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A "Flail mower" is a mower that uses a horizontal shaft with knifes attached to it, rather than vertical shaft like most mowers. (Not to be confused with a reel mower, which looks like an old-fashioned hand push mower.) There are a variety of flail mowers used for everything from finish mowing of lawns up to heavy brush. They are popular with state highway maintenance departments because they don't tend to throw debris out towards the road. The main advantages of the flail mower are improved safety and finish over a conventional rotary mower. The flail knives pick up grass that the tractor tires have flattened, making for a better finish than a typical finish mower. The main disadvantages of the flail mower are that they cost more to purchase and require more horsepower to operate than a conventional mower. The most widely known manufacturer of flail mowers is Alamo, formerly Mott (link below). Several other implement manufacturers have produced flail mowers. I've been told that the Ford and John Deere flails were made by Bushhog, but I don't know that for fact. If you're considering the purchase of a flail mower, check it out very carefully. I know from experience that many of the parts for older Mott mowers are outrageously expensive to replace. There are a couple of companies (Montage and Flailmaster) who make replacement parts for older flail mowers; these are quite a bit cheaper than the OEM parts.
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