TAMING THE JUNGLE!!! Rotary cutter vs. offset flail mower

Рет қаралды 40,746

2 жыл бұрын

With all the rain we've had in the past five weeks we were not able to get this field mowed down for hay. Now the weeds have taken over and it was time to mow them down before they seed out and ruin the entire field. Just know, this is not one of our premium fields, we just mow it for my wife's uncle because he does not want this hay. I started out doing a good chunk of it with the rotary cutter, but then came back up the next morning to go around the edges with the flail mower. I then started doing some more of the field that I didn't do with the rotary cutter and noticed, as you will see, the difference in cut quality between the two mowers. I hope you enjoy, please drop a comment and let me know what you think.
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betstco.com/product/fh-agl145/

Пікірлер: 125

@n5ifi Ай бұрын

The flail mower certainly has its place. If you want to mow an area where you want to get it really close to the ground the flail works good. You have to remember though that some areas you don't want the grass to be cut in that way. You want to eliminate small trees, weeds and the like but you don't want the grass to be hurt or stunted because you cut it to low to the ground. You may want cattle to be able to graze it. That would be brush hog country. It's not always about making things look like a country club. The flail is way more service intensive than the brush hog too. The brush hog this guy has will outlast him and the only thing he has to do is very basic maintenance.

@ElkCreekAcres Ай бұрын

Absolutely, this was a field that we normally cut hay on, I was just reclaiming it. I really just wanted to see what the flail was made of, but in all honesty I would use a brush hog for this as I did. The flail mowers are a lot more maintenance as you said compared to a brush hog. I still prefer my brush hog in most cases, just me I guess.

@jeffmayeux1692 2 жыл бұрын

Night and day difference! That flail mower can take the place of a brush cutter and finish mower. Plus the added benefit of the off-set feature makes owning one more attractive.

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

I agree Jeff, I had researched this purchase on and off for 10 months, very glad my wife finally pushed me and just said to get it.

@deanmoore420 2 жыл бұрын

The flail does a outstanding job it’s much smoother that’s for sure

@herbertlittle2699 2 жыл бұрын

Good job i love it.

@davidlinux 11 ай бұрын

I grew up near you (Sidney). Actually my dad’s family is from Schenevus. Great videos and thank you.

@ElkCreekAcres 11 ай бұрын

Beautiful area, thanks for stopping by my channel.

@davidlinux 11 ай бұрын

It’s a great area of NY. It’s nice to see channels like yours that shows there is life outside of NYC.

@JAKE3914 2 жыл бұрын

I've heard of a side by side comparison but NOT a "do over" one! Thanks for the video!

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

Ha, that wasn't my intention. But in defense of the brush hog, the only part I went back over was at the end of video, all the edge trimming was done only by the flail mower.

@YeshuaisYahwah 2 жыл бұрын

Beautiful view,i live in a place that us iowans call rolling hills,some areas are flat and some others not just a big hill,but no mountains.

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, yes, rolling hills add a lot to the scenery.

@williegardner9290 Жыл бұрын

With the rotary mower on the 3 point hitch you are driving into the weed/brush at all times. You get a rad and grill full of crap, and soon you start to over heat. Off set mowers let you stay out of the crap and keep your tractor cleaner and running cooler. Plus better cut.

@ElkCreekAcres Жыл бұрын

I agree, one of the reasons I bought it.

@juliussandor4355 6 ай бұрын

Wow that’s a bid difference .😊

@ElkCreekAcres 6 ай бұрын

Sure was, I was a bit surprised myself.

@tylersowa3858 2 жыл бұрын

I love!! Your BEAUTIFUL flag display on the back of your john Deere

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

So do I brother!!

@cliftonchilders3318 2 жыл бұрын

Rotary cuter cut really good well I guess so does flail mower does to

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, kind of a toss up. The flail definitely cuts cleaner, but usually I still prefer the rotary cutter.

@cliftonchilders3318 2 жыл бұрын

@@ElkCreekAcres thank you for your time to respond to my questions flail mowers are nice well they look like it cut really well 😀

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

@@cliftonchilders3318 Yes, and I forgot, flail mowers are much more upkeep and maintenance. Maybe another reason I prefer the rotary cutter, but the flail is handy in some spots, ditches and banks and along our fence line in the pastures.

@jamesberg3106 2 жыл бұрын

I need some quiet time. Too hot to mow and the fire risk is high. Mowing is soothing. Rock on my friend

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

Glad I could help👍🏻 try and stay cool.

@saintsfan7991 2 жыл бұрын

Great video, thank you for uploading it! I had a few questions....what model/hp Deere are you using? Also, does that mower rotate downward, allowing it to do ditches also? I get a little confused between the nomenclature for offset flails vs. ditch flails. Take care!

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, this mower is very versatile, it will mow straight up at 90 degrees or down in a ditch at 65 degrees. Thanks for watching.

@jasonchapoton3490 Жыл бұрын

I love the look of the flail mower results. I think I need one to go with my rotary cutter. Do you have y blades or hammer blades on the flail in this video?

@ElkCreekAcres Жыл бұрын

These are hammers, I’d like to try grass blades, but these do a super cut.

@deanmoore420 2 жыл бұрын

I think most definitely the flail mower has a much smoother cut but I think the bush hog does just as well but the flail mower is pretty good as well I would have to see it in real life to judge it but awesome video love it great job great job cutting the field

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Dean I think they both have their place, but the cut from the flail is definitely more finished.

@deanmoore420 2 жыл бұрын

@@ElkCreekAcres You’re definitely right about that you’re doing a great job

@bigjim5723 2 жыл бұрын

ha! i bet u reworked that entire field with the flail mower-huh. hehe i think i would of, it looked good mowed with the flail for sure. thanks for doing a brush hog video--no one in u-tube land is putting any up anymore.

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

I was going to go over the whole thing again, but man was it hot, I did just the one section. I've also noticed not a lot of brush hogging videos this year, wonder why?

@rodneyscrivner2504 2 жыл бұрын

Hands down Flail Mower for the win Pat....

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

I agree Rod.

@kathleenlucht1921 2 жыл бұрын

Wonderful job. What happens to the field now? Enjoyed watching you. Thank you 🌹

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

The hope for this field is that maybe we can still take a cutting of hay off of it. I wanted to mow this down a few weeks prior to this video, had I done that we could easily have gotten a decent second cutting off of it. This is not our field, so we do not put a lot of money into it, and it has those couple of low spots that will be too wet on years like this one.

@paulatwood8287 Жыл бұрын

Oh snap you have a field full of hoodweed or hogweed 9:56 in video if that helps. Dont get it on you the sap with help from the sunlight will give you 2nd to 3rd degree burns. Sometimes depending on your skin sensitivity could be worse. Loved the comparison on the 2 mowers helped me out alot.

@ElkCreekAcres Жыл бұрын

Thanks Paul, I still have scars on my legs from weed whacking that stuff probably 12-14 years ago before I knew what it was. This is another one on the list of reasons why I wanted a cabbed tractor.

@mikef1570 Жыл бұрын

Wild parsnip. Not hog weed.

@mikea4074 2 жыл бұрын

Even with hammer blades a flail mower will never brush like a brush hog........but it that application the flail really does shine. Have to have both I guess......lol

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

You're right, in more brushy material the rotary cutter will still shine. This flail says it can take up to 2" material, that's a stretch in my opinion, but in grassy material this thing really shines. Thanks for commenting.

@Moselli56 Жыл бұрын

Great video! Looks like the size of cut is smaller on the flail mower. What size is it compared to the brush hog? Also seemed you had to go slower on the flail but it certainly looked nicer!

@ElkCreekAcres Жыл бұрын

Thanks Marty. The brush hog is 60" and flail is a 57", similar in size. In material like this I did have to go slower with the flail, but the cut is real nice. What I prefer to do now is mow the heavy mowing with the brush hog and maintain it with the flail.

@ghilliemanreviews 8 ай бұрын

The Kubota would be awesome here with me radiator in the rear of the hood. That JD may struggle breathing with all that grass in the front

@ElkCreekAcres 8 ай бұрын

It would be nice if we could reverse the fan to blow it off like the large JD’s, but it’s not a big problem to stop and clean it off, only takes a minute.

@karenheartoriginal3783 2 жыл бұрын

All hail the flail…wow!! How does it do that & where does all the brush go?

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

I've wondered the same thing Lol. It mulches it up pretty good.

@michaelscott7128 11 ай бұрын

A flail mower mulches the grass a lot finer and can take more abuse(runing over rocks etc) but tends to be more power hungry in heavy cutting. A flail mower will cut nearly anything

@richardforster9816 2 жыл бұрын

Here in UK we use both but the most versatile is the flail. See McConnell mowers on KZfaq. Just for fun

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

I will check that out for sure, thanks. I agree, I've always said, they each have their place. But I also agree with you, the flail is definitely more versatile.

@rodshepard3967 2 жыл бұрын

Great video, Pat....flail mower for the win. But, dog-gommit, we need to get you an Army flag! 😁

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Rod, we're all represented by the red white and blue. I agree, this flail is just too much, but I honestly just felt like using the brush hog for a change.

@rodshepard3967 2 жыл бұрын

@@ElkCreekAcres Absolutely, Pat. The red, white, and blue! 🇺🇲

@joyceweaver6949 2 жыл бұрын

With the rotary cutter you get a tremendous amount of seed & debri clogging up the radiator.

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

Exactly, it's nice not have to run the tractor through the material before it's cut.

@rollingcoal9500 2 жыл бұрын

Do you think the rotary would cut better if you sharpened it? I know most people don’t usually sharpen brush hogs but was wondering if you thought of that. Thanks

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

Perhaps, though brush hogs are supposed to have a fairly blunt blade. But sharpened blades could certainly have worked as well.

@MechArenaChiller 2 жыл бұрын

And the Winner ist the Jungle mulcher 😂🤷

@johndeno562 2 жыл бұрын

The offset may have saved you from having to clean the radiator. It does do a better job, chops it up better.

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

It absolutely does John. I had to stop 3 times while mowing that with my brush hog, being able to offset the mower is a very nice thing.

@BenCreasy 2 жыл бұрын

Not to mention all the pollen coming back at you.

@aswan2140 Жыл бұрын

FLAIL for the WIN!!🇺🇸

@ElkCreekAcres Жыл бұрын

I agree, thanks for watching.

@davidhorne2326 2 жыл бұрын

Flail for quality of cut. Most highway crews use flails primarily. What’s the seasonal snowfall in your area?

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

We average around 92" per year.

@joshkerr8975 2 жыл бұрын

Can you provide a link for info on that flail mower please. Thank you from Iowa. And I just hit subscribe.

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for subscribing, the link to the mower is in the description. I'm trying to get better at mentioning that kind of stuff in the videos, but it is there in the description.

@michaelparker5814 2 жыл бұрын

The flail is like a cross between finish mower and brush cutter I like it wonder if that do a good enough job cutting my main yard every week to invest in one ?

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

I'm certain a flail could be used on the yard. I am running the hammer blades, with grass blades it would give a superior cut on the lawn. For that I would definitely want a fixed flail rather than the offset, this offset sticks out the back quite a bit, I think it would be a bit cumbersome in my yard.

@michaelparker5814 2 жыл бұрын

@@ElkCreekAcres I would hafto use a fixed flail mower my koiti tractor dosen't have rear hydraulic hook ups

@michaelparker5814 2 жыл бұрын

@@ElkCreekAcres how many hp dose a flail need to run minimum id like to stick with a 72 inch cut like my finish mower is

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

@@michaelparker5814 what HP is your Kioti? Woodmaxx makes a 78" with hydraulic side shift (not offset) that only requires 30 HP at the PTO.

@michaelparker5814 2 жыл бұрын

Mine is 25 hp but I can run a 6ft brush cutter and stuff big like that so idk if that's the true hp rating or they lied to get around emmision stuff @@ElkCreekAcres

@jimbrown9885 2 жыл бұрын

It looks like you're bagging it with the flail!

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

It does, it mulches it so fine it's hard to see it compared to the brush hog.

@MikeDougherty-jo8mt Жыл бұрын

sempher fi brother

@ElkCreekAcres Жыл бұрын

Right back at ya brother!!

@herbertlittle2699 2 жыл бұрын

That is a beautiful machine i would tell anyone to buy one.

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!!! I would recommend it too, it’s fits our needs perfectly.

@benfranklinification Ай бұрын

😊🎉❤

@stevenwalker8608 2 жыл бұрын

Have you tried cutting any Saplings with it? If so how big?

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

I have, it says it will take 2", but that's pushing it. I've done 1.5" or less with no issues, but two makes it work.

@stevenwalker8608 2 жыл бұрын

@@ElkCreekAcres Thank you Sir

@jjacres129 2 жыл бұрын

I know I told you before but thanks for being a true American fly the flag with honor but I’d like a Navy Seabee flag on the other side great video

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

I hear ya, I like to think I'm representing all of us with the star and stripes. But, thank you for the compliment.

@BobsOutdoorActivities 2 жыл бұрын

Wow, that flail mower. Per your brush hog, how short were you cutting with it? How much benefit do you get with the hydraulic top link? How often and how do you sharpen your brush hog blades? When you cut thick stuff with your brush hog does it kick out from the sides globs of cut grass/brush? Mine does. Hope you don't mind all the questions :-)))) I'd sure love to have that flail mower. I think if I bought one, per my wife you'd have a new roommate hahahahaha

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

There might be room in the dog house for you Lol. The hydraulic top link is awesome for for all of my attachments, including the rotary cutter. I wish I could use it on the flail, but I need another remote. I honestly don't sharpen my brush hog blades only once every few years, but I only mow grasses and weeds so they honestly stay in very good shape. If mine gets really loaded up it will kick stuff out, but for the most part it doesn't, but yes, I know what you mean

@BobsOutdoorActivities 2 жыл бұрын

@@ElkCreekAcres Thanks. I have about 20 hours on the brush hog, or 25 hours.. it's been 80% field grass and the normal pinky finger brush. But I have hit some wrist size branches and stalled the brush hog in the dirt 1/2 dozen times. Is the dog house insulated? hahahahaha

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

@@BobsOutdoorActivities heck yeah it's insulated, pictures on the walls and everything you need to feel like home. LOL

@billsmith6962 Ай бұрын

What blades are on the flail?

@ElkCreekAcres Ай бұрын

Hammer blades.

@markaraujo06 2 жыл бұрын

from now on do everything in flail

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

I agree.

@williamgreen4757 2 жыл бұрын

Dude you need a periscope and a pole saw.

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

Hahahaha Tell me about it.

@richardpoe2461 2 жыл бұрын

More blades and higher speed makes for a better cut! I would buy a flail mower.

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

I agree, that's why I did. But, each one still has it's place IMO.

@robertkrause4769 2 жыл бұрын

Looks like it’s time to trade the rotary for a 6’+ flail mower with hammers and save the offset flail for trimming.

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

Nah, this is only 2 acres, and this is usually done for hay, this year is just a very wet year and we couldn't get it done.

@bigtime37ja 2 жыл бұрын

Flail mower is in our future. We have a new Mahindra and my wife asks, how tall of grass can we brush hog, I said watch this video. You can cut some fairly tall stuff.... Eye level... Haha Thanks for the video.

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

You got Jerry!! Tell your wife just send the tractor in there and just let it eat. Lol

@JCW418 2 жыл бұрын

Look up ”Kalvi” blades on an ordinary ride on rotory mower.

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

Ok, I'm looking and can't find them for a rotary cutter, but I'm interested.

@JCW418 2 жыл бұрын

@@ElkCreekAcres John Kalvi has a channel.

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

@@JCW418 thanks, I'll look that up.

@gordyhouse4732 2 жыл бұрын

Cutting it shorter.

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

Oddly enough the flail is only set for about 1" lower than the rotary cutter.

@davidhead5943 2 жыл бұрын

So your a Marine ?

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

Yes sir!!

@davidhead5943 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your service ! Sir

@genewilliams7497 2 жыл бұрын

How about a 125hp cab FWD tractor with A/C and a 10’ wide 3 pt hitch rotary cutter for this kinda of job??? You could knock out almost 6ea acres and hour at 6 mph and not even break a sweat…. Grooming pasture with a flail mower just basically waste diesel fuel and it just grows back.

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

Sure, a cab tractor would be nice, but I use what I have. But, this isn't a pasture, and it doesn't matter what kind of mower you use, it will always grow back.

@genewilliams7497 2 жыл бұрын

Actually my point wasn’t really the cab…… but using the right equipment and HP for the task that you are performing. with the smaller equipment you might want to cut it regularly so you can get it done each time a ton faster

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

@@genewilliams7497 I know what you mean. This was a field that we usually do hay off of, it's just a scrub field, doesn't belong to us so we don't put much money into it. But this year it has been exceptionally wet, and this field is troublesome on a year like this so we simply decided to cut it down. Maybe we can salvage another cutting, it's actually coming back quite nicely. Everything else that I maintain gets mowed regularly, I honestly do not need a large tractor for our use, though a slightly larger tractor with a cab would be nice. But, we also have a 2555, a Ford 5000 and a White 2-85. We use all of them for making hay, but we don't own a large rotary cutter.

@Jarheadslandservice Жыл бұрын

SFMF

@ElkCreekAcres Жыл бұрын

Back at ya brother!!

@rebekahshook2183 2 жыл бұрын

To bad you can’t use it for animals feed

@ElkCreekAcres 2 жыл бұрын

This is one of our hay fields. But this field is very wet on a year like we've had, I was simply mowing this down so that good growth would come back for another cutting for hay.