Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[Smokeydog]

Have a field bordered by railroad track with kudzu. Encroachment always a problem. Cutting two or three times a year for hay helped keep it controlled. Cows liked it but hard to dry evenly with mixture of leaf and vine. After we stopped hay making, bush hogging helped. It does not like getting cut back and grass can crowd it out if you keep it mowed. I have used the FEL grapple to skim and gather the vines. 2-4D kills it and not grass. Didn’t have much luck cultivating control with spring tooth plows or field tiller. Running livestock on it will control or eliminate it.

Had a few wind up problems with vines on truck drive shaft, rotary mower pto shaft and spindles. Seconds and you have a round bale of green tough vines to cut off. Hate to see a flail rotor wad.

 

[2manyrocks]

If nothing else, I figure I can use the field cultivator to gather the vines. I think the determining factor is whether I can dig out the kudzu tubers because that will kill the plant. So I'll be experimenting with tine spacing, depth....

A USDA agent recommended Milestone, Chapparel, or Open Sight to kill the kudzu. I am giving Whetstone herbicide a test run at the moment.

I don't know if kudzu would tend to wrap itself around the drum on a flail mower. Is that likely to happen?

 

[Smokeydog]

If nothing else, I figure I can use the field cultivator to gather the vines. I think the determining factor is whether I can dig out the kudzu tubers because that will kill the plant. So I'll be experimenting with tine spacing, depth....

A USDA agent recommended Milestone, Chapparel, or Open Sight to kill the kudzu. I am giving Whetstone herbicide a test run at the moment.

I don't know if kudzu would tend to wrap itself around the drum on a flail mower. Is that likely to happen?

I haven’t used a flail mower on kudzu. Depends probably how often you mow, mower type and operation. Sometimes my kudzu is 6’ high covering the grass. Takes considerable Hp to mow and mulch. Once wrapping starts it’s almost instantly a problem. It’s like mowing baling twine. Been dealing with the good and bad of kudzu for 50 years. Eventually it’s going to win.

 

[leonz]

If nothing else, I figure I can use the field cultivator to gather the vines. I think the determining factor is whether I can dig out the kudzu tubers because that will kill the plant. So I'll be experimenting with tine spacing, depth....

A USDA agent recommended Milestone, Chapparel, or Open Sight to kill the kudzu. I am giving Whetstone herbicide a test run at the moment.

I don't know if kudzu would tend to wrap itself around the drum on a flail mower. Is that likely to happen?

Any long stem growth will wrap itself around any type of mower
if it is long and thin stemmed. A flail crop shredder with cup knives is
designed to cut through that type of growth.

You have to have enough horsepower to run a flail mower to allow
it to spin up to 2200 RPM plus to work well taking half cuts in deep
thick stemmed brush.

 

[nittanyjd]

Update on my flail (JD 25A) first use and first time user. Cuts so much nicer than the brush hog and no rows. I love it! Some of the field was a 2nd time cut but most was first time through. Since it has been so dry it cut fairly easy. Fuel intake seemed to be about the same for me. The before and after pic is first time this year and most likely last. These fields are in the mountains in north east PA about 2100 elevation and I only keep them mowed so not to be over taken with brush. 2nd pic is a different field with a combo of 1st and 2nd cut. 2nd cut was like a lawn mower.

Only issues I had were rolling fields so it scalped a bit but not bad. Less than the hog. Bigger issue was some of the grass was thick and wrapped on the rotor and wrapped tight she started smoking after a bit. I cleaned it out and the belt side wrapped up again but other side wrapped and then cleaned itself out. Belt wasn't hot or smoking and neither were the bearings. I thought it was that at first but it was the friction of the grass and rotor from what I can tell. Grass was burnt black on the real packed stuff. Just had to keep and eye on it so as not to torch the field. Had to go about 0.5 mph in the real thick stuff. Not sure what that grass is but its near swampy areas and gets about 2 feet high and super thick. Good news I don't have much of it. From what I could tell it doesn't like the tall thick stuff. It doesn't like soft ground either.

All in all I'm pleased and still lots to learn. Thanks to all that provided input and advice it helped a lot. Thank you!

 

[diesel85]

Very nice results!!

 

[leonz]

Hello nittanyjd,

I am glad that your first foray into mowing the plot went very well.

Are you using the top hole for the top link on the 25A?

Once you get into routine you can mow in 4 acre plots every two weeks to keep it tamed down.

After the first killing frost you will be able to mow everything down to 2 inches and not have a brush monster
to deal with if you have too much wet ground to mow without getting stuck.

To save time fuel and brakes you can start mowing in the center of your plot or plots and just mow in a spiral and
then you can just mow without stopping instead of having to stop, b ack up and turn around to mow the next row.

You can do the outer edges first or last for a couple of passes when your spiral mowing meets the tree line.

Having a fender mounted tractor radio or earmuffs with a radio in them helps reduce with the boredom.



Welcome to the "Flail Mower Nations"

 

[nittanyjd]

Hello nittanyjd,

I am glad that your first foray into mowing the plot went very well.

Are you using the top hole for the top link on the 25A?

Once you get into routine you can mow in 4 acre plots every two weeks to keep it tamed down.

After the first killing frost you will be able to mow everything down to 2 inches and not have a brush monster
to deal with if you have too much wet ground to mow without getting stuck.

To save time fuel and brakes you can start mowing in the center of your plot or plots and just mow in a spiral and
then you can just mow without stopping instead of having to stop, b ack up and turn around to mow the next row.

You can do the outer edges first or last for a couple of passes when your spiral mowing meets the tree line.

Having a fender mounted tractor radio or earmuffs with a radio in them helps reduce with the boredom.



Welcome to the "Flail Mower Nations"

leonz - I have an iMatch quick hitch on it and flail only has one hole. Its in the float when mowing and raise front end of flail in higher stuff. Real high and thick stuff I had to lift mower and roller up about 4 inches.

Grass wrapping around rotor and getting warm is my concern. I'm guessing that's from grass too high. Doesn't seem to wrap in lower tin stuff. 1st pic is where its wrapping..after I cleaned it out.


Do I have the best blades for cutting grass shown in 2nd pic? Wasn't sure if side slicers would be better Grass only. Very little brush at field edges. Have a brush hog for that stuff sitting nearby for that.


thanks again for the help everyone.

 

[2manyrocks]

I could see how tall grass could get pulled into that gap.

 

[leonz]

leonz - I have an iMatch quick hitch on it and flail only has one hole. It's in the float when mowing and raise front end of flail in higher stuff. Real high and thick stuff I had to lift mower and roller up about 4 inches.

Grass wrapping around rotor and getting warm is my concern. I'm guessing that's from grass too high. Doesn't seem to wrap in lower thin stuff. 1st pic is where its wrapping..after I cleaned it out.
View attachment 759153

Do I have the best blades for cutting grass shown in 2nd pic? Wasn't sure if side slicers would be better Grass only. Very little brush at field edges. Have a brush hog for that stuff sitting nearby for that.
View attachment 759152

thanks again for the help everyone.

Good morning Nittanyjd,

The scoop knives you have are a multi-purpose mowing and shredding knife.

The side slicer knife with the slotted mounting hole is best suited for shredding brush
and mowing grass as you can make multiple passes to shred the grass and brush to a
very fine clipping that will rot away and dissolve in the soil quickly.