Flail Mower or Topper?

[Ty Unnos]

Not trees but I bet a few on here also cut grass!

 

I have a 35hp compact tractor.

 

I have been asked to do a job cutting 2 acres of wildlfower meadow.

 

The plan was to make hay but they didnt get around to it so now they just want it cut and raked up to compost on site.

 

Its a nice flat site with no rocks so I thought I could just buy a 5ft topper for this job:

 

Compact Tractors | Small Tractor | Used tractors | Compact Tractors For Sale

 

But I am also keen to get other work and be able to cut scrub, conservation sites woodland rides etc. Which means I am better off with a flail mower right?

 

Flail mower ELITE L - from 19 to 45 KW (25-60 HP)

 

Trouble is they are about 4 times the price of the topper!

 

Anyone else do similar work? What do you use?

[onyx landscaping/fencing]

if they want to rake it then a flail mower will make it very difficult as it mulches the grass up quite a lot

[Ty Unnos]

if they want to rake it then a flail mower will make it very difficult as it mulches the grass up quite a lot

 

Yes I was worried about that. But what are the other options?

 

Will a topper leave it easier to rake?

 

Or I suppose I could use a drum mower but then rake it not bale it. Will a drum mower cope with grass thats been left this late in the year?

[difflock]

Could they not graze it down with a few sheep over the winter, and make hay next year?

Since there is no such thing as a free lunch, flail mowers also absorb much more horsepower mulching the grass, as opposed to merely cutting it.

It will be "murder" hard work raking wet grass.

Consider an old fashioned buckrake to "rake" and lift, perhaps keeping the mower a fraction higher to leave a stubble to keep the cut grass up a bit.

If correctly set up on the top link it should be possible to get the buckrake tines to "float" without digging in, but still getting all the grass.

Edited November 4, 2013 by difflock

[headgroundsman]

It might be easier to get it round baled without the net and tip in a corner would save all the raking. Shouldn't cost that much if you can find a couple of dryish days and a friendly farmer. Let him mow it too, 10' mower with plenty of horsepower instead of you thrashing your little tractor for ages. Horses for courses?

[Ty Unnos]

Yes sheep is the answer but site cannot be made stock proof.

 

Is this the sort of "buckrake" you had in mind?

 

Lawrance edwards 6ft buckrake silage tractor | eBay

[JimE]

Hi Ty,

assuming this is to used on your AGT?

The flail mower being much shorter keeps the weight in much closer and your tractor will perform much better on slopes, which is where it really comes into it own!

[difflock]

yes,

btw., those tines look right and tight and straight, at a glance leastwise.

PS

JimE

but flail mowers being heavier in construction, need to be in closer:001_tt2:

[LGP Eddie]

We use a direct cut side mounted forager for this type of work and worse!

It'll be needing a fair bit more than 35hp to do the job, we find 90-110 ideal but it would make a very tidy job of it.

 

I'd honestly have thought Sheep the answer to this site, plenty of them will have that gone in no time?

 

A flail mower will be ideal for the other work you describe I'm certain?

 

Eddie.

[doobin]

Yes sheep is the answer but site cannot be made stock proof.

 

Is this the sort of "buckrake" you had in mind?

 

Lawrance edwards 6ft buckrake silage tractor | eBay

 

The site could easily be made stockproof by the temporary electric fence sheep farmers use- they're used to doing this to take advantage of free grazing?

 

Whether you can find one locally or not is another issue!

 

For this particular job, neither of your options is brilliant as you need to clear it up afterwards. Which is a nightmare! I would get a local farmer to do it and put your bit on top.

 

If you're keen to do conservation work and woodland rides, then a flail mower is best for that of course- make sure you get Y shaped hammer flails, not the paddle type. But don't kid yourself that it will do for topping fields, as they're power hungry and bog easily in long grass, especially with the power levels you're talking about. They also leave a dog rough finish which will not be acceptable to a lot of horsey type.

 

You won't want to hear this, but really you need a topper as well in order to offer paddock maintenance. The good news is that now is the time to buy one, and you should get a 5' S/H for £400 with ease.

 

If you're set on cutting and raking this yourself, a single rotor topper run as slowly as possible on the PTO before it starts to not cut will do a passable job of windrowing the grass. Then a second cut to tidy up.

 

HTH