[NA]Yard carnage device[NA]

Let'sgoflying!

Let'sgoflying!

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
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west Texas
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Display name:
Dave Taylor
Do they make a device that is hardier than a riding mower, will cover a few acres in an hour or two, and will flail to death whatever it moves over?
Horizontally spinning blades get et up by rocks and new shrubs here.

I have tumbleweed & mesquite that needs to be destroyed. Sometimes it's 12" grass and weeds. <3000$ would be in the budget. Sort of a Yard Flailer. Does not need to leave a putting green result. Just beat nature back on a regular basis. Not a walk-behind. String will not cut it.
 
Probably not what you're looking for but it sure looks like it might make fun out of the chore :wink2:

How-Flamethrowers-Work-2.jpg
 
What most folks use in this part of the world for maintaining undeveloped (or relatively unimproved) acreage is a small antique tractor like a 9N or 8N Ford with a mower known as a "brush cutter" (Bush Hog is a popular brand). The mowers are built to take the abuse of rocks, roots, small stumps, etc. and will leave the property looking somebody cares about the appearance, though it won't be mistaken for the 17th fairway.

You might have to shop around to stay within your budget, but $1500-2000 for an old tractor and $1000 for a mower isn't out of the question, at least not here in rural MT. YMMV.

Edit: Here's an example of the kind of tractor you can get for 1.5 AMUs.

Mark
 
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I thought this was gonna be another lawndart thread.
 
Seconded, a small tractor with a brush hog.
 
Thanks for the bush hog idea.
Billy, it is actually taking out the shaft bearing housing, not just the blades. It rips the cylinder containing the bearings off the flange which mounts it all to the deck.
I do have some places I need to get under trees, and multiple turns around them (they are pretty close, I will have to measure.
 
Remove guard, lift deck, replace blades with steel cables. Do not replace guard. Enjoy.
 
Get a flail mower. They're damn near bullet proof.
 
pilot_dude said:
Get a flail mower. They're damn near bullet proof.
Click to expand...

Yup, flail mowers are better than brush hogs if you have a lot of things to jump over. The problem with brush hogs (rotary mowers) is that they relay on long blades to do the cutting, so when they hit large objects (like trees/stumps) the blade digs in and can bend/stop the blade. Flail mowers have lots of tiny, replaceable cutting teeth which are able to flex/pivot over the offending object. The only downside is that flail mowers are usually not positioned directly behind the tractor, so you mow off to the side of the tractor's path. There are models that will pull behind the tractor, but the are a bit more expensive and usually employ another gearbox.
 
We couldn't function without a brush hog. Eats sand eats and eats like one of my son-in-laws.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Thanks for the bush hog idea.
Billy, it is actually taking out the shaft bearing housing, not just the blades. It rips the cylinder containing the bearings off the flange which mounts it all to the deck.
I do have some places I need to get under trees, and multiple turns around them (they are pretty close, I will have to measure.
Click to expand...

Wow... I just thought my yard was tough...:lol:

And yes, I do have a flying shrapnel problem while trimming the sand, rocks, weeds and occasionally grass...
 
I have an ancient Wheel Horse ride on lawnmower with no mower deck, but with a plow on the front. I use it to knock down vegetation, clean up debris from my wood splitting, and grade my "back 40". Works great.
 
Oh I forgot another spec, we have mesquite thorns up to 2" long and hard as nails. My tires are 'a porcupine' on the inside, coated in a quart of leak stop.
So I will need solid rubber tires or 12-plies.
 
SoonerAviator said:
Yup, flail mowers are better than brush hogs if you have a lot of things to jump over. The problem with brush hogs (rotary mowers) is that they relay on long blades to do the cutting, so when they hit large objects (like trees/stumps) the blade digs in and can bend/stop the blade. Flail mowers have lots of tiny, replaceable cutting teeth which are able to flex/pivot over the offending object. The only downside is that flail mowers are usually not positioned directly behind the tractor, so you mow off to the side of the tractor's path. There are models that will pull behind the tractor, but the are a bit more expensive and usually employ another gearbox.
Click to expand...

You can find good used PTO driven 6' flail mowers for $500-$1k at auctions. Very handy, but if what your mowing is tall, thick and heavy, they'll suck a lot of power, ya gotta have serious tractor. I borrowed one to reclaim a pasture once and it brought my Massey 65 diesel to it's knees.

Nice in that it chops stuff up real fine though.
 
Chip Sylverne said:
You can find good used PTO driven 6' flail mowers for $500-$1k at auctions. Very handy, but if what your mowing is tall, thick and heavy, they'll suck a lot of power, ya gotta have serious tractor. I borrowed one to reclaim a pasture once and it brought my Massey 65 diesel to it's knees.

Nice in that it chops stuff up real fine though.
Click to expand...

Agreed, they do require some strong HP to turn, especially the large ones. The other thing I like about them is that they can be configured to to "brush hog" type work with larger/fewer teeth, or finishing work with a lot of smaller teeth, depending on needs. It just depends on what equipment you have to work with, type of ground cover, and how often you intend on doing the cutting. Nothing wrong with running a rotary cutter with a stump jumper on the back if you don't have a good amount of HP.
 
Ed mentioned changing from a blade to a spinning chain. That got me to thinking about a cable. I could easily attach a cable from 1/8" to 1/2" dia to the ends of the blade mount bar. Would that be lacking in rotating mass and not cut thick grass/weeds?
Is there a huge flying fod hazard?
 
GrampaMark said:
What most folks use in this part of the world for maintaining undeveloped (or relatively unimproved) acreage is a small antique tractor like a 9N or 8N Ford with a mower known as a "brush cutter" (Bush Hog is a popular brand). The mowers are built to take the abuse of rocks, roots, small stumps, etc. and will leave the property looking somebody cares about the appearance, though it won't be mistaken for the 17th fairway.

You might have to shop around to stay within your budget, but $1500-2000 for an old tractor and $1000 for a mower isn't out of the question, at least not here in rural MT. YMMV.

Edit: Here's an example of the kind of tractor you can get for 1.5 AMUs.

Mark
Click to expand...

Yup. Ford 8N, 2N, or 9N with a Bush Hog. There are two blades under the deck, and they articulate on a pin so that when they hit something kinda rough they will swing back a bit and not transfer the torque to the shaft and gears. You will need an over-running coupler on the tractor for a brush box.

I have a 1948 Ford 8N that I got with the property I bought. It's a real solid old work horse, and simple to maintain. My brush hog is a 6' twin blade and I go over medium mesquite sometimes. If there's rust around the spindles on the deck pass it up, it will soon disintegrate, otherwise don't forget the overrunning coupler and you are good to go.
 
docmirror said:
Yup. Ford 8N, 2N, or 9N with a Bush Hog. There are two blades under the deck, and they articulate on a pin so that when they hit something kinda rough they will swing back a bit and not transfer the torque to the shaft and gears. You will need an over-running coupler on the tractor for a brush box.

I have a 1948 Ford 8N that I got with the property I bought. It's a real solid old work horse, and simple to maintain. My brush hog is a 6' twin blade and I go over medium mesquite sometimes. If there's rust around the spindles on the deck pass it up, it will soon disintegrate, otherwise don't forget the overrunning coupler and you are good to go.
Click to expand...

Those old Fords were definitely great workhorses, and can usually be picked up in great condition for $2-3K. However, after having worked with the modern tractors, it's hard to go back to a live PTO especially in a rough field where I want to go slow, but still have the PTO turning full speed.
 
SoonerAviator said:
Those old Fords were definitely great workhorses, and can usually be picked up in great condition for $2-3K. However, after having worked with the modern tractors, it's hard to go back to a live PTO especially in a rough field where I want to go slow, but still have the PTO turning full speed.
Click to expand...

Yes sir, they are old school. Some folks have fitted them with reduction drives after the clutch to get around the speed deal with live PTO. It's not ideal, but for me, I've been having so much fun moving dirt, and scarfing brush that I just don't want to upgrade. I also just spent $700 on new rear tires, so I'm gonna own it till I die, and give it to my kids. lol
 
docmirror said:
Yes sir, they are old school. Some folks have fitted them with reduction drives after the clutch to get around the speed deal with live PTO. It's not ideal, but for me, I've been having so much fun moving dirt, and scarfing brush that I just don't want to upgrade. I also just spent $700 on new rear tires, so I'm gonna own it till I die, and give it to my kids. lol
Click to expand...

No downside there. Few agricultural items look as good as a fully restored 8N or Golden Jubilee in that red/gray paint. That being said, we run a Kubota L3130HST (4x4) for the big stuff and a B7100HST for the small stuff. :)
 
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