The SCH FM48 flail mower
Managing fields and meadows can be a difficult task once the growth hits a certain height. It doesn’t take long before grass, nettles, brambles, and all sorts of nasties make it impossible for a lawnmower or strimmer to bring it back under control. A flail mower is ideal for maintaining rough grassed areas where a conventional mower would get clogged up and struggle to cut.
The FM48 is a powerful, towed, long grass cutter with a working width of 1220mm (48″). A reliable 13Hp Honda engine with an electric start drives two ‘V’ belts and 42 cutting flails. These sharpened flails are easily replaceable to extend the lifetime of the machine.
As of 2020, the FM48s transport wheels situate at the rear of the machine, instead of the side. By mounting the transport wheels in the new position, the mower cuts closer to the edge and can squeeze through narrow pathways.
Mounted at the rear of the cutter is a one-piece roller. This roller is easily adjusted to fine-tune the cutting height and alleviates scalping by ensuring the flails lift above the highest peaks on uneven ground.
A screw jack effortlessly raises or lowers the transport wheels, allowing you to travel two and from storage on pneumatic wheels, before dropping the mower onto its steel roller. This steel roller flattens and neatens the ground behind it, it protects the user from the rear of the flail mower, and it is invulnerable to punctures, unlike rival mowers which operate on wheels.
The tow bar is typically mounted central to the mower, and it can be offset to the side of the vehicle when it’s desirable not to flatten the grass by running it over.
The safety of the operator is very much in mind when designing this type of machine. The throttle control and engine emergency stop switch are reached easily from the tractor seat. Full skirt guards are provided to stop the operator’s feet from being accidentally offered to the flails.
A jockey wheel is mounted onto the tow bar to help manually move the 245kg machine in and out of storage.
The SCH FM42 Flail Mower is identical in many ways to the FM48, however instead of having a width of 48″, its width is (you’ve guessed it) 42″. This compact machine is ideal for towing vehicles with less pulling power and smaller areas to manage.
