Here we go again: Flail mowers

[SD51555]

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.

I may have a way to do that now that my brother is back. I'll keep that idea on the board.

 

[Rit]

I like the rental ideal but I’d take it one step further and try to rent both the tractor and the flail mower to make sure that’s exactly what you want. I looked for a flail mower rental but couldn’t locate one.

 

[SD51555]

I like the rental ideal but I’d take it one step further and try to rent both the tractor and the flail mower to make sure that’s exactly what you want. I looked for a flail mower rental but couldn’t locate one.

They aren’t carried anywhere in my country either.


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[MRBB]

if you have larger rental shops near you, that have other stores, many times they will bring in a piece of equipment they don;'t have if you ask, this way you can try things before buying!

 

[Skeeter]

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

That Kunz is a beast! I was wanting to get a pull behind flail mower, and still would like to play with one given the chance, but I think that I would find little advantage over the Kunz. The thatch spreads fairly evenly with what I've tried. May be a little different when I get enough rocks picked to really drop it down out in the plot. Does well enough in my day use area that I don't haul out the push mower anymore. Tight areas with sharp turns can be a little tricky but I've been able to manage by adjusting the offset in those areas. The only thing that I could quibble about is the weight. It's heavy enough that I wouldn't want to pull it with anything less than my 750, and even then it'll throw me around a bit if I don't pay attention on hills or when turning quickly. However, that weight is due to good thick steel construction and a motor large enough to handle everything of reasonable size or thickness that I've gone through. I'm not willing to compromise on those features so the weight is what it is. The pull behind flail I was trying to get had the same size motor but was twice what I paid for the Kunz. For the money, I definitely ended up with the right mower for me and can't thank @Wind Gypsy enough.
Also, I would like to thank everyone for sharing their experiences with their tractor/mower setups. Has really helped me more clearly define my goals as I slowly work towards future tractor ownership.

 

[bigboreblr]

Rent the tractor and their brush hog. Mow the food plot high with the brush hog. Buy a used 3pt finsh mower with unshrouded blades. IT'll chop everything fine and even.

I have a kubota 3030 I can use next door and a interational 1020 lowboy with 6ft belly mower. Still prefer my 42" swisher. I mow 1 mile of ATV trails, 8 acres of fallow field, and 2-3 acres of various small clover/rye no-tillish plots. Mow those ATV trails early and late summer, poplar will be tamed very quickly. Toss some rye in there to choke out the perennial growth every now n then too...

OVerall, I think it makes a ton of sense to rent a tractor a day or two out of the year instead of buying for many folks. Just keep some small projects with the bucket in mind if ti comes with one.

Also, renting equipment for one day usually means 8hrs on the odometer, if it's plugged in all day.........

 

[Foggy47]

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?

The more I think about your idea here......the better I like it. Relatively low investment......and the price to take care of your property is not too bad. I think I would buy a bit wider of a machine (like 60") but the price is similar I think. No way you could own and maintain a tractor for the rental price your talking about here. Makes sense to me.....and if you want out of that flail mower....they are easy to sell.

I own a Woodmax 78 Hydraulic unit. I was really on the fence on what blades to get....hammer vs Y blades. I got the Y blades and I am happy with them. I've cut all kinds of stuff with mine....up to 4" diameter aspen. Tho I try not to make a habit out of doing that. While I do like the hydraulic side shift......it's certainly not mandatory. I'd want that 60" model they offer in order to cover your tire tracks.

 

[jsasker007]

I just mowed for the 4th time this year with my flail. 90" flail mower works good on my 4052 tractor that has about 40hp at the pto. Seem that I wind up needing it a lot more often than I thought I would. If you need to clear stuff for a day I would suggest a small excavator. You can turn unreachable/unusable land into trails or food plots if you want to. Clearing and probably be done in a day but giving part of your land a "make over" will take longer. Depends on the project.

 

[SD51555]

I just mowed for the 4th time this year with my flail. 90" flail mower works good on my 4052 tractor that has about 40hp at the pto. Seem that I wind up needing it a lot more often than I thought I would. If you need to clear stuff for a day I would suggest a small excavator. You can turn unreachable/unusable land into trails or food plots if you want to. Clearing and probably be done in a day but giving part of your land a "make over" will take longer. Depends on the project.

I'll likely have an excavator and a skidsteer for a couple days again next year. I've got more plot and pond work to do, as well as a bunch of other misc work.

 

[Foggy47]

SD.....this is the flail mower that provides the most bang for the buck. Rent a 30 HP tractor once a year.....and you would be golden. Not sure what that billy goat costs.....subtract that from your bill. Thank me later.

Flail Mowers for Sale | FM-62 Flail Mower | Flail Mower 62" | Finish mower - WoodMaxx

WoodMaxx? offers various sizes of PTO flail mower attachments (54",62",78",88",96") Catagory-1 and Catagory-2 starting at ($1,949.00) Engineered in the USA. Free shipping in the USA & Canada. Call 855-966-3629 or visit woodmaxx.com for details

woodmaxx.com

 

[omicron1792]

Foggy I bought a cheap flail mower from titan on sale. All my other equipment is landpride or high end. The flail mower has been nothing but problems. Looks like it’s 10 years old now and I’ve used it about 3 times.

As soon as I get the scratch for high end flail mower I’ll be getting one.

 

[SD51555]

Foggy I bought a cheap flail mower from titan on sale. All my other equipment is landpride or high end. The flail mower has been nothing but problems. Looks like it’s 10 years old now and I’ve used it about 3 times.

As soon as I get the scratch for high end flail mower I’ll be getting one.

What did you run it through?


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[SD51555]

SD.....this is the flail mower that provides the most bang for the buck. Rent a 30 HP tractor once a year.....and you would be golden. Not sure what that billy goat costs.....subtract that from your bill. Thank me later.

Flail Mowers for Sale | FM-62 Flail Mower | Flail Mower 62" | Finish mower - WoodMaxx

WoodMaxx? offers various sizes of PTO flail mower attachments (54",62",78",88",96") Catagory-1 and Catagory-2 starting at ($1,949.00) Engineered in the USA. Free shipping in the USA & Canada. Call 855-966-3629 or visit woodmaxx.com for details

woodmaxx.com

That idea is still on the table. It’s a solid #2A option. I’d try to find a neighbor close by that has the right sized tractor, and have them hook up to it and do it for me.

I can’t imagine mowing with a smaller tractor and my own mower would bring more than $75/hr to have a dude do it.


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[Foggy47]

Foggy I bought a cheap flail mower from titan on sale. All my other equipment is landpride or high end. The flail mower has been nothing but problems. Looks like it’s 10 years old now and I’ve used it about 3 times.

As soon as I get the scratch for high end flail mower I’ll be getting one.

I've had my Woodmax for a couple of years now. Not sure how many acres I have ran through it.....but it's performed very well for me. I've read lots of reviews on the Woodmaxx products on TBN and most everyone has (had) glowing recommendations on this brand when I bought mine. Also some folks like the Caroni (Italian brand). I do not have lots of other experices to compare with....but I would buy my Woodmax again. I did have one issue where a bolt backed out and it protruded into one of the drive belts....which smoked that belt. I likely should have complained to the manufacturer....but I just replaced the belt(s) and moved on. I've put this machine through some pretty tough situations.....but also have used a bit of restraint from overdoing it. I've not read good nor bad (nor anything) on the Titan Flail Mowers.

New (and unproven) products often have issues.

 

[Foggy47]

That idea is still on the table. It’s a solid #2A option. I’d try to find a neighbor close by that has the right sized tractor, and have them hook up to it and do it for me.

I can’t imagine mowing with a smaller tractor and my own mower would bring more than $75/hr to have a dude do it.


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I know your concerned with storage.....but this is the kind of product where you could just cover it with a bit of an inexpensive wooden frame with a metal roof.....or just a piece of tin. Take the PTO shaft indoors, lube a few ares, and you would be good to go. Just keep the snow and sun off it for a few months.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I have the non-hydraulic shift version of the one @Foggy47 has. Can’t say I’ve put it through much but it has been good thus far. Just one or two of the y blades need replacing after hitting rocks so far.

 

[Foggy47]

I have the non-hydraulic shift version of the one @Foggy47 has. Can’t say I’ve put it through much but it has been good thus far. Just one or two of the y blades need replacing after hitting rocks so far.

I've owned mine thru 3 seasons (maybe 4?). Bought an extra set of knives when I bought mine. Have not lost or dulled a blade yet (that I know). I suppose I should look at them. I think they are a good machine at a fair price. I do not have many rocks.....have run through quite a few 3 to 4" saplings that are a bit over and above what would be expected from this machine. Got it tangled up in some old wire, fenceposts, and an old drag too....and other than being hard to pull that stuff free.....no damage. It's done the job for me.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I've owned mine thru 3 seasons (maybe 4?). Bought an extra set of knives when I bought mine. Have not lost or dulled a blade yet (that I know). I suppose I should look at them. I think they are a good machine at a fair price. I do not have many rocks.....have run through quite a few 3 to 4" saplings that are a bit over and above what would be expected from this machine. Got it tangled up in some old wire, fenceposts, and an old drag too....and other than being hard to pull that stuff free.....no damage. It's done the job for me.

Yeah, I hit some 6-8” rocks that got dug out when planting trees and were left in stupid places and that was enough to damage a blade or 2. You could feel a little vibration in the mower after they got damaged so you’d probably notice it if there was anything off.