Muddy42

You do that. And remember shaken not stirred. I'm still recovering after getting sprayed in the face with a mist of unleaded yesterday - fixing weeping car fuel tank bung. I think the tank was pressurized for some reason. Central heating oil is also another delicacy that hangs around the senses for a while. Im probably going to get cancer.

I'm the opposite, turn the oiler up to max and use the lightest oil possible! Having to stop and clean out bar oil tanks and oil lines and replace prematurely worn bars is not fun.

If you add Riberna to your water it tastes different from adding water to your Ribena. Do you think the same applies to two stroke oil?

Why? The petrol side of the husquvarna combi cans that you already have would be just fine for mixed petrol. Bar oil in the other side.

You can mix fuel into any container you want - any combi can, or Ive used plastic milk bottles. Its best also with a big and small measuring jug. So three containers in total. - plan what quantities and ratio you need - say 5 litre (same as 5000 ml) of fuel and 50:1 - use large measuring jug to measure fuel and add it to the combi can - use small measuring jug to measure oil and add it to the combi can - if you want to be a pro, add the oil half way through adding the fuel stage so you can rinse out the small jug. that's it. Dont use the old fashioned imperial measurements - its much harder. Im sure there are youtube videos.

Yes. If in doubt at all or you don't have squeezable measuring jars. Use a big jug to measure the fuel: and and a small jug to measure the two stoke oil:

I think whatever gizmo you have you need to be able to check the maths. So to mix 5 litres at 40:1, you take out your phone and type in 5000 / 40 = 125 ml of oil. Now I hope I've got that right

You'll have a shock when you need to buy the next bottle of red line - £109 for a gallon or 3.4 litres. About 5x as expensive as other stuff. or just buy 50:1 alkalyte and adjust the ratio

seen these before, can't say it looks that accurate though

Combi cans are for mixed fuel on on side and chainsaw bar oil on the other. Not neat two stroke oil? I only ever keep neat petrol in rectangular 5l petrol cans. Mixed fuel goes in old aspen bottles (these pour really well). I fill the aspen bottle with 4 litres of fuel (again 4l pours better than 5) either from the pump or using a 2 litre measuring jug. Then I use one of these squeezable metering bottles to get 40:1. I refill the metering jug with Oregon two stroke oil, the Stihl stuff is rubbish.

The big debate for me is flail versus rotary action. Rotary seems to need less HP for a given width and the quality of cut is probably better if it mulches well, but its far more susceptible to damage when you hit things. I have an old Bolens rotary mulching ride on mower that is great for orchards and rough lawns. It is almost falling to bits, but easy to maintain. I wouldn't dream of taking it round a field or bumpy ground. That's flail territory. The zero turn mowers are a bit better for getting near edges and round trees, but there is not much in it compared to a hydrostatic gears.

To be fair you did ask "what sort of stuff will the flail cut through?". Plus you said you had various tractors, a quad and flail and that you wanted less machines, without really specifying which ones you wanted to sell. Don't be surprised if you get vague answers. Personally I try to use the most HP, ride on and least manpower for the job. Even if that means reversing into corners and into trees, its easier than a walk behind or a strimmer. Front tractor mounted flails are even better, although you get less warning of an obstacle, not that that matters much with a flail. Why not hire a walk behind flail and see how much sweat pours when you walk it round a field? I did this a few years ago, then bought a tow behind flail. Thanks

Something I have done is make a paper or cardboard copy of the bar, to help see what's going on, whether the holes line up and why its leaking. Clean out all that oil first. You could try opening up the oil hole on the bar to persuade the oil to flow. The whole white plastic clutch cover looks like it comes off with hex screws. That will help you see underneath and whether the black oil line can be replaced

Agreed, buy a PTO driven flail for one of your tractors. Tractors and PTO drive is for fields, rotary ride on lawn mowers are for lawns. The only place id consider a walk behind is for steep banks or awkward places like orchards, but most of the time that can be tackled with a strimmer rather than a dedicated machine.

I have a Chapman 120 Pro Flail with hammers and a 25 hp engine. It will cut through the longest grass, brambles or thin scrub. If towed with a quad, the quad needs to be >400cc and ideally with a low range box to avoid overheating or straining first gear. I have driven over large boulders and tree stumps without any issues. I find the cut is never as good with a flail compared to a rotary blade, but flails are more resistant to hitting things. I think its not possible to have one machine that cuts everything from lawns to long grass