Oper
a
tion
Mowing with the Excavator Flail
Techniques vary with the operator and the mowing task. however, the factors be-
low should be kept in mind.
• The mower is fragile compared to an excavator bucket. The bucket is designed
to with stand very high digging force. The mower will crumple with any sub-
stantial fraction of that. Keep in mind that excavator mowing requires a light
hand. Do not push on the mower head to move the excavator or to push objects.
• It is particularly important to avoid pushing with the flail shaft. Keep the flail
shaft and blade towers clear of solid objects. Let the blades do the cutting.
Bending the flail shaft will result in vibration that requires remanufacturing
the shaft to fix. Do not continue to mow with a severely bent or unbalanced
shaft.
• Good performance depends on the free swinging of the blades. The two pound
blades can sever 4 inch diameter soft wood with one hit of one blade. forcing
the flail into vegetation, such that the blades are held against the flail shaft,
slows mowing. Keep the blades swinging.
• The flail mower is designed to cut all types of grasses, brush and small trees.
The ground conditions and the type of brush being cut will determine the best
cutting procedure and ground speed.
• Sharp blades make a substantial difference in cutter efficiency. This is most
noticeable in heavy conditions when the mower is operating at capacity. Run-
ning the blades into rocks or other hard objects will blunt blades and will
reduce mowing capacity.
• flail mowers can be equipped with cut height adjusting roller for brush cut-
ting at ground level. For brush cutting at higher levels, including canopy
mowing, the roller is best left off.
Cutter shaft should be run at 1800 to 2000 rpm.
Clearing brush in an open area
• Position the excavator at a starting point. Set the height of mower head so the
brush is less than about 2 feet above the top of the mower. Swing the mower
through the brush matching the swing speed to the performance of the mow-
er. Over feeding the mower will drag down cutter shaft speed reducing mower
efficiency. Lower the head and swing again. Repeat until desired cut height is
reached.
Canopy Mowing & Trees
• Canopy mowing requires rotating the head so that the flail is upside down and
positioned upward, the level of the canopy to be cut. Turning the cab from side
to side while moving the excavator forward, one can readily mow the underside
of a tree canopy.
• Tree mowing is generally best done by first running the flail head up and down
the trunk removing the branches. If the tree is not too large, positioning the
head at the top of what remains of the trunk while working the head up and
down can reduce the trunk to little more than a stump. Bear in mind, however,
that the flail is not a chipper or stump grinder. Its ability to do this kind of
cutting is limited by the hardness of the material.
