scythe mowers

[dogman]

Anyone use one ? or recommend a make/model ?. I have a large rough(very)area to cut, they want it done twice a year & its not been done for a few years, so would appreciate some advice.

 

Thanks for looking,

 

Rob

[Chris Sheppard]

Don't know if they still do them, but Riko used to do the two wheel tractors, and there was a selection of allen scythe type cutter bars available for those.

[Brushcutter]

BCS with the big cutter bar works well.

[agg221]

One thing from experience - don't buy an Allen Scythe unless you are a masochistic dwarf powerlifter.

 

They are old but they work fantastically well. They are really simple to fix and you can still get all the parts. They are cheap. But - they have a deathwish, they head for the nearest pond/barbed wire fence/small child and they are not designed for people of average height. I am of slightly above average height and use one once or twice a year to cut some of ours - it has gone straight through 7' thistles, and nettles which are chest high without missing a beat. The only thing which stops it is when it sucks a whole nettle down the air intake! It has even been flooded once, dried out and still runs, but cutting about 2/3 of an acre takes me three goes of about 20mins each and each time I come in pouring with sweat and collapse on the floor with back pain, having wrestled and fought it all the way.

 

I would also avoid Monro-tillers - the chatter bar cutter (scythe bar) is driven off an eccentric and the drive arm is a weakpoint - we broke 3 before we gave up.

 

Alec

[pete23]

One thing from experience - don't buy an Allen Scythe unless you are a masochistic dwarf powerlifter.

 

They are old but they work fantastically well. They are really simple to fix and you can still get all the parts. They are cheap. But - they have a deathwish, they head for the nearest pond/barbed wire fence/small child and they are not designed for people of average height. I am of slightly above average height and use one once or twice a year to cut some of ours - it has gone straight through 7' thistles, and nettles which are chest high without missing a beat. The only thing which stops it is when it sucks a whole nettle down the air intake! It has even been flooded once, dried out and still runs, but cutting about 2/3 of an acre takes me three goes of about 20mins each and each time I come in pouring with sweat and collapse on the floor with back pain, having wrestled and fought it all the way.

 

I would also avoid Monro-tillers - the chatter bar cutter (scythe bar) is driven off an eccentric and the drive arm is a weakpoint - we broke 3 before we gave up.

 

Alec

 

lmao, after reading that, I,d have to get a allen scythe just for the experience.

[richy_B]

I've used an older Agria one and a newer Grillo one (GF4 I believe) for doing meadow cuts. I found them to be hard work on anything other than nice flat meadow with not too dense swathes. Depending again on the terrain but I found myself wrestling with it more than it 'self propelling' - like a shopping trolley with a dodgy wheel. An exhausting experience after 5 hours. I also found because you are cutting material and leaving it long can lead to material fouling the axle and I'd need to cut bits out every hour or so (was a bit of bramble in there sometimes).

 

I've not tried the heavier weight ones but my feelings are a compact tractor with a flail is a far better proposition.

[Stubby]

Don't matter how over grown the veg is its got to be a flat bed . What about a chain flail ?

[fen01]

Agg221 sums an Allen Scythe perfectly, steer clear IMO, unless you like a challenge or charging towards fences wonder if you can stop/turn away in time.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Arbtalk mobile app

[woody woodpecker]

allen scythe is a good machine if you no how to use it. Try to buy one with a 4 stroke engine as they are more reliable than the two stroke models.

[dogman]

Thank you for the information(and a laugh !). I've no experience of scythe mowers, or of doing an area as rough such as the one I've got to do, so any advice on technique or equipment would be most welcome.

 

Rob