I used to pull a 9 foot Ford flail mower behind a ford 4610 in northern California. We mowed odd lots for fire supersession. The beauty of the flail is it mulches, unlike a bush hog. A good flail mower is a beast, I ran over everything from bicycles to shopping carts, to rebar. Had to replace some blades, but it kept on going. The only time I broke a shear pin was when I was mowing an old abandoned drive in movie theater. The place was filled with tumble weeds, higher than the tractor. The mower would suck them in all at once. If you want a mower that can handle the front yard, and the back pasture, I would recommend a good flail mower
Been Using a six foot flail mower with the same blade setup as yours for 25 years now . Would never use anything else again . The best all round attachment I have ever used . Mulching leaves in fall / taking down scrub / grinding up large wood chips on the trails / just about anything . My property and trails are so healthy and neat because the flail mower grinds down close and nice allowing better composting and even neat spread . That’s a really sweet and well built flail mower your using . I recommend people too try them and pay the extra money . Good demonstration 👍👍👍
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I used a flail mower for years and for areas that are known to be clear of hidden barbed wire they work fantastic. Rocks and cement aren't a problem (actually sharpens or breaks the tines) Every season I replaced maybe 6 tines at the most. Also if there is barbed wire a flail mower will find it. Be shure to bring a sharp knife and a good pair of wire cutters because if you hit it you will be down around 20 minutes if your lucky. Flail mowers are by far better for cutting known clear open areas, always carry a fire extinguisher because they will send sparks although I never experienced a fire. If you have a property you know is clear sell the brush hog get a flail mower and in the shop order 50 tines 25 pens to hold the tines and 10 cotter pins also never forget the grease gun and don't look back you won't regret it.
Great vid, I love my flail mower, 78" with the hammer blades. If you do a little sharpening now and then it will mow manicured looking areas/trails and tackle 2.5" brush. Don't try this with the Y blades. Keep it sharp and you will be so happy, depending on the look you are going for, adjust the 3 point and mower so that the rear of skids are just touching the ground and the roller is doing the work. This cuts down on making grooves from the skids while detail mowing. Tall grasses, back into them with the mower close to the ground and go forward all the way down, great mulching after that. You have done a great job, keep up the great work.
Very impressive! I do believe this is a better choice than a brush hog for heavier grass & pastures. It seems to be less "violent", I've seen brush hogs send some really large stuff a really long distance, lol. Also, the compactness of the unit would seem to be a real plus when in tight areas or around obstacles. Once again, great video, thanks for sharing!
Just keep in mind that you could really tear up this mower if there are rocks or branches or stumps, where as the brush hog while not as good of a cut, can take a pretty good hit by any of those things and keep going. As long as you are sure that there isn't anything hidden in the fields it would be good option for sure.
Well done, I appreciate multiple applications of this flail mower. Impressive results with your 3 year area - good acceptable results with your weekly area too.
What people don't seem to mention is that a Flail mower also rolls the ground so, over time, it helps smooth out the ground. That rear roller puts a few hundred pounds of weight down. My Brush Hog was always gouging the ground. My combination now is a Del Merino Flail (with hammers) and a Caroni Finish/Deck mower. You can turn pasture into real nice finish using that combo. The Brush Hog just left a big mess that was fine for Cows but not for humans, and unsuitable for a pass with my Finish mower.
Over 40-years ago, we bought a small house on a little over 9-acres. I knew the guy we bought from and he had a couple of horses and goats and a flock of chickens. I didn't want the animals though. He had a Ford 601 tractor with a bush hog and a middle-buster. I'd never owned a tractor and had very little experience with tractors, but figured that brush hog would be handy. It was, until it broke. Not sure why, but one of the two swing blades broke at the pivot. It didn't sling it very far, but sure shook the stuffings out of the tractor until it stopped. It took over a month to get replacement blades. By then, the field was more than knee deep, so I got right back at mowing. I'd never noticed a stump out there before, but found it when the center bar of the bush hog smacked it. It turned out that the previous owner replaced the shear pin with a Grade-8 bolt and tore up the transmission. It needed 3-gears and some smaller parts, but I never found two of them. I finally gave up a few years ago, still before internet, but after trying to sell it, as is. When we replaced the house with a bigger, better one, we sold the old Ford for scrap. Hated that! Now have a 1025-R and thinking about getting a flail mower for that field. Using a brush cutter ruins my back for a month, or so.
Glad to see the flail mower. I have been thinking about getting an offset flail mower. It would make maintaining the road/ditch line easier and safer. As the road surface has gotten a little higher, the tilt/angle increases. Looks like a good attachment.
Good day Courtney! Great cross -section of grasses/brush to show the performance of the Flail. They are really nice mowers for sure - especially for folks that have a mix of different terrain on their properties - from groomed grass to thicket and brush. I had to laugh because you did the same thing I did when I first tried one. I was cutting down to the dirt - the roller should have an adjustment to raise it up and then the top link needs to be extended out to raise the rotor up to the height you want for cutting the grass. LOL. I feel better now .:)) Thanks again - great seeing your equipment out in use on the property. Have a great week!
yes, new owners of flail mowers do think that it has to slide on those two side "sleds". No, the idea is that the mower is resting on the rear roller, while you adjust the top link and angle the mower so you dictate the mowing height with rotor height. The sleds are there just as the bottoming limit. And as GP Outdoors already said, usually you can also adjust the rear roller in 2-3 heights to aid with the cutting height adjustment, so you dont have to angle the mower too much if taller grass is desired. But keep in mind that it takes some time to reposition the roller and mostly also require some tools to do so. Also a small tip, if the grass is very thick, simply drive slower, if that doesnt help (with hammers often the case on weaker tractors), make first pass with taller rotor position and then a second pas with lower one. Have fun mowing, I certainly do.
I'd recommend that you raise the 3-point a bit when backing into brush, especially heavy stuff, then lower when you're making your forward cut. The blade rotation will tend to fold material when you back over it, and the flail doesn't generate a huge amount of lift to bring it back upright for a clean cut on the forward cut. Also, I suspect the belt drive might slip a bit before you got into a hard enough jam to break the shearbolt, as well as the blades being able to pivot on the roller. A shearbolt on one of these would probably only break if you got into a really bad jam.
The knives are usually the failure point on these mowers. They're easy to replace. In extreme conditions, I have had to weld new mounting ears on the shaft but that's very rare.
The top link definitely adjusts the height of the cut. It does it by pivoting the cutter angle on the rear roller, so making the top link longer effectively raises the cutter head. I think if you raise it some more maybe the lines it was leaving behind would go away.
Just spent a week and a half bush hogging the field edges with a 6' wide deck on 6' tall grass and brush. Have to use the hog because fallen branches and saplings. Never even considered a flail for what we have to deal with, but whatever works for the application. We also use a 7' deck on a S750 Bobcat, that works even better. Now we have to start trimming and cutting trees back. 500 acres gives you a lot of firewood.
One is for cutting grass, the hog is for running over all kinds of things that will tear up, or put excessive wear on a flail mower. A sharp bladed correctly set up hog will cut ALMOST as good as a flail, and if you run over a log or rock, will be so much more resilient.
If you’ll mow clockwise your offset mower will take a full swath and you won’t be running over so much of your uncut grass. On your set up, put the left front wheel right on your cut line (where the mower cut on its last pass) and let the right side of the mower have a full bite. I have 2 flails, one fine and one course cut, and they work great.
I started mowing the outside perimeter and just kept going...wasn't that big of a deal, no noticeable difference between driven over grass and non driven over grass. The flail didn't care :) Thanks for watching!
wow, in two or three years in Florida, you'd have a mini-forest. I think those areas you did the flail mower is definitely great, but smaller saplings and larger brush, the rotary cutter is still the way to go. I thought I could sell my bush hog, but then tried to use the flail mower for a bush hog kind of job and it didn't work that great, there's definitely to a difference between the two and their use if there is some cross-use.
I use a flail mower on the back of a Goldoni 20 (looks like a John Deer20A) change to hammer flails and you dont get the lines as good a fine cut as a finish mower
Idk if I’d want an offset. I can barely make it down my trails with just my tractor. I’m also leaning more towards hammer. Maybe just a light weight hammer. Just enough for those smaller saplings.
The Y style blades are what's making the lines. Install a set of hammer cutters and give them a try. I think they would be better for the wide variety of conditions that you just took us through.
I use an hydraulic top link to alter the mowers angle for uneven ground, or just for tuning the mowers travel in the flat. Super handy for checking the flails and unraveling fencing wire from the shaft as well, but that's another story...
I have a brush hog on my tractor and it works fine in the field and the back road going through our property and I love it. For the finer cutting mowing I use a zero turn mower to mow that grass and one of them works great while the other one which is newer don't cut grass like it should. I would not trust the mower you are using and my brother have a new zero turn mower to mow with and a used finishing mower he uses with his tractor and they both work perfectly and I can attest to that. I would not want to get one of the frail mowers like the one you are using and end up hating that I wasted money on it.
Definitely need to see the hammer blades on some brush/saplings. I’ve been checking in to these for a few weeks trying to make up my kind. Thanks for this video. As always it is nice to get some value added input and video evidence.
The flail mower is safer for sure. That's why most public operators use flail devices. How ever got heavy work the flail can't keep up. Its great for grass cutting but true brush cutting not so much. Best to have both.
I guess you never saw a "real" flail mower making short work of trees and stumps! Certainly not with Y blades. But with decent hammers it's a rather impressive piece of equipment. Getting rid of a tree stump is probably one of the most explicit ways the flail stop the hog on it's tracks! Truth be told the advantages of the hog vs the flail is simplicity and cost. 'cause for EVERYTHING else the flail surpasses with merit! Forget those preconceptions. See the real deal in action!
@@crpth1 What would you consider a "real" flail mower? I was using a 6600 Ford tractor to bush hog with. Now I'm using a Kubota 3901. I run over rocks as big as a foot and sometimes larger. I also run over solid rocks sticking out of the ground, larger trees and sometimes pull stumps out of the ground. I've had the heavy duty 6' Bush Hog brush cutter for quite a few years and have never sharpened it or had to do any repair work on it.
Nice video I know how that work can be I was a camp counselor at a youth camp.The manager that hired the paid staff and grounds keeper.Told me he broke a sheer pin bush hogging The pasture and due to shortness of people The pasture Just had to wait sometime that week We had a nature walk.Part of it went through the pasture I said let's walk through the barn I did not want to lose any kids in the pasture do to the grass being as tall or taller then some the kids I was handling preschool and kindergarten kids.
The nice thing about the Y-blades is that most of them are reversible. Flip them around and you have sharp new blade faces. Of course, if you're in heavy stemmy stuff the extra weight of the hammers chews through it better with less blade wear compared to the Y-blades.
I concur with the maintenance issue. I have a flail and a rotary cutter and the flail has run me around the farm on maintenance. I've had to do belts, a bunch of hammer blade replacements (Not cheap!) and the roller got bent and had to be replaced as well. Rotary cutters don't really have any of that and take abuse a lot better as well
Just bought my first tractor, Solectrac CET. I need a mower and curious what is better for 15 acres of rolling hills of mostly grass fields, finish mower, brush hot, flail. Big emphasis on the rolling hills some of which I will have to stay off of due to safety. Appreciate any suggestions.
If going around in circles, I would put the offset side of mower into the uncut grass so that your dual on the left side is in the already cut grass instead of knocking down the uncut grass with it. In other words, make right turns with this setup.
I see your point, however it is because I started mowing around the outside perimeter so I never adjusted. Just kept going round and round. It was a small area, no big deal.
I started mowing the perimeter first. Geez, I wasn't only mowing the 8" sticking out beyond the wheels. Doesn't matter which way I mowed, there was going to be grass that was driven over first. Chill gentlemen.
As long as the flail mower doesn't shear a pin over a hidden rock etc like a flat mower seems to be the best of two worlds. The Flail mower get 'er done.
My 6' flail can do a decent job on lawn areas - I think you've got it set too low. For heavy grass & weeds I've found that you just have to reduce your forward speed. Wet tall grass & weeds can sometimes bunch up at the back of the mower.
@@GoodWorksTractors In a couple of shots it looks like you're kicking up soil. Mine has the same kind of knives and it doesn't leave lines as prominent as yours, which makes me think you're cutting too close to the ground. Park it on a flat, level paved surface and measure how close the tip of the knives are to pavement - if they're closer than 2 inches you should look at raising the mower, either by adjusting the roller or by lengthening the top link. Because of the angled edge on the knife, it's not going to cut to a uniform height like a belly mower would.
@@GoodWorksTractors BTW, I use mine for maintaining what were once hayfields. It does a pretty good job on younger woody brush like white pine & autumn olive (I hate that invasive). The knives do get bent from hitting heavy wood or rocks - I've replaced a number of them mostly because of New England's bony soil and the tips of massive boulders that you can't see when the grass & weeds get to 6 feet or more in height. Grandpa's farm was carved out of some hilly woods many decades ago - if you tried to clean out all of the nuggets you'd lower the land surface by a couple of feet, so most were left slightly below the soil surface. Many years of frost lifts them above the surface.
Thanks for the demonstration. Did I miss a video on the stump bucket? I looked at your website after this video looking for the stump bucket and didn't see it. I am interested in that stump bucket
I have a 2025r and a Cosmo FL 165 flail, only 480 lbs. I have run it around the front yard, it's flat no rocks. Grass is short but ran fine. My inly concern is the shear bolt. It's and M10 which seem a bit large. Do I leave it or should I downsize it? Mower runs quiet
Older machines had finer blades and you can mow grass just as well as regular mower. Have 72in JD grooming mower and I just bought a 72in mott mower for $60 and it mows finer that the grooming mower but it has almost 200 blades on it.
I have been tuned into your channel for a couple of months now, we just bought a 1025R and your content has been so helpful with this tractor. We live in Vermont and I want to get a tiller for the tractor but not sure which one, our dealer is okay but I have got much more information watching your channel. What would you recommend for a tiller? We live in a heavily wooded lot, we are clearing trees, digging up stumps with the backhoe and working on turning our lot into a bigger one. Any suggestions would be helpful and maybe a good place to buy a tiller, shipping scares me on items like that especially these days
Could you also get extra clearance by mowing with it elevated via the 3-point hitch. Our property has a lot of very rocky and uneven sections but I need to keep the poplars under control or they’ll take over. (I’ve tried a brush hog with a 9-inch clearance which is great clearance but it’s unwieldy sticking out the back 8 feet and the quality of the cut is not as good)
i really appreciate you demoing the different implements. i Have a 3025E and yes i have a backhoe, i use mine alot. i have to drop it often i use a simple a-frame Dolly (15 min on /off). then connect to a box blade or a rake. do you have any recommendations for aftermarket turn buckles on the three point? have to say the ones that Come with the JD appear to be something they did not put a lot of thought into.
If you need to cut brush or trees get a bushhog. If you need to mow a field get a flail mower, or a finish mower attachment. When clearing actual brush a flail mower does not compare to a bushhog, unless you like taking 2 to 3 time as long to clear the brush. Just on man's a opinion with over 20yrs. experience.
Do you think that the duals helped with stability with the offset of the mower? Any idea how the tractor would handle the mower running single rear tires?
I'd probably go with hammers...no need to worry about the finished result being super smooth with corn stalks, so I'd take the extra durability found with hammer blades.
The flail should be higher, 3-4” I ran one of these on a old Ford Jubilee they are amazing for many cutting jobs. We got a finish cut with the one on our big ford! I really want one but cost is preventing me from this!
Request for test.... Do you have any of the road frontage type drainage ditches in your area? I would be interested in seeing your unit mow a ditch, in afield, on the road to see how it handles the banks etc. I know it's manual but I would think it could be adjusted like a hydraulic version. I also went looking for a price for the hydraulic version but didn''t find a price. Thanks 1025 R owner
Hi, in the specs for this mower, it says it has an aluminum gearbox, wherease their larger models (Centurion) have cast iron gearbox. Will this affect the lifetime of the unit, especially in high load applications ?
I like smooth cut of flail mower. However, when I got into thick stuff, the belt kept breaking. Went back to bush hog. Does your work like bush hog, or does it use a belt?
If you're breaking belts instead of having them slip you have them set too tight. They are supposed to be able to flex between half an inch and an inch. Otherwise you are putting too much stress on them and the bearing in the pulleys
Just another tool in the toolbox...:) Y-blades provide a very nice near finish cut Will still go to the brush hog when the field is unknown or there are lots of saplings....because if something breaks due to that activity...it is cheaper and simpler to fix a brush hog vs a flail
Correct interpretation regarding the cost and simplicity. But wrong on everything else. ;-) I just wrote similar on another comment. Those are precisely the two advantages of the hog vs the flail. Now on EVERYTHING else the flail is better! BTW You would have more chance of "survival" on an unknown field with saplings & trees. With a flail than a hog! How about that?! Get some decent hammers and trees with respective stumps become one more exercise... Something you cannot even dream with a hog. ;-)
Missed posting in a timely manner. I was doing that 4 letter thing, work. SO I went through the drudgery of work to come here and be confronted by a MANSCAPE commercial!! Faint..........................thud!! Thank goodness some seriously good implement action was to follow. Perhaps showcasing the flail mower was more to dovetail with the manscape thing? :)
I used to pull a 9 foot Ford flail mower behind a ford 4610 in northern California. We mowed odd lots for fire supersession. The beauty of the flail is it mulches, unlike a bush hog. A good flail mower is a beast, I ran over everything from bicycles to shopping carts, to rebar. Had to replace some blades, but it kept on going. The only time I broke a shear pin was when I was mowing an old abandoned drive in movie theater. The place was filled with tumble weeds, higher than the tractor. The mower would suck them in all at once. If you want a mower that can handle the front yard, and the back pasture, I would recommend a good flail mower
Been Using a six foot flail mower with the same blade setup as yours for 25 years now . Would never use anything else again . The best all round attachment I have ever used . Mulching leaves in fall / taking down scrub / grinding up large wood chips on the trails / just about anything . My property and trails are so healthy and neat because the flail mower grinds down close and nice allowing better composting and even neat spread . That’s a really sweet and well built flail mower your using . I recommend people too try them and pay the extra money . Good demonstration 👍👍👍
Wow, very good insight. Thank you sir!
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I used a flail mower for years and for areas that are known to be clear of hidden barbed wire they work fantastic. Rocks and cement aren't a problem (actually sharpens or breaks the tines) Every season I replaced maybe 6 tines at the most. Also if there is barbed wire a flail mower will find it. Be shure to bring a sharp knife and a good pair of wire cutters because if you hit it you will be down around 20 minutes if your lucky. Flail mowers are by far better for cutting known clear open areas, always carry a fire extinguisher because they will send sparks although I never experienced a fire. If you have a property you know is clear sell the brush hog get a flail mower and in the shop order 50 tines 25 pens to hold the tines and 10 cotter pins also never forget the grease gun and don't look back you won't regret it.
Great info sir, thank you for taking the time to share. I've found some barbed wire with mine too. Fortunately, just a small section.
@@GoodWorksTractors I can guarantee it was buried and alittle of it was sticking up.
Great vid, I love my flail mower, 78" with the hammer blades. If you do a little sharpening now and then it will mow manicured looking areas/trails and tackle 2.5" brush. Don't try this with the Y blades. Keep it sharp and you will be so happy, depending on the look you are going for, adjust the 3 point and mower so that the rear of skids are just touching the ground and the roller is doing the work. This cuts down on making grooves from the skids while detail mowing. Tall grasses, back into them with the mower close to the ground and go forward all the way down, great mulching after that. You have done a great job, keep up the great work.
Yep will try hammers at some point.
Very impressive! I do believe this is a better choice than a brush hog for heavier grass & pastures. It seems to be less "violent", I've seen brush hogs send some really large stuff a really long distance, lol. Also, the compactness of the unit would seem to be a real plus when in tight areas or around obstacles. Once again, great video, thanks for sharing!
I really, really liked it. I think I'd prefer the flail over the hog in many applications. Have a good day Belinda!
Just keep in mind that you could really tear up this mower if there are rocks or branches or stumps, where as the brush hog while not as good of a cut, can take a pretty good hit by any of those things and keep going. As long as you are sure that there isn't anything hidden in the fields it would be good option for sure.
Well done, I appreciate multiple applications of this flail mower. Impressive results with your 3 year area - good acceptable results with your weekly area too.
What people don't seem to mention is that a Flail mower also rolls the ground so, over time, it helps smooth out the ground. That rear roller puts a few hundred pounds of weight down.
My Brush Hog was always gouging the ground. My combination now is a Del Merino Flail (with hammers) and a Caroni Finish/Deck mower. You can turn pasture into real nice finish using that combo. The Brush Hog just left a big mess that was fine for Cows but not for humans, and unsuitable for a pass with my Finish mower.
Over 40-years ago, we bought a small house on a little over 9-acres. I knew the guy we bought from and he had a couple of horses and goats and a flock of chickens. I didn't want the animals though. He had a Ford 601 tractor with a bush hog and a middle-buster. I'd never owned a tractor and had very little experience with tractors, but figured that brush hog would be handy. It was, until it broke. Not sure why, but one of the two swing blades broke at the pivot. It didn't sling it very far, but sure shook the stuffings out of the tractor until it stopped. It took over a month to get replacement blades. By then, the field was more than knee deep, so I got right back at mowing. I'd never noticed a stump out there before, but found it when the center bar of the bush hog smacked it. It turned out that the previous owner replaced the shear pin with a Grade-8 bolt and tore up the transmission. It needed 3-gears and some smaller parts, but I never found two of them. I finally gave up a few years ago, still before internet, but after trying to sell it, as is. When we replaced the house with a bigger, better one, we sold the old Ford for scrap. Hated that! Now have a 1025-R and thinking about getting a flail mower for that field. Using a brush cutter ruins my back for a month, or so.
Glad to see the flail mower. I have been thinking about getting an offset flail mower. It would make maintaining the road/ditch line easier and safer. As the road surface has gotten a little higher, the tilt/angle increases. Looks like a good attachment.
Good day Courtney! Great cross -section of grasses/brush to show the performance of the Flail. They are really nice mowers for sure - especially for folks that have a mix of different terrain on their properties - from groomed grass to thicket and brush. I had to laugh because you did the same thing I did when I first tried one. I was cutting down to the dirt - the roller should have an adjustment to raise it up and then the top link needs to be extended out to raise the rotor up to the height you want for cutting the grass. LOL. I feel better now .:)) Thanks again - great seeing your equipment out in use on the property. Have a great week!
yes, new owners of flail mowers do think that it has to slide on those two side "sleds". No, the idea is that the mower is resting on the rear roller, while you adjust the top link and angle the mower so you dictate the mowing height with rotor height. The sleds are there just as the bottoming limit. And as GP Outdoors already said, usually you can also adjust the rear roller in 2-3 heights to aid with the cutting height adjustment, so you dont have to angle the mower too much if taller grass is desired. But keep in mind that it takes some time to reposition the roller and mostly also require some tools to do so. Also a small tip, if the grass is very thick, simply drive slower, if that doesnt help (with hammers often the case on weaker tractors), make first pass with taller rotor position and then a second pas with lower one.
Have fun mowing, I certainly do.
I'd recommend that you raise the 3-point a bit when backing into brush, especially heavy stuff, then lower when you're making your forward cut. The blade rotation will tend to fold material when you back over it, and the flail doesn't generate a huge amount of lift to bring it back upright for a clean cut on the forward cut.
Also, I suspect the belt drive might slip a bit before you got into a hard enough jam to break the shearbolt, as well as the blades being able to pivot on the roller. A shearbolt on one of these would probably only break if you got into a really bad jam.
I agree.
How do you put dual wheels on a small tractor?
The knives are usually the failure point on these mowers. They're easy to replace. In extreme conditions, I have had to weld new mounting ears on the shaft but that's very rare.
The top link definitely adjusts the height of the cut. It does it by pivoting the cutter angle on the rear roller, so making the top link longer effectively raises the cutter head. I think if you raise it some more maybe the lines it was leaving behind would go away.
Yes, I should have tried raising higher. I feel like I'm always in a rush!
From my reading, the rear roller is "coarse height adjustment" and the toplink is "fine height adjustment".
From what I've seen I like this type of mower.👍
Great video Sir
I own a ford 907 flail mower and I love it
It is a all around mower for my small farm
Thanks again
EDWARD Martin
Awesome, thanks for watching!
Just spent a week and a half bush hogging the field edges with a 6' wide deck on 6' tall grass and brush. Have to use the hog because fallen branches and saplings. Never even considered a flail for what we have to deal with, but whatever works for the application. We also use a 7' deck on a S750 Bobcat, that works even better. Now we have to start trimming and cutting trees back. 500 acres gives you a lot of firewood.
Great demonstration, just comparing it to my brush hog I think the flail has more pros then cons.
I tend to agree
One is for cutting grass, the hog is for running over all kinds of things that will tear up, or put excessive wear on a flail mower. A sharp bladed correctly set up hog will cut ALMOST as good as a flail, and if you run over a log or rock, will be so much more resilient.
Mount hammers instead of blades on the flail mower.
If you’ll mow clockwise your offset mower will take a full swath and you won’t be running over so much of your uncut grass. On your set up, put the left front wheel right on your cut line (where the mower cut on its last pass) and let the right side of the mower have a full bite. I have 2 flails, one fine and one course cut, and they work great.
I started mowing the outside perimeter and just kept going...wasn't that big of a deal, no noticeable difference between driven over grass and non driven over grass. The flail didn't care :) Thanks for watching!
@@GoodWorksTractors Until you hit something you couldn't see and pull off a hydro line etc.
Looks like the perfect machine for prepping deer plots.
Moving more and more towards getting one. I like the better cut quality, and they're smaller, and potentially less maintenance.
wow, in two or three years in Florida, you'd have a mini-forest. I think those areas you did the flail mower is definitely great, but smaller saplings and larger brush, the rotary cutter is still the way to go. I thought I could sell my bush hog, but then tried to use the flail mower for a bush hog kind of job and it didn't work that great, there's definitely to a difference between the two and their use if there is some cross-use.
Hammer blades?
I use a flail mower on the back of a Goldoni 20 (looks like a John Deer20A) change to hammer flails and you dont get the lines as good a fine cut as a finish mower
i'd love to see you compare Y vs Hammers on different areas like that mowed area and that area that hadn't been touched in 3 years.
The blades would shred better in terms of mulched material dimension?
Idk if I’d want an offset. I can barely make it down my trails with just my tractor. I’m also leaning more towards hammer. Maybe just a light weight hammer. Just enough for those smaller saplings.
The Y style blades are what's making the lines. Install a set of hammer cutters and give them a try. I think they would be better for the wide variety of conditions that you just took us through.
So what would the Y blades be used on then? I tried them on regularly mowed grass, 6 week growth, 2.5 month growth, and 3-4 year growth.
@@GoodWorksTractors rough cutting. Not finish mowing.
@@stonevalleyozark475 This manufacturer specifically states the exact opposite.
It's making the lines the same way a rippled blade makes Ruffles potato chips. That's my theory any way.
I have that same brand mower but mine is the non off set one. Works great also out here in Colorado's dry grass.Much less dust that a hog.
Yes, I noticed that. Much less dust.
💥 Nice work! Looks like you’re really enjoying that flail mower. The Y blades do a great job cutting light to heavy grass.
*Keep on tractoring!*
Yes sir, sure was fun!
I use an hydraulic top link to alter the mowers angle for uneven ground, or just for tuning the mowers travel in the flat. Super handy for checking the flails and unraveling fencing wire from the shaft as well, but that's another story...
😂👍
I have a brush hog on my tractor and it works fine in the field and the back road going through our property and I love it. For the finer cutting mowing I use a zero turn mower to mow that grass and one of them works great while the other one which is newer don't cut grass like it should. I would not trust the mower you are using and my brother have a new zero turn mower to mow with and a used finishing mower he uses with his tractor and they both work perfectly and I can attest to that. I would not want to get one of the frail mowers like the one you are using and end up hating that I wasted money on it.
We have a brush hog and a flail mower. The flail mower has a much nicer cut than the brush hog does. I don't even want to use the brush anymore.
I kind of feel the same way!
I like how the flail mower does . Great job buddy thanks for sharing
Thank you sir!
They are a true mulcher unlike a bushhog mower. I wish I had bought an offset flail instead of my 60" bush hog.
Definitely need to see the hammer blades on some brush/saplings. I’ve been checking in to these for a few weeks trying to make up my kind. Thanks for this video. As always it is nice to get some value added input and video evidence.
Yeah, I'll get another with hammers eventually
Good Works Tractors.....you’re the best! Thanks again.
The flail mower is safer for sure. That's why most public operators use flail devices. How ever got heavy work the flail can't keep up. Its great for grass cutting but true brush cutting not so much. Best to have both.
I guess you never saw a "real" flail mower making short work of trees and stumps! Certainly not with Y blades. But with decent hammers it's a rather impressive piece of equipment. Getting rid of a tree stump is probably one of the most explicit ways the flail stop the hog on it's tracks!
Truth be told the advantages of the hog vs the flail is simplicity and cost. 'cause for EVERYTHING else the flail surpasses with merit! Forget those preconceptions. See the real deal in action!
@@crpth1 What would you consider a "real" flail mower? I was using a 6600 Ford tractor to bush hog with. Now I'm using a Kubota 3901. I run over rocks as big as a foot and sometimes larger. I also run over solid rocks sticking out of the ground, larger trees and sometimes pull stumps out of the ground. I've had the heavy duty 6' Bush Hog brush cutter for quite a few years and have never sharpened it or had to do any repair work on it.
Nice video I know how that work can be I was a camp counselor at a youth camp.The manager that hired the paid staff and grounds keeper.Told me he broke a sheer pin bush hogging The pasture and due to shortness of people The pasture Just had to wait sometime that week We had a nature walk.Part of it went through the pasture I said let's walk through the barn I did not want to lose any kids in the pasture do to the grass being as tall or taller then some the kids I was handling preschool and kindergarten kids.
I’d love a 7’ flail, the increased need for maintenance is one of the reasons I keep sticking with my brush hog.
They do such a nice job though!
Yes, very impressed with the quality of cut
Maintenance meaning blade sharpening?
Mulchers are more complex machines than rotary cutters. Also the hammers will wear out over time and need replacement.
The nice thing about the Y-blades is that most of them are reversible. Flip them around and you have sharp new blade faces. Of course, if you're in heavy stemmy stuff the extra weight of the hammers chews through it better with less blade wear compared to the Y-blades.
I concur with the maintenance issue. I have a flail and a rotary cutter and the flail has run me around the farm on maintenance. I've had to do belts, a bunch of hammer blade replacements (Not cheap!) and the roller got bent and had to be replaced as well. Rotary cutters don't really have any of that and take abuse a lot better as well
Thanks for the demo! Really nice. Now just waiting to get one in stock.
Yes, not sure when they'll be back in stock. Probably get a whole bunch in the spring. Maybe a few here and there this fall.
@@GoodWorksTractors Sounds good. Keep me posted!
That works good as a verticutter on regular mowed grass. Will allow great new growth.
Just bought my first tractor, Solectrac CET. I need a mower and curious what is better for 15 acres of rolling hills of mostly grass fields, finish mower, brush hot, flail. Big emphasis on the rolling hills some of which I will have to stay off of due to safety. Appreciate any suggestions.
If going around in circles, I would put the offset side of mower into the uncut grass so that your dual on the left side is in the already cut grass instead of knocking down the uncut grass with it. In other words, make right turns with this setup.
I see your point, however it is because I started mowing around the outside perimeter so I never adjusted. Just kept going round and round. It was a small area, no big deal.
Yep, that is the purpose of having the flail offset.
Yeah i was gonna say turn around and put the mower in the grass ...not drive in the grass
I started mowing the perimeter first. Geez, I wasn't only mowing the 8" sticking out beyond the wheels. Doesn't matter which way I mowed, there was going to be grass that was driven over first. Chill gentlemen.
As long as the flail mower doesn't shear a pin over a hidden rock etc like a flat mower seems to be the best of two worlds. The Flail mower get 'er done.
Dude...that thing is awesome
My 6' flail can do a decent job on lawn areas - I think you've got it set too low.
For heavy grass & weeds I've found that you just have to reduce your forward speed.
Wet tall grass & weeds can sometimes bunch up at the back of the mower.
Why do you think it's set too low?
@@GoodWorksTractors In a couple of shots it looks like you're kicking up soil. Mine has the same kind of knives and it doesn't leave lines as prominent as yours, which makes me think you're cutting too close to the ground. Park it on a flat, level paved surface and measure how close the tip of the knives are to pavement - if they're closer than 2 inches you should look at raising the mower, either by adjusting the roller or by lengthening the top link. Because of the angled edge on the knife, it's not going to cut to a uniform height like a belly mower would.
@@GoodWorksTractors BTW, I use mine for maintaining what were once hayfields. It does a pretty good job on younger woody brush like white pine & autumn olive (I hate that invasive). The knives do get bent from hitting heavy wood or rocks - I've replaced a number of them mostly because of New England's bony soil and the tips of massive boulders that you can't see when the grass & weeds get to 6 feet or more in height. Grandpa's farm was carved out of some hilly woods many decades ago - if you tried to clean out all of the nuggets you'd lower the land surface by a couple of feet, so most were left slightly below the soil surface. Many years of frost lifts them above the surface.
@@blessed7fold It is a New Holland 6ft. Don't have the model number handy.
Thanks for the demonstration. Did I miss a video on the stump bucket? I looked at your website after this video looking for the stump bucket and didn't see it. I am interested in that stump bucket
Yes, please share how to buy a stump bucket for HLA fork frame!
Coming soon!
Shouldn't be too long!
Very nice, before your vids I’d been eyeballing the FH brand, was going to something this winter. I like the offset & id like hammers.
Glad you enjoyed!
@@GoodWorksTractors 0
I have a 2025r and a Cosmo FL 165 flail, only 480 lbs. I have run it around the front yard, it's flat no rocks. Grass is short but ran fine. My inly concern is the shear bolt. It's and M10 which seem a bit large. Do I leave it or should I downsize it? Mower runs quiet
You ever hit a rock with a brush hog
Flail mower is the way to go
Older machines had finer blades and you can mow grass just as well as regular mower. Have 72in JD grooming mower and I just bought a 72in mott mower for $60 and it mows finer that the grooming mower but it has almost 200 blades on it.
Nice John Deere 👍
Interesting approach with the dual wheels. We would install on 1445’s for stability. Can they size a Trelleborg for that compact.
I have been tuned into your channel for a couple of months now, we just bought a 1025R and your content has been so helpful with this tractor. We live in Vermont and I want to get a tiller for the tractor but not sure which one, our dealer is okay but I have got much more information watching your channel. What would you recommend for a tiller? We live in a heavily wooded lot, we are clearing trees, digging up stumps with the backhoe and working on turning our lot into a bigger one. Any suggestions would be helpful and maybe a good place to buy a tiller, shipping scares me on items like that especially these days
Could you also get extra clearance by mowing with it elevated via the 3-point hitch. Our property has a lot of very rocky and uneven sections but I need to keep the poplars under control or they’ll take over. (I’ve tried a brush hog with a 9-inch clearance which is great clearance but it’s unwieldy sticking out the back 8 feet and the quality of the cut is not as good)
Did you remember to add weights to the front bucket? Helps to OFFSET and counterbalance the flail mower!.
i really appreciate you demoing the different implements. i Have a 3025E and yes i have a backhoe, i use mine alot. i have to drop it often i use a simple a-frame Dolly (15 min on /off). then connect to a box blade or a rake. do you have any recommendations for aftermarket turn buckles on the three point? have to say the ones that Come with the JD appear to be something they did not put a lot of thought into.
No options, but on the list of things to create!
If you need to cut brush or trees get a bushhog.
If you need to mow a field get a flail mower, or a finish mower attachment.
When clearing actual brush a flail mower does not compare to a bushhog, unless you like taking 2 to 3 time as long to clear the brush.
Just on man's a opinion with over 20yrs. experience.
Thanks for watching.
I mow with the offset on uncut grass, to keep tractor from compressing uncut grass.
Dumb question. Will the offset cause problem loading on a trailer?
That really depends on your trailer. My open deck trailers work fine.
Do you think that the duals helped with stability with the offset of the mower? Any idea how the tractor would handle the mower running single rear tires?
How much is the hydraulically angled one for the ditches? When you get one in we could try it on my ditches and under my pine trees on my 955.
Quite a bit more. You'd also need a larger series mower too.
Guess someone didn’t do their homework like I have.. lol
Wonder if this small flail would work on a X729? I believe the lifting capacity of the three point is 400lbs at 24 in. The PTO HP should be in range.
Possibly, but not sure what the PTO HP is on a x7 Series gasser. Might make a difference.
Great stuff enjoyed that, thank you
Thanks for watching!
You need to mow in more of a clockwise direction or keep the uncut area to your right so your only running over the uncut grass with one set of wheels
Don’t flail in circles go in straight lines ....you will break a linkage on the 3 pt as you are shifting the pressure to one side.....
Ausome. Totally getting instead of slasher/ brush hog?
Flail mowers work great in vineyards. They suck up and shred the prunings from the vines. A brush hog just cuts off what ever it sticking up.
Great video. I have a JD 855 and use a Rhino RF74 flail. Do you know where i can buy fine cut knives for it thanks.
i noticed you didn't have the flail mower attached to your quick attachment?
Y blades or hammer blades for thick dry corn stalks?
I'd probably go with hammers...no need to worry about the finished result being super smooth with corn stalks, so I'd take the extra durability found with hammer blades.
@@GoodWorksTractors I am at 28125 would that be free shipping on a 62inch
@@johnhall1614 Yes, it sure would
I loved the video, thank you! Please wear your hearing protection. I could use the duel wheels here in the land of mud.
I had the orange squishy plugs in, should have worn the blue muffs too.
Good Works Tractors I’m sorry, I couldn’t see them. You must get sick of us criticizing you. Have a great day!
Trimax ezmow flail mower. can you watch that . What are the type of cutters . Do a nice job . Have you ever heard of them.
Do they make any brush hogs with belt pto for compact tractors?
Looking at your tricked out tractor, the only thing missing is the spinning rims!!
Lol...know where I can find a set?
It's missing the matching orange paint.
The flail should be higher, 3-4” I ran one of these on a old Ford Jubilee they are amazing for many cutting jobs. We got a finish cut with the one on our big ford! I really want one but cost is preventing me from this!
Flail mowers aren't designed to mow backward. I wish they were more affordable, 'cause I really want one.
Request for test.... Do you have any of the road frontage type drainage ditches in your area? I would be interested in seeing your unit mow a ditch, in afield, on the road to see how it handles the banks etc. I know it's manual but I would think it could be adjusted like a hydraulic version. I also went looking for a price for the hydraulic version but didn''t find a price. Thanks 1025 R owner
I'd have to search to find a spot.
Very nice, I like it!
Thanks for watching!
I’ve always wanted a flail mower for my Kabota BX 2200 what do you suggest?
I'd go with the 42" or 52"
@@GoodWorksTractors so what name brand and do you know approximate cost?
Can you use it with a quick hitch if you don;'t want to/need to offset?
No, unfortunately not quick hitch compatible.
Beautiful machines ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
are you mowing in low or high gear?
Nice video how much is the flail mower and where could I order one?
Seemed to work well.
Was that as far over that it can be shifted? Can it angle up and down, or is it always parallel to the ground?
Yes, shifted as far right as possible. Can adjust tilt angle for cut height.
Why didn't you choose the hammer blades?
They didn't have it in stock at the time. I figure I'll try out both versions at some point anyways, so I wasn't too concerned about it.
Hi, in the specs for this mower, it says it has an aluminum gearbox, wherease their larger models (Centurion) have cast iron gearbox. Will this affect the lifetime of the unit, especially in high load applications ?
Cool video I’m just not sure why you have “dualies” on the tractor though
Does the 1025r have enough horse to use a 60inch deck with flaia mower
Not sure, probably would max it out
Mowing or rototilling?
I like smooth cut of flail mower. However, when I got into thick stuff, the belt kept breaking. Went back to bush hog. Does your work like bush hog, or does it use a belt?
Brush hogs use a shear bolt or slip clutch. Flails typically use a belt.
Do you run your tractor at full throttle when the belts break, and are you hitting stumps and rocks?
If you're breaking belts instead of having them slip you have them set too tight. They are supposed to be able to flex between half an inch and an inch. Otherwise you are putting too much stress on them and the bearing in the pulleys
Just another tool in the toolbox...:)
Y-blades provide a very nice near finish cut
Will still go to the brush hog when the field is unknown or there are lots of saplings....because if something breaks due to that activity...it is cheaper and simpler to fix a brush hog vs a flail
Yeah maybe hammers for mostly saplings and woody material.
Correct interpretation regarding the cost and simplicity. But wrong on everything else. ;-)
I just wrote similar on another comment. Those are precisely the two advantages of the hog vs the flail. Now on EVERYTHING else the flail is better! BTW You would have more chance of "survival" on an unknown field with saplings & trees. With a flail than a hog! How about that?!
Get some decent hammers and trees with respective stumps become one more exercise... Something you cannot even dream with a hog. ;-)
@@crpth1 Happy you feel that way...:)...I'll still stay with my 40 plus years in whacking unknown fields...:)
Missed posting in a timely manner. I was doing that 4 letter thing, work. SO I went through the drudgery of work to come here and be confronted by a MANSCAPE commercial!! Faint..........................thud!! Thank goodness some seriously good implement action was to follow. Perhaps showcasing the flail mower was more to dovetail with the manscape thing? :)
😂👍 good to hear from you Lea
@@GoodWorksTractors Always great to hear from you Courtney! Your informational videos make my day. :)
Do you know where I can get one of these for my 1025R.
Nice-great video thanks
Thanks for watching!
Very nice. 👍
Thanks for watching!
what would be the biggest for a B2601?
What's the implement on the front and do you have a video about it?
Stump bucket. Not yet, but I will soon after it's out of prototype phase.
I’m interested in the stump bucket as seen in this video.
Still in prototype phase, should be ready for sale soon
I would be happy to do some testing for you.😃
@@Twoblaines me too!
@@GoodWorksTractors do you have a way to notify folks when it is ready?
how long is the grass after it is cut? I guess what I am asking is does it work better set lower or higher?
If I recall, 1-4"