What is a flail mower?

There are many ways to mow grass and trim hedges. One of those ways is with a flail mower. This is not a mower like the one you might use in your private garden to mow your lawn. Those would be called rotary mowers since the blades rotate underneath.

A flail mower is a machine that, with its powerful engine, rotates a cylinder with flails attached. The flails are often made from heavy-duty materials, and the rotating drum delivers so much power that the flails efficiently and precisely cut any grass, straw, or branch.

When to Use a Flail Mower?

How does a flail mower work? Now knowing that a flail mower consists of a cylindrical drum with attached flails, you might ask yourself what the benefits are compared to a rotary mower.

Not every piece of equipment is the perfect tool for a task, but a flail mower is known for its versatility and high-performance level. A rotary cutter can deliver a great result but may struggle when meeting heavy, overgrown grass or other vegetation. A flail mower is great for large agricultural lands because it excels in challenging environments, whereas rotary mowers are better suited for flat surfaces.

The rotating flails create a suction effect, pulling in upcoming vegetation. Some flail mowers are specially designed to work with this suction effect by creating a metal suit around the flail mower to support the draft of air. This reduces both energy consumption and increases the effectiveness of mowing.

What is the Flail Mower Used For?

As we previously mentioned, it is mainly used for heavy vegetation control. Its versatility makes it the go-to tool for many landscapers because it can be used to mow grass and trim trees/hedges. The high dependability is also a big factor in its attractiveness to the market.

Most Europeans use the flail mower for mowing. It is perfect for verge mowing since verges are often crooked or tilted in a way where a rotary cutter would struggle to achieve great results. In England especially, there is a high demand for flail mowers to maintain their hedgerows. England, Scotland, and Ireland are filled with hedgerows, and their go-to tool is a flail mower. Its high power and efficiency could be what draws them in.

What are the Advantages of Using a Flail Mower?

There are many advantages, but we have collected five great benefits that our customers say about our flail mowers:

High Safety

The safety of a flail mower is very high. It is often equipped with either a chain guard or rubber guard to ensure that debris does not fly out at high speeds. Additionally, the cylindrical drum creates a downward draft that pulls the debris to the ground, another measure to ensure your safety.

Mulching

When the flails are rotating, they cut and then smash the material into fine debris. This process cuts and mulches the debris into much smaller pieces, providing a sharp and precise result and making it much faster for the debris to decompose.

Durability

A flail mower is very durable, especially if you buy quality products. It has a simple design, and most of the work is done by the flails. The flails are often made from such high-quality materials that they can sustain a lot of hard work. It takes much longer for a flail to become dull than for rotary mower blades to lose their sharpness.

Easy and Low Maintenance

As previously mentioned, a flail mower has a simple design. The simplicity and lack of complicated constructions make it much easier to maintain and exchange parts. The parts most commonly exchanged during the lifespan of a flail mower are the flails themselves. The flail mowers consist of many flails, but you can exchange each individually as they get damaged or lose sharpness.

Versatility

The versatility of the flail mower can often be the main motivation for acquiring one. A tool that can be used for many landscaping tasks is a dream come true since it reduces the additional costs of acquiring a hedge trimmer, cutter bar, etc.

What Flails are Best?

If you do acquire a flail mower, the next question might be which flail is best. There is more than just one type of flail, varying by material and design. So, first of all, what are the different types of flail?

• The C-Flail: Primarily used for cutting grass and shrubbery. It is named a C-Flail (and might have other names) because of its C-shape.
• The T-Flail: Named after the T-shape and is most often used for cutting shrubbery and branches up to 4-5 cm in thickness.
• The L-Flail: A niche flail type for extreme conditions where you are mowing close to stones.

The most important thing when looking for a flail is the type of material it is made of. Look for high quality – in the long run, it will save you money and time because they simply last longer and ensure a better mowing result.

What Types of Flail Mowers Are There?

It would be too simple to say that this is what a flail mower is and there are no differences in flail mowers across the market. But there are, and what type of best suits you depends on your needs and the tasks it should undertake.

Boom Mower Controlled Flail Mower

One of the most efficient and effective types of flail mowers are the ones connected to a boom mower. This is, of course, a larger investment, but acquiring a boom mower can assist you in many other landscaping tasks, and maybe you already have one. By using a boom mower, you can cut both horizontally and vertically, all controlled from the cockpit of your tractor through either the PTO or an independent motor. This type is perfect for tasks requiring range and reach in both mowing verges and hedges.

PTO Connected Tractor Flail Mower

If you are simply looking for a flail mower to cut verges and grass, this might be the option for you. This type drags the flail mower either behind or offset to the side of the tractor. Powered simply by the PTO on the tractor, this solution is simple to use but also more restrictive. You can adjust the angle for some, but that might be it – you are bound to drive your tractor at or at least very near the desired mowing location. There are few options for mowing hedges with this solution.

Manual Flail Mower

A flail mower where you walk behind and steer it across the grass. Often fueled by a diesel/petrol engine and fitted with two guiding wheels, you can mow your grass almost like the lawn mower you have at home. This is a perfect solution for those with very limited needs and no need for trimming hedges. Simply put, if you are looking to mow large areas, this flail mower will struggle in both result and time consumption.