Best flail topper...or alternative.

[egbert]

Have got some inbye ground (IE it's pretty clean as far as igneous matters go) that needs topping.
Some would just be thistle/nettle growth, some would be brambles and suckers coming out from hedge/tree cover.
Likely 10-15 acres to cover twice a year mebbe

Flail topper? (I'm fearful of the least foreign object throwing shaft out of balance)
Bladed rotary?

Will be running on 80-100 horse tractors. 2m - 2.5m likely

 

[warksfarmer]

Have got some inbye ground (IE it's pretty clean as far as igneous matters go) that needs topping.
Some would just be thistle/nettle growth, some would be brambles and suckers coming out from hedge/tree cover.
Likely 10-15 acres to cover twice a year mebbe

Flail topper? (I'm fearful of the least foreign object throwing shaft out of balance)
Bladed rotary?

Will be running on 80-100 horse tractors. 2m - 2.5m likely

Very happy with our Vigolo front and rear mounted flail topper. It replaced a Twyman and is a much better machine. Really well priced against the competition as well

 

[Boomerang]

Got a spearhead sniper on 75hp 2.2m wide.
Got a set of j flail on it instead of boots, easier to drive , I'm chopping green oats 1m high ,it does a great job .

 

[toquark]

Got a spearhead rhd280 on a 110hp valtra. Does a cracking job on rushes and heavier vegetation. It’ll munch through brambles and suckers for breakfast

 

[betweenthelines]

buy an old double chop

 

[An Gof]

Have got some inbye ground (IE it's pretty clean as far as igneous matters go) that needs topping.
Some would just be thistle/nettle growth, some would be brambles and suckers coming out from hedge/tree cover.
Likely 10-15 acres to cover twice a year mebbe

Flail topper? (I'm fearful of the least foreign object throwing shaft out of balance)
Bladed rotary?

Will be running on 80-100 horse tractors. 2m - 2.5m likely

10-15 acres twice a year, get the contractor in.
If you really want to do it yourself I have found my Kuhn flail to be reliable and well built. Tend to run with a few more ge-gees than you are proposing and always run on 1000 pto.
Rushes, like you moor boys have, can be a killer for them though ……. and burning belts isn’t recommended

 

[egbert]

10-15 acres twice a year, get the contractor in.
If you really want to do it yourself I have found my Kuhn flail to be reliable and well built. Tend to run with a few more ge-gees than you are proposing and always run on 1000 pto.
Rushes, like you moor boys have, can be a killer for them though ……. and burning belts isn’t recommended

No rushes...this is on one of my Eastern estates.

I have someone in mind to put in the seat, (and he wants the extra space for his burgeoning flock)
It's not a straightforward 10-15acres, it's in around a lot of trees and the like, and chasing dashels across 30 acres.
Contractors bill has been several hundred - albeit he opened a lot up last year with a monster forestry mulcher.

How would a solid bladed rotary cope....anyone know?
Seemingly a lot cheaper to buy, and less in the way of balanced shafts to bang around.

 

[stroller]

https://www.mcconnel.com/vegetation-maintenance/rotary-mowers/_product/26/topper-9/ 90hp £6384 according to Halse's 2022 catalogue, I've got one it seems to chop through clumps of earth ok, had it about 10 years, only replaced one set of clutch plates so far.

 

[Kidds]

I bought one of these a year or two ago.

Alpha Variflo XHD+260 MAX Flail Mower | eBay

The Variflo XHD+ range is building on the success of the variflo XHD range but has been beefed up to cope in the most demanding situations. The XHD+290 is the biggest flail we produce and weighs in at 960kg.

www.ebay.co.uk

On the downside the side shift has seized for some reason but other than that it is an impressive machine. I use it to mulch all the prunings in my orchards and it chew them up well.
It will chew up anything up to 4" with relative ease and would probably do bigger but might need a couple of passes. I have quite stony ground and my other mowers regularly broke from hitting stones, this thing just smashes the stones up!

 

[C.J]

I believe Phillip of Runnage does some rough stuff with his.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

My man has a mulcher , will cut anything and improves old pasture no end

 

[Hjcarter]

If you want it shredded then you'll need a flail, if it can be cut and left flat then you could use a rotary.

Rotary tend to be cheaper and need less power, flails do a tidier job but cost more and need a bit more pop!!

 

[Macsky]

I’d say rotary would make a tidier job of thistles than a flail, if you don’t need a flail for mulching thick rank overgrowth/rushes etc then I’d stick to a good rotary, better value and cheaper to run I’d say.

Multicut 300 - Spearhead Machinery

2.8 metre cutting width 50hp tractor requirement

www.spearheadmachinery.com

 

[Ruston3w]

+1 for the Major rotary, we replaced a flail with one as said cheaper to buy and run. Not as good but nearly.

 

[IOW91]

Used a Kuhn VKM 280 for years where I used to work and it was no trouble. Cut all sorts with it, and it's still used regularly now.

Bought my own Teagle Dual 280 last year and it does a good job, cuts grass, scrubland, margins and marshland fine. Run on a 1000shaft with 115HP.

 

[exmoor dave]

Kuhn 280 flail here, on J flails instead of hammers and it pretty much does everything I throw at it, including some fair gorse.

Run it on a 80hp JD and changing to J flails makes it much easier to start and run

Haven't broken a J yet!

 

[pgk]

I bought one of these a year or two ago.

Alpha Variflo XHD+260 MAX Flail Mower | eBay

The Variflo XHD+ range is building on the success of the variflo XHD range but has been beefed up to cope in the most demanding situations. The XHD+290 is the biggest flail we produce and weighs in at 960kg.

www.ebay.co.uk

On the downside the side shift has seized for some reason but other than that it is an impressive machine. I use it to mulch all the prunings in my orchards and it chew them up well.
It will chew up anything up to 4" with relative ease and would probably do bigger but might need a couple of passes. I have quite stony ground and my other mowers regularly broke from hitting stones, this thing just smashes the stones up!

Bought one last year, run it behind 84hp 4wd, it is a brute, very competitively priced.

 

[Hfd Cattle]

Bought a Minos yr before last to top of ab15 grass schemes very pleased with it . Fraction of the price of alternatives .

 

[egbert]

Waking up an old post...

A Major Cyclone has arrived - a bit 2nd hand- and seems to be doing a very good job.

It's currently on a 100 horse JD, which walks anything at tickover until the suckers get 6' deep and 2" thick ....then you want some more revs, and ensure rad screen is clear.

Reducing everything to an acceptable size, if not to dust.