The Craftmans Shop > New from Old
Rebirth of a 6 Foot Flail Mower
NormanV:
Five years ago I bought a new blade for my rotary mower, it cut really well. I have just looked at it for the first time since then. It looks totally wrecked, but, I cannot detect any difference in its cutting abilities. Grass is not so tough!
wgw:
In an earlier life I designed mowers and etc. We did some experiments on grass cutting, as expected the main thing was speed of the rotor tip, with correct speed could cut grass with just about anything. A few lengths of chain worked just as well as a sharp blade. Of course it depends what the cut grass is to be used for. BTW grass is tough stuff, try getting it in a bearing.
awemawson:
I have one area of pasture that is rather infested with rushes, both 'clump rushes' and 'creeping rushes'.
Regular cutting is about the only way to keep them under control, but it is very noticeable that the tractor (Ford 4000 1974) labours far more on the rushes than the grass, also you can tell from the smell which you are cutting !
Having sharpened the blades I did the entire 10 acres in high range 1st gear this morning before breakfast, whereas the last cut pre-sharpening was low range 4th until in the rushes, when I had to drop to low range 3rd, and low second on occasions.
Really the field needs proper drainage installed then it's acidity regulated to get rid of the rushes, but it makes no economic sense for sheep grazing.
(Where the rushes are is very peaty - originally a stream bed then silted up about 100 years ago)
wgw:
The rushes can create their own bog, the roots attract water by capillary action. I,ve got some in a small field, and it's high, started getting boggy after 3 years. My fault, didn't bother cutting the few bits there was after a year with no grazing and it just spread. Sheep might help, spraying works.
awemawson:
Heavy cutting, then when the new shoots emerge hit them with a 'weed wiper' charged with glyphosate is the received wisdom - be good if I had a weed wiper :scratch:
The idea being the the roll of the wiper only touches the rush shoots and not the surrounding grass. A drop of washing up liquid in the glyphosate helps break down the waxy surface of the rush.
I have had some success on 'clumping rushes' with a backpack sprayer but it's hard going covering a large area. Whenever I need a bonfire it is always placed on the most dense patch of rush that I can find - they don't like that at all :lol:
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