Flail mower vs. sickle bar mower for field maintenance

Debating whether to use a sickle bar mower and mow three to four times a year, or use a flail mower and mow approximately the same frequency.

Current input is that the flail mower is the best choice rather than a sickle, given lower maintenance costs. Fields are a bit rocky for a large rotary mower; a flail was recommended over a sickle bar.

Other input on sickle vs. flail? Tractor power would be a Ford NAA to handle a Ford 917 flail or a Ford 501/515 6' sickle bar.

Thanks for thoughts!

Of the two choices you presented, the flail mower is definitely the way to go. If you use a sickle, you'll be lifting the bar to go over rocks all the time, and the field will look terrible. The flail mower will go right over smaller rocks, and is much easeir to manuver around the bigger ones.

Downside is the hammer knives aren't ALL that durable, and will require fairly frequent replacement. Individually, they're not too expensive, but replacing 20 or 30 of them at a time can get a little hard on the wallet.

Thanks for the comments on flail mowers vs. sickle mowers. We've had this field mowed by a sickle bar mower for years, and it does look 'rough' when done.

As to the flail mower, would you recommend using the 'ring style' heavy-duty knives? I'm told those will stand up much better than the conventional pinned knives for this heavy mowing. Any value in getting extra-heavy duty knives or carbide edges?

Any good tips as to sharpening tools or special techniques? Just use a good hand grinder?

TIA,

Randy

Regarding what Paul said about the use of the field, I know what he means. I'd hafta put sheep on it just to keep it from going to "waste", but that's just me.

When I was mowing commercially, I mowed several 10 and 20 acre "fields" that had been farmland/pastures/hayfields years ago (1950's) but are now owned by summer folks or retired folks with no interest in farming. At least they're kept from reverting back to woods and puckerbrush.

I've spent my "spare" time in the last 10 years reclaiming 4 acres of scrub brush that used to be pasture. Not a lot of fun, but it's coming back nicely now, and supporting a small flock of sheep.

Around 'here' there are a lot of govt programs that would pay you to do nothing with 60 acres, let it grow native again and gain some money.

I suppose you are closer to housing developments & need to keep it looking 'neat' for them, & don't want it in a govt program so it can be subdivided in a few years.

Anyhow, sickle bar mower is a real pain with plugging & all, go with the flail. And sorry if I sound like I'm preaching, I only like to look at how things are done differently - doesn't matter to me what you do. :)

--->Paul

Well, to borrow Paul Harvey's phrase, 'here's the rest of the story'.

We're in west-central NH, in the hills. No active farming going on here now, just hobby horse farms and such. Last dairy farms went out in early 70's, other general farms in the late 50's or 60's. General downturn since after the Civil War, as folks went West for good, rock-free soil (or at least over to Vermont's west side). Major decline in farm populations right after WWI, and demand for land didn't increase until after WWII when old farms and farmhouses were sold as 'vacation homes'.

This farm has been in family since after the Civil War. Was old subsistence farm, general crops and small dairy. Last farmed by family in mid-30's, then rented out for haylage to local dairy farm up the road. They sold out in 60's, then intermittent haying by renters until acid rain and lack of attention left the fields as just 'open space'.

We have the fields mowed 1x-2x year just to keep the fields open. Up here in New England, if you don't mow a field for four or five years, it's gone. Trees are that aggressive. Many fields were lost during WWII as they weren't hayed or farmed. These are kind of 'bony' fields, so those who want hay look for flatter, easier fields to mow and hay. Hard to interest anyone in even mowing them today.

Why are we bothering now? Well, it's the view, frankly. This is an old hilltop farm, and we still have, on three compass quadrants, 100-mile views on a good day. With about 85% of our town now re-forested, we want to try and save some open space, and keep the old farmstead out in the open.

Those of us in the family all work 'down state' in the urban part of the state, so we have to do this work on the weekends. If we could live on the farm, we'd sure try to put the fields back in hay, and have some stock to graze the fields. Hopefully, in another ten or twenty years when a couple of us retire, we'd like to do that. So, if we keep mowing those sixty acres, we'll still have fields to come back to. Otherwise, it's five or ten years of logging to reclear the fields, and back to square one.

Besides, this gives a couple of us an excuse to buy some old, greasy equipment and play around with it on weekends up at the farm. Otherwise, we'd be working on the 'honey do' list!