Flail mower?

I'm considering buying a flail mower for
pasture cutting. Ive gotten all of the
bushes removed, and now it'll be grass and
weeds to cut. I'm wondering how well it will
do in high grass. Will I be able to cut
faster than the brush hog does? I'm looking
at buying new, and trading my 6' hog in on
it. Its only a year old. I'd like a 6 or 7
footer. Oh, I'll be using my Farmall 300 to
run it, and maybe the JD B. I like the fact
that they weigh less than the brush hog, so
that'll keep the front end down. I'd like
any input or thoughts.
Thanks, Mac
 
You will not run faster or easier with a flail than a rotary cutter. They take a lot of power in tall, thick grass. I doubt a B will run a 6' flail in tall grass. I know a B won't run a 7' flail.
 
A flail will cut tall grass pretty good if it's dry. They are dusty and you need to keep it on the ground. I think a 300 ill get a good workout but forget the B. Those cutters don't like running over stumps if you are running grass blades. That will strip the cutters off the machine.
 
I bought a 78" flail at an auction this fall and have used it a couple of times, including once to cut a field of weeds that was largely goldenrod, 4-5 feet high with some grass. I ran it with a Farmall 300 and it did fine, there were just a couple of times I had to stop and let it catch up. I would be just as happy with a bush hog but I have not been able to find larger than a 5' bush hog in my price range and I have had one of those for years, so when the flail mower went for just over $400 with tax and looked ready to use I went ahead and bid on it.
Zach
 
Flails take more power than a rotary.

Corn stalk choppers are common around here, they are big flail mowers. I have a 15 foot. Not exactly the size and use you have in mind, but some experience with the flail deal. It chews up 6 rows of cornstalks, takes 150hp. I can really lug it down if I take it into tall wet grass.

The rotary mower is just a better deal in grass and weeds, in my opinion. I would test before I buy, anyhow.

Paul
 

I have a Ford 917 Flail and it will do a nice job on pastures..you can take a FULL width swipe, where you usually need to over-lap passes with a Bush Hog ( about one full rear tire width) to do a good job.

I have used my JD "B" many years on our 6' Bush Hog..sometimes in 4th gear and sometimes struggling in 1st...!

Mine has the pointed ( wedge-shaped cutters about 1 1/2" with..39 of them to be exact. The cutters will last many seasons..

The Flail will go a super job when set about 2' to 3" from the ground..I Flail several fields just Twice a Year and you don't even see the chopped residue and my 630 will ( Just) run it in 2nd gear..

The Flail is a different Animal...in TALL grass, I can choke my 720 D down, same for my 630..( DO NOT even think about putting a JD 60 on it, it won't handle it..

Your JD "B" would only take it down the ROAD .( Flail).

A 72" Woods Finish mower will do a heck of a good job and you can raise it and still do a decent job of cutting tall stuff..I have had one for years and mow all of the Waterways with it..THAT would be a perfect match for your 300..that and (or) the 6' Bush Hog.
 
Well, heck... looks like I don't want a flail after all! I had been told that the flails use less hp and are easier to run. Seems like that isn't actually the case. I had wondered also how they'd do in damp/wet grass. Not so good apparently. So after these replies, I reckon I'll keep the brush hog, and sharpen the blades up. I appreciate all the great input.

Thanks, Mac
 
Well I don't like brush hog type mowers at all. I'll take a flail ! Better job of cutting as they pick up your wheel tracks and far less danger of throwing objects. I have had a few of the Ford ones. a 7 1/2 foot and a 5 foot. The wide one a late model JD B will run it if you keep the field down. a 530 much better ! and to tackle anything put it on the 720D. The small one I ran with a JD M. Got into a mowing job one time that was left go and had one heck of a time on the first pass. Not enough HP. Next passes I could go 1/2 or so and do it. Plus the roller on the back helps prevent any gouging in or digging into the dirt. Flails will pulverize small brush and multi flower rose too. Really like the offset design for mowing next to stuff.
 
See, this is what I was first led to believe! And, what made me want one to begin with. I do not like brush hog mowers, for the same reasons as you. I really wish someone around me had on for me to try out. Oh well. I may give it a try. If I don't like it I can always trade it off.

Mac
 
I have a 9' flail. I pull it with a 70 HP tractor. No way a 300 would handle it. I prefer it over the rotary mower. I have slowed down and cut broam and timothy that was higher than the hood of the tractor, it does a very nice job.
 
I have an old Lundell 15' shredder I have reconditioned and use it to cut CRP grass along the fences in the fall. I don't cut a lot of green grass with it, but I pull it with a Farmall 300. I use second gear and it handles it fine. If you were to cut real tall green grass it might pull a lot harder. This spring I shredded 30 plus spots in the CRP where I have Canada thistles growing so I could see and spray them. This past spring we had a very heavy wet snow in late Feb. and all the CRP was flat. I used the shredder but it worked the poop out of the 300 at times cutting that much at once. A lot of the time I was in 1st gear. I have to admit I have put on better tires since then and I really think it helped since they control the cutting depth better now.
 
A bearing went out on my corn stalk flail shredder. Took it to the dealer since I needed to keep combining. He called me, said uh oh.... The bearing ran hot and deformed the shaft, turned into a major job, had to have a machine shop cut the drum open and put in a stub shaft.

Anyhow, had it all rebuilt, new knives.

So we could really run this fall, with the new knives, I had the wife rolling along at 6 mph cutting down down 6 rows of stalks.

But after 5:00, when the dew set in, we had o drop a gear. And another hour later, had to drop another gear. As the stalks got tough, damp, it really slowed down.

This was with new knives.

I think dry vs wet is going to make a big difference on ho you will need.

Paul
 
I've thought about one also. When cutting tall stuff like Johnson grass or blackberry briers, say 6' tall, material doesn't get wrapped around the shaft?
 
Never has a flail mower but have had flail green chopper and cannot see a difference how they would be any different and they all do a good job of cutting, perhaps not as smooth as a Finishing mower but way better than a bush hog type. Township used to have a flail on a MF 35 and that made the roads way better than the rotary mower they now have that covers the roads with the mowed weeds and grass, the same as the county does, and that stuff laying on the roads make stopping at times hard. Now my flail stock chopper is a different mater, good on corn stalks, not good as a mower but I think it is due to type of and number of flails and it also has the tires on the side to run things down, it is only about 6' cut and in chopping stalks I pulled it with a John Deere late model B.
 
One last thing. If you have an small cedar trees or trees, say under 5 feet for trees and 4 feet for cedar, the shredder I use just destroys them! It sure beats cutting them by hand and much better than a rotary which I have seen just beat them over and not really cut them off like the shredder does.
 

Wrapped around the shaft..??? It will KILL the tractor if over-loaded ( or smoke the belt if over-powered enough )..

A flail will destroy any grass that goes under it..as long as you have enough HP and go slow enough...

Only thing I have ever had "Wrap" was Hi-Tensil Fencing wire..no that takes a little time to cut out..!!
 
I got into some barbed wire (was told field was clear)and some black plastic pipe. The wire took a cutting torch to remove but the plastic pipe I was able to fasten it on one end and drive away without the mower running and it unwound it.
 

I believe that in "average" pasture mowing, the Flail is faster because you have no need to over-lap the passes that using a regular Bush Hog requires usually..
 

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