Would a 360 run a flail hedge cutter head?

Goweresque

Member
Location
North Wilts
It all depends on how much spare capacity you have in the hydraulic pumps in your 360. Don't forget that hammer circuits are designed for hammers :) which do not require the machine to move very much at the same time as operate the hammer, so there is an effective doubling up of the oil flow usage - when the hammer is going the dipper isn't moving, when the dipper is moving the hammer is idle. Whereas a flail requires a continuous flow AND enough spare oil to operate the dipper rams/tracking etc.

So you'll need to find out the pump capacity of your machine, the flow requirement of your proposed flail, and also if there is enough cooling capacity in your system to stop the oil getting too hot - again hammer circuits are designed for short bursts of operation, not hours and hours of continuous flow.

I wanted to fit one to my 360, but realised it doesn't have the spare capacity, so have gone instead for a grapple shear, like this one:
Hopefully this will allow me to do what I wanted with the flail (deal with overgrown hedges) but will not require the same continuous flow as a flail, as when you close the grapple, the dipper is not in motion, so the oil flow isn't trying to do two things at once. Its on order from Finland at the mo, when it arrives in the new year hopefully I'll be able to post some video of it in action:)
 

exmoor dave

Member
Location
exmoor, uk
It all depends on how much spare capacity you have in the hydraulic pumps in your 360. Don't forget that hammer circuits are designed for hammers :) which do not require the machine to move very much at the same time as operate the hammer, so there is an effective doubling up of the oil flow usage - when the hammer is going the dipper isn't moving, when the dipper is moving the hammer is idle. Whereas a flail requires a continuous flow AND enough spare oil to operate the dipper rams/tracking etc.

So you'll need to find out the pump capacity of your machine, the flow requirement of your proposed flail, and also if there is enough cooling capacity in your system to stop the oil getting too hot - again hammer circuits are designed for short bursts of operation, not hours and hours of continuous flow.

I wanted to fit one to my 360, but realised it doesn't have the spare capacity, so have gone instead for a grapple shear, like this one:
Hopefully this will allow me to do what I wanted with the flail (deal with overgrown hedges) but will not require the same continuous flow as a flail, as when you close the grapple, the dipper is not in motion, so the oil flow isn't trying to do two things at once. Its on order from Finland at the mo, when it arrives in the new year hopefully I'll be able to post some video of it in action:)

Want one!! :playful:
 

General-Lee

Member
Location
Devon
It all depends on how much spare capacity you have in the hydraulic pumps in your 360. Don't forget that hammer circuits are designed for hammers :) which do not require the machine to move very much at the same time as operate the hammer, so there is an effective doubling up of the oil flow usage - when the hammer is going the dipper isn't moving, when the dipper is moving the hammer is idle. Whereas a flail requires a continuous flow AND enough spare oil to operate the dipper rams/tracking etc.

So you'll need to find out the pump capacity of your machine, the flow requirement of your proposed flail, and also if there is enough cooling capacity in your system to stop the oil getting too hot - again hammer circuits are designed for short bursts of operation, not hours and hours of continuous flow.

I wanted to fit one to my 360, but realised it doesn't have the spare capacity, so have gone instead for a grapple shear, like this one:
Hopefully this will allow me to do what I wanted with the flail (deal with overgrown hedges) but will not require the same continuous flow as a flail, as when you close the grapple, the dipper is not in motion, so the oil flow isn't trying to do two things at once. Its on order from Finland at the mo, when it arrives in the new year hopefully I'll be able to post some video of it in action:)
:cool: certainly the way to prune/limb up a tree, poor little silver birch!:LOL:
 

hilux

Member
Location
south Wales
I've hired 3ton mini diggers in with flail heads on in the past ,powered them with no problems. The important thing to remember is to put a free flow line back to the tank because when you take your foot off the hammer circuit it's still spinning and can cause back pressure to the pump and knacker it. Got one on my js130 powers the flail no problem but the revs have to be reduced as there is to much pressure for the head.
 

Goweresque

Member
Location
North Wilts
As promised a few pics of my grapple shear:

IMG_3646.JPG
IMG_3645.JPG


Only arrived from Finland yesterday, only just got it on and piped up just before dusk, hence the rather dark photos. Had a little play with it, works well, a few tweaks needed to the digger to make everything work efficiently, but it does what it says on the tin. Very solidly built, and worked out much cheaper buying direct than going via one of the UK importers for similar types of attachment. Will allow me to work on overgrown hedges at this time of year when there's no chance of using a tractor flail, but working your way along a hedge on tracks doesn't do too much damage.
 

Chuckie

Member
Location
England
As promised a few pics of my grapple shear:

View attachment 104524 View attachment 104526

Only arrived from Finland yesterday, only just got it on and piped up just before dusk, hence the rather dark photos. Had a little play with it, works well, a few tweaks needed to the digger to make everything work efficiently, but it does what it says on the tin. Very solidly built, and worked out much cheaper buying direct than going via one of the UK importers for similar types of attachment. Will allow me to work on overgrown hedges at this time of year when there's no chance of using a tractor flail, but working your way along a hedge on tracks doesn't do too much damage.

Can you just grab a mouthful of hedge or whatever and it chops the lot off? Or does thin stuff tend to bend?
 

Goweresque

Member
Location
North Wilts
Can you just grab a mouthful of hedge or whatever and it chops the lot off? Or does thin stuff tend to bend?


Yes you just grab a bunch of the larger upright hedgerow bushes/trees, or individual bigger stems, and the blade at the bottom shears them off clean. The hedge will need a flail to tidy it up in a years time or so, but by removing the tall stuff, and any stems above 2-3 inches or so it will make flailing a doddle. Plus I plan to work on some road side hedges which I couldn't flail as they are, there would be too many branches potentially falling into the road, and bits of wood chip everywhere. This way I can just grab individual stems and remove them out of the hedge into the field safely, because the grapple holds what its cut tight in the jaws.
 

General-Lee

Member
Location
Devon
Yes you just grab a bunch of the larger upright hedgerow bushes/trees, or individual bigger stems, and the blade at the bottom shears them off clean. The hedge will need a flail to tidy it up in a years time or so, but by removing the tall stuff, and any stems above 2-3 inches or so it will make flailing a doddle. Plus I plan to work on some road side hedges which I couldn't flail as they are, there would be too many branches potentially falling into the road, and bits of wood chip everywhere. This way I can just grab individual stems and remove them out of the hedge into the field safely, because the grapple holds what its cut tight in the jaws.
So what capacity has it got, looks a fair size!
 

Goweresque

Member
Location
North Wilts
So what capacity has it got, looks a fair size!

Allegedly 10", though I haven't tried anything that big yet, and not sure I want to! I also ordered as an extra a 'thicket' blade, which is wider but not as deep, which is designed more for what I'm using it for, cutting armfuls of stems about 3-4 inches in diameter. So may swap those over tomorrow as well.
 

rob1

Member
Location
wiltshire
As promised a few pics of my grapple shear:

View attachment 104524 View attachment 104526

Only arrived from Finland yesterday, only just got it on and piped up just before dusk, hence the rather dark photos. Had a little play with it, works well, a few tweaks needed to the digger to make everything work efficiently, but it does what it says on the tin. Very solidly built, and worked out much cheaper buying direct than going via one of the UK importers for similar types of attachment. Will allow me to work on overgrown hedges at this time of year when there's no chance of using a tractor flail, but working your way along a hedge on tracks doesn't do too much damage.
Any plans do contract work with it? Got a long bit of river bank with lots of willow that we last cleared about 30 yrs ago,that might be just the job to clear it up
 

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