Offset flail or boom mower

[RadarTech]

So I’m struggling to choose between a boom mower, or an offset flail.

My tractor has 2 rear remotes and I’ve got a Yanmar yt359C.
Yanmar specs say 52hp pto some other sources say 46…

Yesterday I spent 3 hours weed-eating where either of these could have made it maybe 30 min or so.. a lot of it was head high, and thick..the reason it was so thick and high was due to schedules and extensive rain.. also a large part of it was reloading multiple string heads…

Now I fully realize not all I do will be doable with either of these.
Honestly if I had either one of these.. I would cut more.. as it is challenging with a weed eater… I do have a bush hog.. but it stays at a different property and it couldn’t cut the banks and edges.

I’m hoping to hear some wisdom from the group…

 

[Torvy]

I like my ditch flail, but the hoses break too often. Fortunately, it can work fine without, but that limits its utility.

My understanding is that with the boom cutters, you need higher flow. They work best on skid steers/track loaders. They do have some that will run on tractors, but I haven't tried them.

 

[leonz]

Most of your decision will be based on the amount of brush will be growing back to
the driveway and how much canopy will be growing back in.

I would hire a forestry mulcher for at least one day to dig out the weed trees and
any invasives like poison oak, poison sumac and poison ivy.

The forestry mulcher can dig trees out below ground level eliminate stumps as well.

After a mulcher goes through both sides once or 2 cuts wide you may just be able to
use big box lawn mower.

 

[TerryR]

I have a Peruzzo Fox Cross 1600 ditch and bank mower that works very well getting under trees along the edge of the road. The ability to quickly adjust the amount of offset lets me get in between trees that are along the roadway. You would still have some trimming to do around obstacles like those trees and mailboxes, but it would get much of it.

 

[RjCorazza]

There are a few small boom mowers that have self contained hydraulics run off the pto that would work on a compact tractor.
The offset flails seem to me suited for getting closer to fence lines and buildings. Not so great at getting more than 2 feet or so out from the tractor side.
I opted for a ditch bank flail that saves me a ton of time mowing my stream bank with irregular edges and angles.

 

[LouNY]

I have both a flail ditch bank mower witch can offset over six feet from the tractor. It takes a heavy tractor to handle much of a ditch bank mower.
Also have a flail headed boom mower it has more reach then the ditch bank mower it also needs a heavy tractor to use and is more demanding on the controls to accommodate irregularities in the ground being mowed.
With a small tractor a boom mounted sickle bar may be handy;

 

[2manyrocks]

Looks like enough slope and trees interspersed to be almost inaccessible to any tractor mounted cutter.

For me, trimmer string just breaks on anything but light grass so I use metal cutting heads to cut brush back, but carefully wearing face protection.

Saw a rattler while I was running the rotary cutter on the tractor yesterday, and that reminded me why I don't do much brush cutting with trimmers on foot this time of year in Tennessee.

 

[RadarTech]

I have both a flail ditch bank mower witch can offset over six feet from the tractor. It takes a heavy tractor to handle much of a ditch bank mower.
Also have a flail headed boom mower it has more reach then the ditch bank mower it also needs a heavy tractor to use and is more demanding on the controls to accommodate irregularities in the ground being mowed.
With a small tractor a boom mounted sickle bar may be handy;

Which ones do you have?
At 6500lbs I think that is pretty heavy for a small tractor.

Thanks!

 

[RadarTech]

Looks like enough slope and trees interspersed to be almost inaccessible to any tractor mounted cutter.

For me, trimmer string just breaks on anything but light grass so I use metal cutting heads to cut brush back, but carefully wearing face protection.

Saw a rattler while I was running the rotary cutter on the tractor yesterday, and that reminded me why I don't do much brush cutting with trimmers on foot this time of year in Tennessee.

Yea the rattler is for sure a concern. In 17 years I have only seen one here…. But copperheads I have seen dozens… so yea I watch out carefully!!
I used to have a small 5 ft finish mower that used on the little Kubota.. it was ok.. but that mower went to a new home 10 years ago..

 

[LouNY]

Which ones do you have?
At 6500lbs I think that is pretty heavy for a small tractor.

Thanks!

The ditch bank is a 78" and the boom arm is a 48".
The Branson 8050 with the loader and wheel weights is over 11,000 pounds and both of these mowers are maxing out the tractor especially on off camber ground.