Mower question

[Jason_Coffey]

Does the flail or the woods mower leave a better cut for a lawn?

Thanks!

[Don McCombs]

My only experience with a flail mower is a rear Fast Hitch mounted Mott. Having said that, I would think that with equally sharpened blades, the results would be pretty much the same. The advantage with the flail mower is that it will not pick up a rock or a golf ball and throw it through your neighbor's living room window.

[Eugene]

Owning both type mowers, about the same results on a well maintained lawn, knives sharp, mower in good condition.

Flail mower has a much finer "chop" of cut grass. There is no skip with the flail mower that you can get with rotary mower on turns when the mower is well worn and blades not sharp.

[Jason_Coffey]

Thank you.

I only ask because the guy that has the flail mower told me it cut uneven. He explained it as a wavy pattern. I figured it had something to do with the blade maintenance.

You mentioned the flail being attached to the fast hitch. The flail that was attached to the cub I just bought was belly mounted. What is the difference?

[Don McCombs]

Here's the Fast Hitch mounted Mott...

[Eugene]

I only ask because the guy that has the flail mower told me it cut uneven. He explained it as a wavy pattern.

The solid roller under the flail mower follows the ground. Uneven ground such as a rock, clump of dirt, mound, the roller on the mower follows the minor elevations.

I mow uneven ground. I usually just let the flail mower float on it's suspension system, with the roller an inch or so above ground. This is not a lawn, it's the acreage entrance area and pastured.

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

Having used a flail, a 42 inch Woods, and a 59 inch 3 blade Woods, My personal observations are that the 59 inch gives the smoothest cut, with the 42 inch Woods and the 48 inch flail both giving a comparable cut if blades of both are sharp. I currently use a flail, and have used one for over 25 years, and have learned a couple tricks. You get a more even cut the closer to the ground it is set. with the roller set to cut to the lowest height, which is approx. 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 inches. Raising the mower up one hole on the roller does give a little rougher cut. You also will get a slightly smoother cut in first gear than in second, but the difference is not big. As Eugene said, the roller follows the ground and if the ground is uneven it will leave some dips, etc. I let mine down to the point the weight is just on the roller, but the chains are snug, so if the front goes over a hump it raises the cutters and evens out the surface, also if the roller goes over a dip the chains hold the mower up rather than following it.