Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[LouNY]

Your lift arms position the front of the mower either on the skids or holding the front off the ground,
the slotted top link is to allow the rear of the mower to move up and down as the roller follows the ground.

 

[2manyrocks]

I've never used a flail mower and could use some help understanding whether I should get one.

I have some kudzu growing in some of my fields. What I am seeing is that the vines are growing an inch or two off the ground that they aren't being cut by my rotary cutter.

Is a flail mower an option to cut these vines growing close to the ground or would it tear up the cutting heads so much that perhaps I just try getting rid of the vines with a field cultivator?

 

[leonz]

A flail mower with side slicer knives will shred the kudzu and brush.
A flail mower/flail crop shredder works best at the 2-inch cutting height
and will keep the brush managed as long as you mow every couple
of weeks if you have the time to mow

 

[Beeenvenue]

I've never used a flail mower and could use some help understanding whether I should get one.

I have some kudzu growing in some of my fields. What I am seeing is that the vines are growing an inch or two off the ground that they aren't being cut by my rotary cutter.

Is a flail mower an option to cut these vines growing close to the ground or would it tear up the cutting heads so much that perhaps I just try getting rid of the vines with a field cultivator?

View attachment 758272

A flail mower has a rigid back roller the width of the machine/cut. Unless your land is perfectly level, that roller rides up and down on the surface beneath the vegetation and sets the actual height of cut.

It’s hard to imagine you can cut consistently at 2” without some scalping 72” away or alternately 3” high.

On a field it does a nice job because that inconsistency would be tapered across the width and you never see it, but you may not be able to get a 2” cut across the whole field much less 1” on an inch by inch profile across the mowing width (so if you do it use a 48” not an 84”!)

 

[2manyrocks]

My fields are uneven enough that I suspect there would be a fair amount of scalping if I set the cutter low enough to cut these vines.

 

[Xfaxman]

Is a flail mower an option to cut these vines growing close to the ground or would it tear up the cutting heads so much that perhaps I just try getting rid of the vines with a field cultivator?

Check into using dethatching blades:

 

[cbg8670]

I wanted to give you all a follow-up to my previous posts. Well, I changed out the hammers to y blades. Raised the rear roller up 2 holes. Adjusted top link so skids don't drag and still keep it level mostly.
Much better cut. Still occasionally bog and belt slip, yes I checked and tightened them. Very slow first cut but did a decent job. I will go over it again after it drys out some.
One question I have is this Titan has a slotted top link hole. All the pictures I have sent show this spot used. Right below is a nonotted single hole . Would it be better to attach the top link to this so it would stay solid and not allow the front to move up and down? It moves enough so the skids hit and start dragging piles of grass.

I tried the solid( not notched hole) on my bumpy ground it caused it to dig in. If your ground is relatively flat level it will work better. For me the notched hole works best

 

[leonz]

My fields are uneven enough that I suspect there would be a fair amount of scalping if I set the cutter low enough to cut these vines.

If your dealing with a large acreage and amount of kudzu and other brush the
Hiniker 6 foot model 5710 flail mower would be ideal as it has no rear roller and it
can be equipped with a ratchet jack height adjuster or a double acting hydraulic
cylinder to adjust the height.
The cup knives are swivel hanger mounted and will fall back if it hits an object .
It has a CV PTO shaft that allows for tight turns while shredding the brush.

 

[JethroB]

My fields are uneven enough that I suspect there would be a fair amount of scalping if I set the cutter low enough to cut these vines.

I agree. A 2 inch cut my 72” Caroni would only work well on very level ground. Too much scalping wears on the Y blades and belts. If you have 2manyrocks then Oh My I expect. Here are my blades, new vs old. They had been reversed once. My nephew mostly ran it in our sandy loam soil (no rocks whatsoever) almost as a tiller trying for a 2 inch cut. He no longer has access to it.

then Oh My.

 

[2manyrocks]

That's very helpful because we have hard clay mixed with rocks.

I found a field cultivator with spring loaded tines and hope to get it tomorrow. I think it will help to tear up the vines.