo to cut my lawn, and it has the rough cut blades. Granted it isn't the prettiest cut, but I don't care much about my lawn (I've debated letting it grow and baling it...). My 917 did and SHD88 does leave tire tracks in tall grass (both had/have knives), but in short grass that isn't an issue. I'm at about 7,000 lbs with the mower, but I have industrial tires so it helps preserve the lawn a little better (again, I don't really care about my lawn). About the only way to get away from the tire track issue is to mow a 2nd time a day or 2 later. There's a reason hay-making cutters are always off to the side of the tractor.

Yup. I always side shift my Peruzzo for that reason. Only the right tires roll over uncut grass, the left are on previous pass cut (mostly).

I can usually re-cut the tire tracks in a few minutes & get them. But it depends on the job if it's warranted or not.

5 acres & not a spec of lawn here either. Only field or pasture. Few of my customers are any different, or at least have minimal lawn for me to cut or avoid.

 

[Pecosbill7]

New to this thread, but definitely not new to ranching. I’ve been looking at flail mowers to help me keep the pastures in shape (mostly native grasses or common bermuda depending on which paddock, an occasional rock but mostly just grass/weeds and dirt). The hydraulic offset seems like a labor saver, but I’d like others’ opinions on that. I’ll be pulling this with a JD 5320 (64 hp at engine, 58 at PTO) and I want the widest cut I can get that will work well with this tractor. Been looking at a WoodMaxx FM-96H and it seems like a pretty good value for the money except it’s made in Chicomm land and I hate giving money to people who want to destroy us. Looking for some direction and you opinions are quite welcome!

 

[jthibodeau89]

Have you considered the JD390? Doesn't have side shift, but mine cuts fantastic. I tend to let the pastures get too high between cuts, but ithandles the 5' tall Johnson grass just fine. I picked mine up lightly used for $3500

 

[workinonit]

Here's the cut quality with my Maschio Tigre 300. Hammers. I've never had an issue with tire impressions not cutting with this or my Frontier 20' FM but I do run ag tires which I believe are less prone to mashing down the grass. The flail mower has an inherient suction that pulls the grass back up. It's almost like a vacuum running. But I do cut to 1.5 to 2 inches.

 

[Pecosbill7]

Thanks guys. I have checked around and it still seems that the Woodmaxx is pretty decent value for the buck. I put my name on their wait list and thursday I received a text telling me they had my unit in stock. I made the call and it should be here as soon as the freight carrier can get it to me. Looking forward to trying it out.

 

[workinonit]

Keep us posted.

 

[Skagit]

My new one showed up and I got it put together today. Much better fit for the tractor than the FM-78 that I had.View attachment 710099 View attachment 710100

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[workinonit]

What rotation is that? Hammers or tines? Nice looking mower.

 

[Skagit]

What rotation is that? Hammers or tines? Nice looking mower.

It's reverse rotation with hammers, not sure why all my pictures aren't working though.

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[Mark Bielick]

Pardon my reposting pictures, but I wanted to say I can highly recommend the Bestco Commercial grade 48" Flail Mower for use on a BX23s. The mower is built exceptionally strong, and it runs smoothly. It has an advantage that is very useful in that it has an adjustable hinged rear outlet that allows me to discharge partially mulched material out the rear of the unit. I use this option when cutting the back few acres that have grown over 3' tall. I close the discharge when cutting the regular grass field. The cut is very good; nearly as good as my Grasshopper front deck mower. It has hammer blades, and it cuts through 2" Autumn Olive saplings with ease. It is rated at 20HP minimum, but the BX23s handles it well. It is very heavy, at nearly 550 lbs. I've used it a number of times now, and have had no issues whatsoever.

 

[kenmbz]

I have the Betsco 48" HD Flail too and it does a great job. Rocks chip the hammers pretty easily and I am sure the belts that come with it won't last long. But the cut is good and it chews up 1-2" stalks pretty easy on my little 25 HP tractor.
Congrats on getting the flail.

 

[Stretch9119]

Thanks for the read. Took me forever to get through all these posts. To tell the truth I've skipped through quite a few. So, I just bought 8 acres in south east Kentucky. About 3 of it is grass and the rest is steep woods. Looks like I can clear at least 2 more. Bought a Kioti LK3054. After reading this I really think a flail will be my best bet allowing me not to buy anything else for keeping it trimmed. Wasn't wanting to spend a fortune but a couple grand would be doable. Really concerned about some of the slopes but would be comfortable on the rest. I'm looking for suggestions from this knowledgeable crowd. Needing something ASAP.