Hi Ethan,
Some quick feed back to add to the discussion
I have a Falc CAT 1500F Fixed Position PTO Flail Mower which I power with a Kubota L3430 (30HP at PTO) class tractor.
Advantage to a Flail Mower is its ability to mow/shred grass, brush, cuttings and more -- up to about 2 inches in diameter . . . with ease. They use flails often called "hammers" vs blades and are also known to be much less prone to sparking and fire starting (a major plus here in the dry summers of California). My model has 20 flails.
I paid just over $5,000 for mine back in 2005. Falc is made in Italy and with the weak Euro, they are going for similar money today.
Here is a current price matrix for Falc Flail options from
Solex Corp in Dixon, CAFALCAT1000FC1 Cat 1000 F: 40" Shredder w/ Fixed Hitch $4,440.00
FALCAT1200FC1 Cat 1200 F: 49" Shredder w/ Fixed Hitch $4,610.00
FALCAT1200FH Cat 1200 F: 49" Shredder w/ Fixed Hitch $4,610.00
FALCAT1350FH Cat 1350 F: 54" Shredder w/ Fixed Hitch $5,087.00
FALCAT1350FC1 Cat 1350 F: 54" Shredder w/ Fixed Hitch $5,087.00
FALCAT1500FH Cat 1500 F: 60" Shredder w/ Fixed Hitch $5,325.00 * This is the unit I have
FALCAT1800FH Cat 1800 F: 71" Shredder w/ Fixed Hitch $5,510.00
FALCAT1500SPH Cat 1500 SP: 60" Shredder w/ Adjustable Hitch $5,417.00
FALCAT2100FH Cat 2100 F: 83" Shredders w/ Fixed Hitch $5,893.00
FALCAT1800SPH Cat 1800 SP: 71" Shredder w/ Adjustable Hitch $5,827.00
FALCAT2100SPH Cat 2100 SP: 83" Shredder w/ Adjustable Hitch $6,249.00
See all the various
Falc Shredders for comparisons hereHere is
a nice explanation of the Falc models via an Australian reseller.
My flail is a fixed mount which means it runs directly behind the tractor and can be made to offset slightly, but that is a manual adjustment and a pain in the butt while you are actively mowing and I don't do it and I just go back and clean those areas not reached up as needed. If you are going with a flail, spend the extra money and consider an offset unit or a hydraulic assisted adjustable unit which will allow you to reach in and out of the trees as you mower through your orchard better.
Every mower has its place. The flail mower will go through just about everything you can throw at it, but it is also the most expensive and you pretty much need 30HP minimum to run them. If you end up with a 50HP or larger class tractor you will be able to run a much larger class of Flail too, if that would be useful. Many of the offset styles require a higher PTO HP. Be sure to marry the size of the tractor with the PTO driven implements you plan to use.
Gopher Hill ApplesZone 8 in California