Travel speeds flail mower vs brush hog

[MF231owner]

Been looking at flail mowers lately and it looks like people are driving pretty slow in the videos.

I'm on the low end of the HP spec, 34, for the 6' brush hog I'm currently using but it handles what im cutting fine. If I hooked up to a 6' flail mower would it cut just adequately and allow the same travel speeds?

 

[Anakist]

Depends what you're cutting and what finish you want.

And how sharp the blades are.

I'm dragging a 5' brush hog behind a TC40DA cutting 5' high grass and Low range turtle is too fast. Get to a clearer bit and I can go high range turtle. I do need to replace the blades though.

 

[MF231owner]

Depends what you're cutting and what finish you want.

And how sharp the blades are.

I'm dragging a 5' brush hog behind a TC40DA cutting 5' high grass and Low range turtle is too fast. Get to a clearer bit and I can go high range turtle. I do need to replace the blades though.

Right now I'm cleaning up tons of over grown brush and the brush hog cuts everything I can run over. The brush hog was a $250 marketplace find so I don't mind beating it up. However once everything is back to "normal" I'm thinking the flail mower may be better for regular maintenance. Shorter profile and better maneuverability for keeping the fence lines clear.

It's a farm so it doesn't have to be perfect. Just cutting fields a couple times a year.

 

[Anakist]

What's your country like for rocks and logs? Flails don't like hitting rocks or logs apparently. I want one to mulch all the woody weeds but I have a lot of rock piles and logs hidden around from the last people.

 

[Fallon]

Flails mulch more than a rotary. The extra mulching eats up a bit more HP. If you are HP limited a flail will cut slightly slower than a rotary.

I hate a 7.2' (2200mm) flail on a 40hp L4060hstc. Usually cutting 2+' grass or brush. I'm limited by HP. A rotary would be faster, although I'm not sure how much faster. Cut quality, safety & maneuverability keep me with a flail though.

 

[scootr]

I have both. The flail makes a better cut in perfect situations. If rocky use the BH. The BH blades may hit a rock twice as you move over it where the Flail will hit it 10 times. I made the mistake of mowing a known rocky field with my flail once and it cost me a set of blades.
Ground speed is slower with the flail to get the desired finish. Touch up the blades bi-annually depending upon how much you cut.
Our solution for the rocky field was a chain modification to an old BH.
Your situation sounds like a BH is best.

 

[leonz]

What's your country like for rocks and logs? Flails don't like hitting rocks or logs apparently. I want one to mulch all the woody weeds but I have a lot of rock piles and logs hidden around from the last people.

I will relate what a friend of mine in OZ does with his mowing contracts,
he lowers his front loader nearly to the ground while he mows to avoid
damaging his tractor or his MASCHIO flail mower. and he has a belly mounted
landscape rake from what I remember of his mowing set up.

It may be easier for you to have a landscape rake on the tractor to clear
things first as it will pull up everything that is hidden.

 

[MF231owner]

No rocks or trees to worry about. I'm reclaiming old pasture that haven't been maintained in 10+ years so lots of 1-5" saplings. Mostly sumac so they're pretty soft so 2" or so gets brush hugged. Anything bigger and I just picked up a Woodland Mills WM88 shipper for.

 

[scootr]

My Bestco HD 7 ft flail has the big heavy hammers. It's rated for 3" stuff. Does a job on it if I hover over the limb. It's a pretty rough cut if I try to go with any speed, but the BH has similar limitations and results.

 

[Sportsman762]

The question depends on what your mowing and what type of flail you have.

No rocks or trees to worry about. I'm reclaiming old pasture that haven't been maintained in 10+ years so lots of 1-5" saplings.

1-5" thick saplings (is it still a sapling at 5" in diameter?) is Heavy Duty brush hog material. Unless you go with a forestry flail with large hammers. I have an Alamo SHD88 with the course cut knives. I can mow pastures in low 3rd at 5.5 mph with a 12" tall grass and I have the min suggested HP. I was helping a friend and I was faster than his 31 engine hp with a 5' brush hog (6.2 hp per ft) with my 45 hp engine tractor and 88" flail (6.1 hp per ft) in the same field. The difference was enough that he went to a different field to get out of the way. A large part of this was that he had to slow down on the uphill sections as he would run out of power despite having more hp per pound than me. Course cut flails do not like woody brush. They will defoliate it and leave the stem sticking up. If I go in low first at 2 mph it will mow more woody brush but leave lots sticking up. I would be nervous rocks would tear up the rear roller and bend the knives. As far as grass goes it will mow it down with a far nicer finish than a brush hog. We had a finish mower before and wore it out mowing the taller grass (knee to waist high). The cut from the brush hog is rough and has a tendency to stripe bad. The flail lets with its forward rotating drum lets me get a nice finish if I keep up with mowing, when it reaches 5" tall or so but can handle when it gets away from me and gets up there. It is great for maintaining pasture, while keeping it looking good. The rear roller makes it really hard to scalp, and if you get in a wet area the roller smooths out your ruts. The short length makes it very maneuverable I can mow next to fences and do not have to worry about taking out a post when turning.

I am mowing with a Massey 20C which is the older higher horsepower (45 engine) industrial version of a 231. I am sold on flails for mowing grass. They handle a larger range of grass than a finish mower and the job is much nicer than a brush hog. I cannot speak to forestry fails or flails with hammers. I am very happy with the Alamo SHD flail.