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Author Topic: Collecting Flail Mower Cuttings  (Read 4284 times)

Markus99

  • Joined Feb 2021
Collecting Flail Mower Cuttings
« on: September 07, 2021, 10:06:41 pm »


Anyone got experience using one on back of tractor?

 

As I have a question. If a field is flail mowed, is there an attachment that can collect the cuttings after?

Kiran

  • Joined Apr 2019
Re: Collecting Flail Mower Cuttings
« Reply #1 on: September 08, 2021, 02:16:51 am »
A flail has a series of hammers which will smash the grass/undergrowth into little pieces. Usually it's just a case of cut and drop. I guess if you wanted to collect all the tiny bits then you'd need a sweeper attachment of some sort.

Is leaving the small cuttings to rot down and feed the land an option?

Markus99

  • Joined Feb 2021
Re: Collecting Flail Mower Cuttings
« Reply #2 on: September 08, 2021, 07:56:09 am »
Thanks for the reply. Yes leaving is an option.

We have so much bracken/long grass we thought of makinhg use of it as in making a pile in field corner and composting it.

Kiran

  • Joined Apr 2019
Re: Collecting Flail Mower Cuttings
« Reply #3 on: October 19, 2021, 05:46:42 am »
I'm far from a compost expert, but if you are collecting mainly grass then you need to add a shed load of carbon to create compost otherwise you end up with a huge stinking pile as that much green waste would usually be high in nitrogen.

As I say, I'm no expert, but I'm sure someone on here can give you good composting advice

arobwk

  • Joined Nov 2015
  • Kernow: where 2nd-home owners rule !
Re: Collecting Flail Mower Cuttings
« Reply #4 on: October 19, 2021, 05:39:05 pm »
I'm also no composting expert [member=210868]Markus99[/member] but I looked into collecting-up flail cuttings a while ago - mainly as a mulch, but with some composting. 
(I'm told that my grandfather would never mulch with green material in his extensive veg' plot, but sorry Grandad, there are varying views on that.) 
Unfortunately, simple 3PL or towed grass-rakes are neither widely available nor cheap (for what they are). I seem to recall there are available flail mowers with collectors, but way-beyond my budget (can't offer examples this far on from my searches).  Of course, in the very old days they simply used manual hay-rakes to gather any cut grass/hay into bundles/rows !  I do this if I require a small "crop" for mulching and fork it into my rear tipper-box and/or cubic metre bags for mulch distribution.  However, not so long ago I saw a TV prog' with a young lady working on her parents' small farm using a manual hay rake across a whole field of several acres !!
« Last Edit: October 20, 2021, 10:38:00 pm by arobwk »

 

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