Thanks B737, that’s a great video. He does such a great job of explaining things.
B2601 Brush Attachment
- Thread starter BigDon
- Start date
Finally got everything hooked up and have ran a few passes. All I can say is unbelievable!! Thanks guys for all the help, this implement is instantly my favorite. I will continue to update with pictures as I go.
Someone purchased my brush hog today. It's giving me a little anxiety because that brush hog is why I bought the tractor to begin with. Also, going from a quality brush hog to a Chinese flail
Stupid question before the guy comes in the morning to haul off my beloved Land Pride... Can you cut in reverse with the flail mower, or does it dig in? Like backing up to a tree.... How does it do with elevation changes, like transitioning inclines going up and down? What about cutting height control?
the one im going to order is the EFG105 which is medium duty 41", with hammers.
Should I be worried this flail at 480 pounds, is too heavy for BX 3 point hitch?
Last question for Don is how long did it take to arrive once you placed your order? i was only able to get about half the property done before the guy came to buy my machine.
Stupid question before the guy comes in the morning to haul off my beloved Land Pride... Can you cut in reverse with the flail mower, or does it dig in? Like backing up to a tree.... How does it do with elevation changes, like transitioning inclines going up and down? What about cutting height control?
the one im going to order is the EFG105 which is medium duty 41", with hammers.
Should I be worried this flail at 480 pounds, is too heavy for BX 3 point hitch?
Last question for Don is how long did it take to arrive once you placed your order? i was only able to get about half the property done before the guy came to buy my machine.
Last edited:
BigG
Well-known member
Equipment
l2501, FEL, BB, Rotary cutter, rake,spreader, roller, etc. New Holland TL80 A
I think I would have kept the Land Pride until I knew I liked the flail mower.
I do not own one but people often complain that it does not cut well backing up. However "they" say to pick it up back up and then set it down cutting forward again.
I do not own one but people often complain that it does not cut well backing up. However "they" say to pick it up back up and then set it down cutting forward again.
Hey B737. I have only had about an hour to try it out so far so I haven't really given it the full test. It took less then 2 weeks to come in and took me maybe a few hours to get everything put together and going. I have not really tried things in reverse yet, I have heard the same about not cutting in reverse and I haven't messed with too much on elevation changes yet. I will have an 8 day stretch coming up in the next few days that I will be able to really test it out. I can tell you from just the hour of using it I was very impressed, honestly the most impressed I have been with any implement I have ever used. I ran over a decent amount of 1-1.5 diameter saplings and it worked as advertised and I never really went full throttle on anything. There were a few saplings I needed to hit with a second pass but all in all it was a beast. Obviously I can't speak for brush hog vs. Flail mower, however I'm very satisfied so far. The weight on my heavy duty was just shy of 600lbs I believe and I'm running it on a B2601, there were no issues at all with the weight for me.
Normally, I would have done just that. But with things so shaky at work, I wasn't brave enough to try both at the same time. The thing that pushed me over the edge was cutting a small meadow here of shin high grass, the brush hog really made a mess of it, and I was only creeping along. The woods here are tight, I do some backing into nooks and reaching. I will have to see how that goes... Jon Ritters and GP Outdoors flail videos were really educational to see these flail mowers in action.
Thanks Don for all the input.
The heavy lifting on my property was done with the RCR1242, lots of thick, dense brush. Now that it's cleared, I'm just doing semi-annual upkeep (sapling sprouts), and grass overgrowth. The flail, may bridge that gap well.
I'm looking forward to your upcoming seat time.
I will post some pictures tomorrow of some area I cut yesterday that would be more inline with what your going to use it for. I not only did some of the woods but I had some overgrowth of weeds between the woods and my open area that were 5-6 feet tall. It literally cut those weeds down and completely mulched it up to nothing with ease. For the purposes you need it for, I think you will be very happy. I may take a few videos later this weekend and upload them on youtube, if I do I will let you know so you can see it in action.
Dang! Now you guys are convincing me that I need one too. I use and old brush cutter to mow the 2-3 acre sweet corn patch every year. It knocks it down but it doesn't mulch the stalks very well at all. Usually takes a couple of mowings followed by the roto tiller. This would be the ideal way to mow the corn field down. Between that and the need to clean up the wooded acreage around here it could be easily justified.
And since its primary use would be to clean up the woods, maybe opting for the same size as Don's would be the right choice for me too.
Looking forward to all of your ideas and reviews once you have some time on your machines. I could see the flail mower being showcased right next to PTO powered leaf blower in the off season!!
David
And since its primary use would be to clean up the woods, maybe opting for the same size as Don's would be the right choice for me too.
Looking forward to all of your ideas and reviews once you have some time on your machines. I could see the flail mower being showcased right next to PTO powered leaf blower in the off season!!
David
Russell King
Well-known member
Equipment
L185F, Modern Ag Competitor 4’ shredder, Rhino tiller, rear dirt scoop
How high/tall can you mow with the flail mower? Can it be.raised off the ground and used or does it have to ride on its roller?
dirtydeed
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
B2650 BH77, U27-4R2, BX23TLBM, box blade, rear blade, flail mower, Stump Grinder
The BETSCO flails have a cutting height adjustment from 0-6". At least, that's what's advertised. You can simply lift the mower off the ground to cut at any height desired. They do not have to ride on the rear roller, although, they cut better when the roller is on the ground.
Regarding mowing in reverse. They don't work well in tall grass mowing in reverse unless you go really slow. Tall grass tends to get wound up on the cutting spool. Just lift the mower, back up, drop the mower and cut going forward.
Regarding mowing in reverse. They don't work well in tall grass mowing in reverse unless you go really slow. Tall grass tends to get wound up on the cutting spool. Just lift the mower, back up, drop the mower and cut going forward.
I wanted to post a few pictures. I had a few hours on the flail today and absolutely loving it. I will get after it again tomorrow and test it further. So far I’m beyond impressed guys with what this thing can do in the woods!!
Wow! That before picture really puts it into context. Nice job! Keep the info coming. Mine arrives Monday.
I didn't read the entire beginning of this thread, but there are several flail mower threads archived somewhere. I have an Italian made flail and it does perform as expected for cutting brambles and tall pasture grass. I have the paired blades that are supposed to be the most durable but give a less lawn like cut. But to get to the backing up issue, on this model and perhaps yours as well, you are dragging around something quite heavy on a combination of skids and a roller. It is designed to be pulled not pushed backwards. It will gouge up the ground if you try to turn short, and may torque your hitch. Backing up and hitting something could likewise damage something. It is easy to lift the 3pt and back up and set it down again. Mowing of right angle corners can be done effectively that way, and mowing along a fence by offsetting the mount. So to my way of thinking it is not a matter of it not cutting well going backwards, it is that you shouldn't do it at all. The manual for mine said that as I recall. They are great mowers.
dirtydeed
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
B2650 BH77, U27-4R2, BX23TLBM, box blade, rear blade, flail mower, Stump Grinder
Looks great. I think that they are capable attachments that are only beginning to catch on in the north east. I really do appreciate that the flail mowers leave the area looking like mulch/wood chips were put down.
Just an additional thought. Have you looked under your tractor to see how many important things might be exposed, like hydraulic lines & filters?
You might want to be careful about what you are pushing down and running over. A lot of Kubota tractors would benefit from a skid pan for the kind of initial use you have described.
Point of reference on mulching versus cutting...
Here is shin high grass I just cut with the brush hog before selling it. Very uneven, mostly just knocked over (brand new blades too).
Here is shin high grass I just cut with the brush hog before selling it. Very uneven, mostly just knocked over (brand new blades too).