Here we go again: Flail mowers

[SD51555]

It's only 49 weeks until throw and mow weekend, so I took a few minutes over lunch to make some calls. I'm getting too old to wrestle a walk behind hog and I've got way too much to mow. Current idea I'm chasing is this:

Buy a 3-pt flail mower (Woodmaxx 54") (Probably $2800 all-in)
Rent a tractor to run it 1-day/year

I only mow once a year as is, and I'm happy with that. Trouble is, I have to do my entire trail system at least every other year to keep new brush from turning into tire wreckers. I called my rental place and found they've got a JD 3038 available for $185/day + $75 for delivery, tax and wear care, probably $300 and I could knock everything out in a day and give it back to them. That would enable me to finally munch that clover down to the mud and distribute my thatch accordingly.

Is this bananas, or a workable idea? What am I missing?

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I would bet you can find an old Ford tractor with a working flail mower for $3000-$3500.

 

[Foggy47]

I would bet you can find an old Ford tractor with a working flail mower for $3000-$3500.

I doubt it.....but that is “possible”.....not likely Most of those old Fords won’t have a live PTO or have live hydraulics or power steering and can be a maintainace nightmare ......IMO.

How would you haul that rental tractor SD??

I STILL cannot understand why you think pulling a Flail Mower with your ATV is off the table I drive on my plots all the time No tire track remain after planting a week or so ago

 

[Foggy47]

I wish I had a better hauling situation or you lived closer I’d have you mowed in an hour

 

[SD51555]

I'm not in love with a pull behind.

*They've got long hitches. My plots and trails are tight with lots of obstructions to go around.
*I'm not impressed with the wheels on those things. Seen lots of them get bow legged over time.
*It's an extra engine to maintain that would have to store outside.
*Pull behind flail is gonna run close to a thousand more than a 3-pt, and have less cutting oomph.

If all works well, I'm gonna have a new plot of rye, vetch, and sweet clover to mow in August next year. That's gonna require some power.

 

[omicron1792]

I rent a skid steer for a month once a year (actually a CTL). It is great and I get so much done that month. One month delivered and picked up is 3000. To buy the model I get would be 70k. Sure there are a couple of times I wish I had it through the year, but I have the rake grapple on my tractor that can do most of the work.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I think your idea is very logical. Even one step better would be a flail mower to rent for the first go round as well so you know it works out like you envisioned but that might be a tougher find. It's not that hard to find a place to rent a compact tractor and it makes a lot of sense to know how everything will work out before committing much of anything.

When we bought our land last year I told my wife i'd be able to get everything done with an ATV and implements. The more research i did, the less I liked that idea. So I told her i'd just rent a tractor this year to figure out how things work and figure out what I really needed before diving in head first. Bonus season at work is in March and '22 was a doosie. So I made a liar out of myself.. But, I still think renting makes a lot of sense for lots of situations but the ability to have the equipment you want, when you want, without scheduling anything is real nice.

@Skeeter bought the Kunz rough cut mower I had planned to use initially going the ATV route. I doubt it mulches as consistent as a flail mower but it seemed like a pretty tough option that I'd assume spreads thatch pretty decent with 2 blades compared to a single blade mowers.

 

[MRBB]

well MY 2 cents, if your big concern is having tire stickers from tree stumps of smaller tree's
MY suggestion would be rent a skid steer or CTL, and open your trails up so there are no more of them about
once you get that done, you can use a ruff cut mower to maintain, there will NOT be tires stickers after you remove them, as if you mow before things get big enough to become them, you'll never have them again to deal with!

NOT to mention, once you open the trails up, you can simply SPRAY things and not have to mow at all!
you can also rent a skid steer with a mulcher attachment on things to open things up , and again, ONCE done, you can maintain things without the need of a fail mower at all!
I don't know what kind of fail mower you been looking at, or what tractor your thinking of renting, but if there a rear mounted fail mower, in order to get things on sides of trail mower, the mower will need to either be wider than tractor, or your going to be spending a ton of time backing into things, a lot more than I think you may imagine!
even a front mounted unit, will end up spending a LOT of time, going back and forth to get off the sides of trails

I again personally think, renting a machine to widen your trails,and getting rid of all the tire kickers your worried about, is a better option, as once there done, you can again maintain with a basic ruff cut mower, or even by just spraying!

and keep in mind that if you have a skid steer/CTL you can also use them to fill in ruff spots and make the whole trail system better
that's what I would do any how!
do it right once and make life down the road easier!

OH and keep in mind, tractor tires can get holes poked in them from them same tire kickers your worried about, which can end a day rental fast and even end up possibly costing you more $$ for a repair!
a track loader will be the most durable here IMO< if you got a lot of them to deal with!

 

[MRBB]

a JD JD 3038 is 60 inches wide, which means a 54 inch mower will not be as wide as the tractor, and only has a 48 inch cut path, so when mowing the sides of trail your going to be either driving a 2 ft off sides of trail or again having to back into things all the time to mow OFF the side of the trail, food for thought for you!

 

[Wind Gypsy]

a JD JD 3038 is 60 inches wide, which means a 54 inch mower will not be as wide as the tractor, and only has a 48 inch cut path, so when mowing the sides of trail your going to be either driving a 2 ft off sides of trail or again having to back into things all the time to mow OFF the side of the trail, food for thought for you!

Agreed that a bigger mower would be preferred for getting closer to those things SD was worried about maneuvering around with a pull type. I have the FM78 for my 'bota L3560 which is comparable to a 3038. In the thickest stuff i've cut (think 5'+ RCG with sandbar willow mixed in) it's definitely underpowered but I just have to go slower. The hydro shift FM62h would probably be the ideal mower for my tractor but it wasn't in stock when i ordered.

 

[wklman]

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[Kooch]

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[SD51555]

The demolition work is already done. I had equipment out the past few years and fixed all the trail width. I do have a few places where I need to straighten things, but those aren't critical. I'll probably fix those next year when I get the digger back out.

Last year, I mowed everything very wide. It just needs to be maintained now. The ATV/hunt access trails are more narrow, but those also don't grow the vegetation like the big work trails. I can zip down those with the rider (did that last weekend) to maintain them. It's the bigger work trails that grow 4' grass and 6' balsam poplars that are gonna be too much for the Toro.

I know the 54" isn't gonna reach out past the tires. Even a 78" is only going to reach out past the tires 7", and that requires a bunch more HP. I'd take a smaller bite so there is only one tire running down vegetation. It just needs to cover inside the tires. I don't know that I can ask for any better, short of getting a Peruzzo.

I really need power, even distribution, and the ability to get tight to the ground. My throw and mow was looking really good a week ago, now the clover is growing like crazy, and I ain't confident my rye can keep up and make it to sunlight. May have to do a rescue seeding in the spring.

 

[Foggy47]

Tell you what. I will loan you for 1 day my Flail mower. No charge. Rent that tractor and have at it. Then you will know what you need to know. A 30 hp tractor will work with my flail. Keep in mind that you may be able to purchase an older flail mower for $1000 or so depending on how used it is.

I would not worry about tire stickers.... and the stuff you got in your head is not real. Design your trails and plots so you got ways to turn around.....I did that for some time.....no big deal. Sometimes you just gotta back up. But.....a pull type machine for your area would be fine. Either a flail or a rotary.....tho Understand your desire for the flail.

Put the mower on a palate over winter.....and cover it with a big old ATV sled. I do that with a rotary cutter and it's 15 years old. Looks good yet. Machinery can take a little weather. Much of my stuff sits outside. Costs more to house some stuff in a bigger pole barn than it's worth.

AND FINALLY.....If you really dont like your pull type flail mower after using it a season or two......it should be very easy to selll again. (unlike that front mounted affair). There.....I said it and I am sticking to it. Grin.

 

[Foggy47]

^. One thing to add......is that if you REALLY need inside storage for that mower.....load it up and bring it to my pole shed for the winter. (Or find a local guy with a bit of space? ) I will make a special place for your flail mower inside my pole shed. It's concrete floor, dry, and mouse proof.

Step up to the plate boy....keep your eye on the ball son. Game on! Grin. AKA Fog N Leghorn.

 

[Foggy47]

I'm not in love with a pull behind.

*They've got long hitches. My plots and trails are tight with lots of obstructions to go around.
*I'm not impressed with the wheels on those things. Seen lots of them get bow legged over time.
*It's an extra engine to maintain that would have to store outside.
*Pull behind flail is gonna run close to a thousand more than a 3-pt, and have less cutting oomph.

If all works well, I'm gonna have a new plot of rye, vetch, and sweet clover to mow in August next year. That's gonna require some power.

Tell you what. If you have not got a plan in place by next August (and I am still alive - grin) .......find a decent tow vehicle.....and come to my place (my Honda Ridgeline is too small to tow that far). Then we will load the my tractor and flail mower on my trailer and drive up to your land. Will cut whatever needs mowing......and you can drive the tractor (after I show you how it works). Return my tractor and you got another year under the belt. Might cost you a beer.

I just mowed some 3" - 4" saplings today with my tractor and flail. Worked well.

 

[Foggy47]

well MY 2 cents, if your big concern is having tire stickers from tree stumps of smaller tree's
MY suggestion would be rent a skid steer or CTL, and open your trails up so there are no more of them about
once you get that done, you can use a ruff cut mower to maintain, there will NOT be tires stickers after you remove them, as if you mow before things get big enough to become them, you'll never have them again to deal with!

NOT to mention, once you open the trails up, you can simply SPRAY things and not have to mow at all!
you can also rent a skid steer with a mulcher attachment on things to open things up , and again, ONCE done, you can maintain things without the need of a fail mower at all!
I don't know what kind of fail mower you been looking at, or what tractor your thinking of renting, but if there a rear mounted fail mower, in order to get things on sides of trail mower, the mower will need to either be wider than tractor, or your going to be spending a ton of time backing into things, a lot more than I think you may imagine!
even a front mounted unit, will end up spending a LOT of time, going back and forth to get off the sides of trails

I again personally think, renting a machine to widen your trails,and getting rid of all the tire kickers your worried about, is a better option, as once there done, you can again maintain with a basic ruff cut mower, or even by just spraying!

and keep in mind that if you have a skid steer/CTL you can also use them to fill in ruff spots and make the whole trail system better
that's what I would do any how!
do it right once and make life down the road easier!

OH and keep in mind, tractor tires can get holes poked in them from them same tire kickers your worried about, which can end a day rental fast and even end up possibly costing you more $$ for a repair!
a track loader will be the most durable here IMO< if you got a lot of them to deal with!

^. Good post. I do want to add this tho: I've used two Kawa ATV's, a UTV, a EZ-Go Golf Cart, and Three 30+ HP Tractors over a period of 15 years as well as a number of trailers and other vehicles across my property.....and not once have I poked a hole in a tire from a "sticker". I've cleared 15 acres of land and countless piles of brush and 1000's of stumps, and never a flat due to such stuff. I have "turned" two tires off the bead from my tractor's front axel when I turned short and had low air pressure....but never a flat due to puncture....and I've never been concerned with such stuff. 1000's of hours. Never even damaged a tire....none. Non-event for me. Maybe I'm just lucky? Dunno.

I think sometimes we get a phobia or dream things that dont' happen and likely won't happen. I had a bit of that last winter with how to terminate my rye....and would the thick rye wrap in my Tar River Drill when I planted green into the standing rye??.....non-event. Much ado about nothing.

 

[bjseiler]

I rent a skid steer for a month once a year (actually a CTL). It is great and I get so much done that month. One month delivered and picked up is 3000. To buy the model I get would be 70k. Sure there are a couple of times I wish I had it through the year, but I have the rake grapple on my tractor that can do most of the work.

Does that include a mower or forestry muncher?

 

[omicron1792]

It included two implements of my choice.

 

[omicron1792]