Making the Cut – Which Compact Tractor Mower Is Right for You?
At Farm Tech Supplies, we stock three main types of mower, namely finishing, topper and flail mowers. All three types we stock are generally designed to attach to the back of a compact tractor via. the 3-point linkage and are powered using the tractor’s PTO. There are also sub-types within these categories, so it can be hard to decide which is best for you. Your questions will be answered here.
Finishing Mowers – The Lawncare Specialist
As the name would suggest, finishing mowers, such as those from Winton or Agrint, provide a close and fine finish. They are ideal for regularly maintained grass such as sports pitches and golf courses. Finishing mowers can also be used on paddocks or pastures that have been recently topped.
There are three long flat blades, which spin on a spindle hub assembly through the centre of the blade. The length of the blades depends on the size of the machine and our finishing mowers have 3 belt driven blades on each. For this reason, the land you are cutting must be level. If you have lots of lumps and bumps where you are cutting this may be better suited to a topper mower or flail mower with a raised cut.
Topper Mowers – The Paddock Slasher
Toppers are useful not only as a general use mower, but also for preparing scrub and long grass for cultivation. It cannot achieve the fine finish of a finishing mower, but can tackle overgrown areas with weeds and brambles making it perfect for paddocks. Unlike the finishing mower, the topper has two long flat blades attached at each end to the blade shaft in the centre of the machine. It cuts with a rotary action, like the finishing mower. The grass and weeds are sliced or ‘topped’ by the mower which is where the name topper comes from. Most cuttings are thrown to the sides of the machine and left in rows along the skids rather than spread out and mulched up like a flail mower.
Farm Tech Supplies currently stocks both Winton and Fleming Topper Mowers. These are typical PTO-driven topper mowers, but we also have the Wessex ATV Topper Mower, which has its own powered petrol engine. This means it does not require a PTO connection to function so can be towed on a traditional ball hitch by an ATV quad bike, 4×4 vehicle or UTV rather than a tractor.
Flail Mowers – The All-Rounder
Flail mowers are a great all-rounder, as they can maintain shorter grass, though not as finely as a finishing mower, but are also capable of cutting through tougher plant material. The cuttings are finer than with the other machines so they can easily be repurposed as mulch. The flail blades are attached to a cylinder rotor shaft in a spiral formation, which spins in a and creates the flail motion. Most flails have heavy hammer flail blades fitted and some flails, like the Winton Hedge Cutter , may instead use lighter Y-blades.
Flail mowers are our most popular compact tractor attachment and so you will find the greatest variety of brands, pricing and offset options when looking at the machines, so it can be tricky to decide! We stock standard flail mowers from Winton and FTS as well as compact flail mowers from Winton and Agrint for smaller or low horse-power tractors. As with the topper mowers, the flail has an option which does not require a tractor, the FTS ATV Flail Mower. Side-shift flail mowers, such as those from Winton and Agrint, offer greater dexterity compared to a standard flail. This is because they can be offset to the side, manually in the case of the Agrint ranges, and using the hydraulics of the tractor with the Winton. Arguably the most versatile is the Winton Verge Flail Mower, which can be offset like a side-shift flail, but also tilted to mow ditches, verges and even the sides of small hedges.
In our blog, Flail Mowers – How, Where and Why? we took an in-depth look at the flail mowers available from us, so if you have further questions about flail mowers you may find them there.