Opico Skidster or sherpa mini loaders

[Mark Bolam]

We all want more inches Big Lad!

 

Marcs 230 was perfect here as we could shove it round with the loader in awkward spots.

 

Cord was left on site, habitat piles!

It’s a joy leaving 12” heavy in 6’ lengths and just stacking in the brambles!

 

Mark Broadley’s Bandit would have got bogged, we can call in the bigger guns if we need them, but this wasn’t the site for it.

 

Bigger chipper = bigger truck for me.

 

Where does it end?!!!!

 

Are you going to the APF?

[Dbikeguy]

Flails and mini loaders…
I’m looking at ways of mechanising a few yearly jobs mostly clearing long grass, nettles etc currently using hand held strimmers.

Looking at a mini loader for the landscaping side of things, either a cast or sherpa (needs to go below 80cm to deal with domestic side gates to be able to maximise its use)
Has anyone found a flail they will run? i’ve found some that sit in the middle of the required flow rates but can’t find any videos

[dumper]

5 minutes ago, Dbikeguy said:

Flails and mini loaders…
I’m looking at ways of mechanising a few yearly jobs mostly clearing long grass, nettles etc currently using hand held strimmers.

Looking at a mini loader for the landscaping side of things, either a cast or sherpa (needs to go below 80cm to deal with domestic side gates to be able to maximise its use)
Has anyone found a flail they will run? i’ve found some that sit in the middle of the required flow rates but can’t find any videos

Talk to Klou they make their flails and motors to suit the hydraulic output of your loader 

[Mick Dempsey]

3 minutes ago, Dbikeguy said:

Flails and mini loaders…
I’m looking at ways of mechanising a few yearly jobs mostly clearing long grass, nettles etc currently using hand held strimmers.

Looking at a mini loader for the landscaping side of things, either a cast or sherpa (needs to go below 80cm to deal with domestic side gates to be able to maximise its use)
Has anyone found a flail they will run? i’ve found some that sit in the middle of the required flow rates but can’t find any videos

You’re right to be wary.

My Multione 9.5 (now Avant 750) runs a flail, results can be patchy, stuff like brambles, bracken and the like it’s excellent. Long grass it tends to just stroke down and woody saplings lose the bark and that’s it.

 

Get a demo if you can.

[Mark Bolam]

@Dave Alviti recently put a vid up of a 1m flail on the Microbull thread.

 

You’d need to go narrower for access, obviously, or detach the flail to get in the gates.

[doobin]

11 minutes ago, Dbikeguy said:

Flails and mini loaders…
I’m looking at ways of mechanising a few yearly jobs mostly clearing long grass, nettles etc currently using hand held strimmers.

Looking at a mini loader for the landscaping side of things, either a cast or sherpa (needs to go below 80cm to deal with domestic side gates to be able to maximise its use)
Has anyone found a flail they will run? i’ve found some that sit in the middle of the required flow rates but can’t find any videos

You'll get a second hand compact tractor and flail for less than the cost of the loader flail.

 

I don't know why people insist on using a loader for tasks that could be acheived with a compact tractor. A hydraulic PTO is so inneficient, and 3-pt linkage attachments are way, way cheaper. Even secondhand, an Avant flail commands strong money due to rarity- probably £2.5k You can pick up tractor flails for £1k all day long.

 

My Kubota compact has been a great purchase, way more useful than I dreamed. In the last two years I have bought:

 

Flail collector- £800

Second flail collector plus scarifier blades- £1200

Vacuum grass collector to pick up from the mid mount deck- £250

PTO driven deep aerator- £500

Topper (new)- £800

Stump grinder (new)- £1800

Mole plough- £400

Firewood processor- £4500

Heavy roller- £250

Fertiliser/seed spreader- £250

PTO generator- £400

Roller fed chipper (new)- £2500

 

 

All those attachments are available to fit a loader, but you'd be very lucky to find them second hand and they would cost five to ten times as much new (really not an exaggeration, £8k for the Avant flail collector!) I can provide a huge range of services with gear that cost me peanuts. A loader is to load and carry (and they are great at it). A tractor is to run implements requiring power efficiently.

 

 

You won't run any sort of flail on a Sherpa or Cast. Even the 22hp option only puts out 28l/min. A 1.5t mini digger puts out 30l/min, some claim that their 1.5t runs a flail great but lets be honest, they don't really. They can only slew- any other movement robs all the flow. You need very expensive piston motors on the flail to get even a reasonable performance. As the little loaders have hydraulic drive, you simply won't be able to drive and flail, it'll be like tracking and flailing on a mini digger which is widely acknowledged as impossible.

 

In your circumstances, I appreciate that a compact tractor won't work (width). I'd get yourself an engine driven flail like they use behind or in front of quads, and fit loader brackets to it. That would be very effective. You could also consider a two-wheel tractor with flail mower, or a Scag/Ferris self propelled pedestrian flail.

[doobin]

25 minutes ago, dumper said:

Talk to Klou they make their flails and motors to suit the hydraulic output of your loader 

Yup- as I alluded to, expensive piston motors with the swash plate set to the optimum for the machine/implement flow balance. Doesn't mean that they will work well- there are still horrendous losses in even an optimised hydraulic system compared to PTO drive, and low HP to start with compounds this.

[doobin]

27 minutes ago, Mick Dempsey said:

You’re right to be wary.

My Multione 9.5 (now Avant 750) runs a flail, results can be patchy, stuff like brambles, bracken and the like it’s excellent. Long grass it tends to just stroke down and woody saplings lose the bark and that’s it.

 

Get a demo if you can.

To be fair, your machine should have the flow to be reasonable. I'd take a look at your choice of flails, as this can make a big difference. The flails are probably light L-shaped flails? Try some heavier swinging paddles.

[dumper]

The benefit of a loader flail is that it’s in the right place in front, I have damaged many compacts cutting dense vegetation with rear mounts, so many I bought a carraro reverse drive, now that is a proper compact no bigger than your kubota with 50 hp at the pto full bank ability, front and rear linkage. And bloody uncomfortable to drive if taller than five foot eight

i have no problems flailing with my loader different pumps for motors and drive, I find the problems come with presentation of material to the flail or flail choice to match material

[Ty Korrigan]

1 hour ago, Mick Dempsey said:

You’re right to be wary.

My Multione 9.5 (now Avant 750) runs a flail, results can be patchy, stuff like brambles, bracken and the like it’s excellent. Long grass it tends to just stroke down and woody saplings lose the bark and that’s it.

 

Get a demo if you can.

Ah, I get that with my tractor running adze profile rather than Y profile flails.

Even putting a fresh edge didn't change matters.

My old flail mower had Y profile and was excellent.

   Stuart