Flail mower for Telehandler?

[czechmate]

It will be a lot cheaper to get a front PTO fitted (and more flexible) than it will be to buy a large hydro powered flail and the get it enough oil to run successfully.

Funny, I was thinking just that as I typed my post

 

[czechmate]

There are a lot of places where the tree branches are lower than a tractor cab and with front linkage you wouldn't be able to reach 7m under a tree canopy as ou potentially could with a telehandler. ....
Plus on the really big stuff you could lower a flail down gradually from height...

Do some branching first?

 

[ED.D]

Does anyone know what sort of money we're looking at to hire a tracked skiddy and mulcher (not a flail topper, a proper mulcher for big stuff) for a week self drive?

Have been quoted £1500/week for a mulcher that will tackle upto 5" mounted on a tracked skid steer.

 

[czechmate]

Hmm, I always keep coming back to 8 tonne digger, chainsaw and fires

 

[marcot]

Do some branching first?

Could do but it turns it into a much bigger job then....

 

[marcot]

Some ideas for you to consider...

1. PTO flail on alpine tractor. Maybe chat to Riko or Kirkland UK
View attachment 452160

2. Hire an operator with a Robocut
View attachment 452158

3. Hydro flail on a chunky skiddie
View attachment 452154

4. PTO-type 48-60" flail on out front commercial mower
View attachment 452156
5. Hydro flail on a 360

View attachment 452168

So there is more oil flow to the auxiliary on a 360 then?

 

[exmoor dave]

Have been quoted £1500/week for a mulcher that will tackle upto 5" mounted on a tracked skid steer.

That's about what I was thinking

Would that be a 5 day week, drop on monday, pick up on friday ?

Or 7 days?

 

[marcot]

We are probably having a remote control JCB tracked flail to do some steep banks. Probably work too for you needs?

What size flail is that Ben?
Local Landscape firm has bought a remote control one which was demonstrated here but it was a tiny flail (about 1m )and wouldn't cope with the size of trash we have got to deal with....

 

[marcot]

Hmm, I always keep coming back to 8 tonne digger, chainsaw and fires

Mention the word "fire" and the Exmoor arsonist gets very excited

 

[GTB]

Thanks for the feedback ..... do you have any idea what sort of oil flow there is to the auxiliary circuit on a JCB loadall?

I would think your oil would overheat? Maybe best to get a flail mower with its own engine?

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Remember a flail cuts above the ground

A mulched on bob cat goes few inches below and rips out roots too.

Flail outcome will look the same in 5 yrs.

 

[Cows 'n grass]

A contractor who does some of our work runs a couple of flails on 360's for scrub clearing

Stolen from his fb page.

 

[Doing it for the kids]

It's workseasy fine and has a place, they use them on motorway embankments.

If you have trees though the bobcat is going to be much quicker

 

[Jungle Bill]

Avant loaders seem to manage a 1.5m flail with 70 lpm and 240 bar.

 

[Big Dom]

Does anyone know what sort of money we're looking at to hire a tracked skiddy and mulcher (not a flail topper, a proper mulcher for big stuff) for a week self drive?

Give Versatile equipment a call, they have a top of the range cat mulching tracked skiddy set up for hire

http://www.versatileequipment.co.uk/rental/

Take a look at this video of the type of machine they have

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

So there is more oil flow to the auxiliary on a 360 then?

It's more about getting the best tool for the job - clearing large flattish areas will be faster with a unit mounted on a wheeled unit i.e. skid steer or tracked loader as you will effectively be "mowing" the area, rather than "sweeping" the area i.e. mulch, slew, mulch, track, mulch, slew, track, etc. However if it's individual chunky trees being mulched down from height, bank sides, ditches and really tricky terrain then I would go for an excavator flail. Horses for courses.

High-flow auxiliary circuit (not all of them have it) on a big skiddie will easily beat most smaller (sub 12 ton) excavators on hammer circuit - so you can run a wider flail. You've also got to plumb a free flow return on the digger and ideally have a rotate circuit to enable you to open/close the flap on flail. Although you can get around that with a diverter switch.

On an excavator type flail size/weight needs to be matched to the base unit not just in hydraulic output but also base weight. A decently built forestry flail head will weight at least 500-700kg. It's a lot to be hanging off the end of the dipper and you know it's there if you slew too far to the side.

You've also got to decide on rotor type - 2 types with forestry flails - (a) hammer styles flails able to rotate 360 degrees around a barrel shaped enclosed rotor or (b) fixed tooth style with tungsten carbide teeth. Latter is better on eating trees the former is better on grass, brambles, gorse etc. The latter is generally around £1-2K more expensive per same flail size unit.

 

[Ben M]

What size flail is that Ben?
Local Landscape firm has bought a remote control one which was demonstrated here but it was a tiny flail (about 1m )and wouldn't cope with the size of trash we have got to deal with....

Same machine i reckon. I havent seen it. Ken is hiring it to do steep ressy banks

 

[Pan mixer]

Does anyone know what sort of money we're looking at to hire a tracked skiddy and mulcher (not a flail topper, a proper mulcher for big stuff) for a week self drive?

Cheaper to get your Zippo out, or have you lost it?

 

[exmoor dave]

Cheaper to get your Zippo out, or have you lost it?

My most prized moorland management tool

But I've got quite a few smaller areas of very mature gorse and scrub that won't burn, or are too near the road to burn safely.

Got a good local contractor with jungle swipes on a big fenht to cut bigger areas but it's not really worth his while doing these awkward bits or if there's too much birch in the gorse he's or so keen

 

[Big Dom]

This is what i spoke about earlier in this thread...