What Topper?

Selectamatic · Jun 1, 2019

Thinking out aloud really...

I'm getting asked more and more for topping work, currently borrowing a topper, It's time to buy one...

I cut general weeds, nettles, thistles, docks, which is easy enough, but also get asked to cut that feggy grass that's come to a head, and sometimes that wiry mountainous grass that's dead thin and dead tough. That takes some cutting, never leaving the finish that I feel is good enough.

It can be driven by anything from 60hp to 100hp.

Options...
9ft behind the tractor topper
8ft offset topper
Second hand flail topper
Second hand disc mower
Anything else?!

What should I be going for...?

Wellytrack · Jun 1, 2019

Old Double Chop, gut it’s insides remove the spout, remove rear door. Fully offset and cheap as chips.

Boohoo · Jun 1, 2019

I know a few people who have these and are pleased with the job they do even in heavy rushes
https://www.mcconnel.com/rotary-and-flail-mowers/rotary-mowers/_product/26/topper-9/

Wellytrack · Jun 1, 2019

Boohoo said:
I know a few people who have these and are pleased with the job they do even in heavy rushes
https://www.mcconnel.com/rotary-and-flail-mowers/rotary-mowers/_product/26/topper-9/

I have one, great machine to be fair. Cut heavy rushes higher than a 28’ rim and tyre.

Selectamatic · Jun 1, 2019

Wellytrack said:
Old Double Chop, gut it’s insides remove the spout, remove rear door. Fully offset and cheap as chips.

Now! Do you know what, I have thought about this in the past... Dad used to borrow one to use as a topper.

I've always wanted a forage harvester...

Jerry · Jun 1, 2019

Don’t get a teagle. Made of cheese.

Eats donuts fir fun and then blows a gearbox.

And I’m not cutting rough ground.

ridger · Jun 1, 2019

I used to use a double chop with the spout still on

Dyffryn · Jun 1, 2019

Disc mower wins hands down.

Moors Lad · Jun 1, 2019

Had a 9`behind the tractor job - used to get frustrated with stuff not getting cut properly where tractor wheels had been. Taller stuff like rushes would no doubt be less of a problem than shorter stuff . A customer may be inclined to grumble if you don`t make a tidy job.... I certainly wouldn`t entertain another one.

robandles · Jun 1, 2019

Fully offset. Anything else will drive you nuts.

Farma Parma · Jun 1, 2019

how much you wanting to top?
i have a 8ft offset Abbey & its brilliant
must have had it 5years now easily
not that dear new neither.

Robert K · Jun 1, 2019

Front mounted and hydraulic offset would be on the list if I was looking

Jackov Altraids · Jun 1, 2019

Boohoo said:
I know a few people who have these and are pleased with the job they do even in heavy rushes
https://www.mcconnel.com/rotary-and-flail-mowers/rotary-mowers/_product/26/topper-9/

No idea about the topper, but topping that grass.........!!!!;

Truly...WTF?

ollie989898 · Jun 1, 2019

You want a flail for that workload. Muthing or Kuhn etc. Offset or on the front.

Properly designed flail toppers nearly hoover material up off the ground and seem to shred it before it is able to exit the hood.

Flail toppers also tolerate undulating ground and the odd lump of dirt or foreign bodies better. A rotary topper doesnt like touching the deck at all.

If you only ever cut fields of your own that were level ish and you knew they were free of anything funky a big rotary would be the automatic choice but for cutting everything from rushes and grass to scrub etc a flail is the kiddie. Just charge enough to cover the cost of flails.

tinman · Jun 2, 2019

I cut mostly rushes here and thats what i want a topper for, everything else is easy to cut.
ive had a major direct mounted one but the gearboxes (comer) were a bit cheesy, literally.
ive had a disc mower but it leaves a row in middling to heavy crops which dosent rot away quick enough.
ive had a new kuhn vkm i think it was, a semi offset one with flails but it wouldnt cut rushes unless it was scalping the ground no matter what way it was setup and then i bought a spearhead multicut 300, its a direct mounted 3 pt linkage topper but im very happy with it, it mulches things up ever so fine, its similar to the mc connel rhino 9 but it runs bondoili and pavesi gearboxes and shafts which imo is streets ahead of the Chinese gearboxes you get on the mc connell, its not a cheap topper but it dose what it says on the tin, for me at least.
even tho your driving over the crop first the blades have a turn up on them that creates a form of a vacuum to lift the crop to aide cutting so it leaves a decent finish.

milkloss · Jun 2, 2019

I get the use of a spearhead batwing rotary and there’s not much it can’t get the better of. Nice to hang it just over the edge of a bank when you get it right and leaves a smart finish. Some proper lift to it as well so most vegetation gets lifted to the blades if it’s a bit flat

Kiwi Pete · Jun 2, 2019

@Selectamatic , do your bigger machines have enough weight at the front to lift a proper mulcher? Bloody heavy, but you won't break one, I mulched over 150 acres of steep gorse with a Berti mulcher and it didn't even blunt the flails, as well as all the "topping" needed on a 500ac organic dairy unit and its runoff blocks.
Once spun up they don't take much drive, but you do need ballast at the front end, if I was in the market for a topper I'd bypass all the halfway houses, and head straight for a similar machine.
Similar to a flail topper but built to 'industrial spec'.

Father ted · Jun 2, 2019

Jackov Altraids said:
No idea about the topper, but topping that grass.........!!!!;

Truly...WTF?

Think you will find they cut/flail the grass then plough back in,ready to plant selection of fruit tress.Plus shows what the topper will cut to.

Jackov Altraids · Jun 2, 2019

Father ted said:
Think you will find they cut/flail the grass then plough back in,ready to plant selection of fruit tress.Plus shows what the topper will cut to.

I'm always willing to learn but I'm still not sure that seems very logical.
I'm worried that some manufacturers don't appreciate the job most of us are trying to do with toppers if they think that is a good example.
I had the head of one manufacturer of flail toppers visit me after the paint on their machine caught fire while I was topping rushes. He was a very good and knowledgeable chap but had no idea how tough soft rushes that hadn't been touched for over 12 months could be.
Many flail toppers are actually only designed for 'de-heading' grazed pastures and they are brilliant for that purpose. The main design problem is that they can't deal with the sheer volume of material in dense rushes. The only option for me in these situations is a drum mower and then use the flail to mulch the sward once its dried out.

neilo · Jun 2, 2019

milkloss said:
I get the use of a spearhead batwing rotary and there’s not much it can’t get the better of. Nice to hang it just over the edge of a bank when you get it right and leaves a smart finish. Some proper lift to it as well so most vegetation gets lifted to the blades if it’s a bit flat

I have one (a very old one) too and I would agree. However, it can bring 160hp to it’s knees in anything but bottom gear when there are ‘Proper’ rushes to do. That is a 4.6m one.
It would need a very small machine for 60hp to handle it.

What Topper?

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