Triple ganging flail mowers - possible or not?
Discussion
With a large area of grass to mow 4 or five times a year (15 acres total across 4 unconnected fields) and a 450cc ATV available for towing, has anyone every tried to triple gang a self-powered towable flail mower? Much quicker than a 48" Kubota lawn tractor, probably cheaper than buying a larger tractor and PTO mower
one connected to the ATV, then 2 more towed behind, like this
my brains says it should work....
one connected to the ATV, then 2 more towed behind, like this
my brains says it should work....
Not a chance.
A guideline is 5 HP for each foot of flail, so you need a lot of horsepower. As you say, you could technically, tow three ganged flail mowers each with their own petrol motor, but they're not cheap by themselves, they're really heavy, lots to go wrong, and I really wouldn't feel safe towing them behind an ATV. A flail is a very very dangerous machine if it's not bolted to a nice heavy tractor.
For 15 acres, you need a proper tractor, with either a big flail/topper or a "batwing" rotary mower, depending upon what cut you want and how much you want to pay. It will be cheaper to pay a contractor to do it, as the kit is not cheap.
A guideline is 5 HP for each foot of flail, so you need a lot of horsepower. As you say, you could technically, tow three ganged flail mowers each with their own petrol motor, but they're not cheap by themselves, they're really heavy, lots to go wrong, and I really wouldn't feel safe towing them behind an ATV. A flail is a very very dangerous machine if it's not bolted to a nice heavy tractor.
For 15 acres, you need a proper tractor, with either a big flail/topper or a "batwing" rotary mower, depending upon what cut you want and how much you want to pay. It will be cheaper to pay a contractor to do it, as the kit is not cheap.
biggiles said:
Not a chance.
A guideline is 5 HP for each foot of flail, so you need a lot of horsepower. As you say, you could technically, tow three ganged flail mowers each with their own petrol motor, but they're not cheap by themselves, they're really heavy, lots to go wrong, and I really wouldn't feel safe towing them behind an ATV. A flail is a very very dangerous machine if it's not bolted to a nice heavy tractor.
For 15 acres, you need a proper tractor, with either a big flail/topper or a "batwing" rotary mower, depending upon what cut you want and how much you want to pay. It will be cheaper to pay a contractor to do it, as the kit is not cheap.
Interesting. I was kinda looking forward to the challenge A guideline is 5 HP for each foot of flail, so you need a lot of horsepower. As you say, you could technically, tow three ganged flail mowers each with their own petrol motor, but they're not cheap by themselves, they're really heavy, lots to go wrong, and I really wouldn't feel safe towing them behind an ATV. A flail is a very very dangerous machine if it's not bolted to a nice heavy tractor.
For 15 acres, you need a proper tractor, with either a big flail/topper or a "batwing" rotary mower, depending upon what cut you want and how much you want to pay. It will be cheaper to pay a contractor to do it, as the kit is not cheap.
. If its a towed, self-powered flail what would you see as the dangerous part? They're supported on wheels, totally covered and all the weight is low down. I've used a flail on a 4 tonne digger to clear bramble - that was inherently dangerous!
£6k for 3 powered flails, or a tractor and a PTO flail. Hmmm
mondeoman said:
biggiles said:
Not a chance.
A guideline is 5 HP for each foot of flail, so you need a lot of horsepower. As you say, you could technically, tow three ganged flail mowers each with their own petrol motor, but they're not cheap by themselves, they're really heavy, lots to go wrong, and I really wouldn't feel safe towing them behind an ATV. A flail is a very very dangerous machine if it's not bolted to a nice heavy tractor.
For 15 acres, you need a proper tractor, with either a big flail/topper or a "batwing" rotary mower, depending upon what cut you want and how much you want to pay. It will be cheaper to pay a contractor to do it, as the kit is not cheap.
Interesting. I was kinda looking forward to the challenge A guideline is 5 HP for each foot of flail, so you need a lot of horsepower. As you say, you could technically, tow three ganged flail mowers each with their own petrol motor, but they're not cheap by themselves, they're really heavy, lots to go wrong, and I really wouldn't feel safe towing them behind an ATV. A flail is a very very dangerous machine if it's not bolted to a nice heavy tractor.
For 15 acres, you need a proper tractor, with either a big flail/topper or a "batwing" rotary mower, depending upon what cut you want and how much you want to pay. It will be cheaper to pay a contractor to do it, as the kit is not cheap.
. If its a towed, self-powered flail what would you see as the dangerous part? They're supported on wheels, totally covered and all the weight is low down. I've used a flail on a 4 tonne digger to clear bramble - that was inherently dangerous!
£6k for 3 powered flails, or a tractor and a PTO flail. Hmmm
- My flail has a warning saying don't get within 50m of the back of it. An exaggeration sure, but I wouldn't walk close behind one which is spinning. I don't get off the tractor when using the flail (and in fact my Kubota will cut out if you try, unless it's in 'chipper' mode).
- I really wouldn't like to walk around 3 tow-behind flails, yanking on three pull starts, trying to keep my toes away from 3x100kg of spinning metal designed to magimix anything they touch.
- Incredibly noisy
- To turn the machines off (in an emergency, or to have a conversation) would involve shutting down three motors (while watching your toes as above).
- Impossible to reverse (probably hard to fit through a gate as well)
- Might be tough for an ATV to tow safely, especially if you have hilly or rough ground.
- Three little petrol engines to fuel and service, and three flails to grease/service.
mondeoman said:
£6k for 3 powered flails, or a tractor and a PTO flail. Hmmm
By the time the budget it £6, I would be looking at a tractor!https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_n...
Certainly if I was going down the 3x powered fails on at ATV, I would only be considering for:
- A flat field as on almost any grade at all, including getting to and from the field I can see it getting seriously messy.
- A field where the storage/barn is right against the field, because as said, you aint going to get through many gates.
- Fail mowers with a remote kill switch, wired back to the ATV, with a wrist worn kill switch. Bad things happen fast.
Daniel
You can rent a decent size tractor with a flail for £300 a day
https://georgebrowns.co.uk/product/browns-compact-...
Obviously with 15 acres you’re after cutting width which equals lots of horse power.
I was actually talking to an agricultural machinery guy about something similar a couple of weeks ago….we’ve just bought a house which has four acres of “paddock” which I will need to keep on top of with a flail. I’ve already got a Kubota BX which is a small compact tractor with a 23 hp engine. I’ve come to the conclusion that I am just going to buy a flail for the BX and have to spend more time driving it…upgrading it and thus getting extra cutting width is just too expensive. If things get out of hand I’ll just hire something like the above for.a day to get things back to a more manageable state.
Main issue for me is part of our paddock is a Wetland so I don’t want to get stuck !
https://georgebrowns.co.uk/product/browns-compact-...
Obviously with 15 acres you’re after cutting width which equals lots of horse power.
I was actually talking to an agricultural machinery guy about something similar a couple of weeks ago….we’ve just bought a house which has four acres of “paddock” which I will need to keep on top of with a flail. I’ve already got a Kubota BX which is a small compact tractor with a 23 hp engine. I’ve come to the conclusion that I am just going to buy a flail for the BX and have to spend more time driving it…upgrading it and thus getting extra cutting width is just too expensive. If things get out of hand I’ll just hire something like the above for.a day to get things back to a more manageable state.
Main issue for me is part of our paddock is a Wetland so I don’t want to get stuck !
15 acres is a reasonable amount of grass. Is it easily accessible? Have you considered approaching local farmers and trying to sell? (the grass, not the land!).
Depending on your area, you could end up getting paid for the grass, and the farmer will do the work for you.
Apologies that it's not a very PH answer - and it's not encouraging you to throw money/loads of HP at the job - but I'm in farming and contracting and round here that could yield you between €1500 and €2000 per year.
Depending on your area, you could end up getting paid for the grass, and the farmer will do the work for you.
Apologies that it's not a very PH answer - and it's not encouraging you to throw money/loads of HP at the job - but I'm in farming and contracting and round here that could yield you between €1500 and €2000 per year.
It's possible, probably, but you would need a custom frame - you wouldn't want to simply put a towing hitch on the first mower and attach a second one to that. It would weigh quite a lot and probably be as much, if not more, than the quad could safely handle, especially if you have hills.
But as per the other advice, if the alternative is a tractor and mower, use a tractor. 15 acres is quite a bit to do several times a year with a 1.5m flail!
But as per the other advice, if the alternative is a tractor and mower, use a tractor. 15 acres is quite a bit to do several times a year with a 1.5m flail!
FarmerBarleymo said:
Nice!Also notice that it is
a) Flat as a flat thing
b) Didnt go through a gate.
I use a Logic flail mower - it's very rapid and covering 15 acres wouldn't be that much of a chore (I do 3 every week) the cheap Chinese machines are NOT the same (I had one at first)
However my local contractor works for £30/hr so if I was just looking to get fields topped a couple of times a year I'd just pay him to do it - which I do with my hedges
However my local contractor works for £30/hr so if I was just looking to get fields topped a couple of times a year I'd just pay him to do it - which I do with my hedges
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