Tractor and excavator attachments help you do a variety of jobs on your farm. You can use them for everyday tasks or for larger, one-off jobs.

For example, if you want to clear an overgrown area to get it ready for livestock or planting, then choosing the right attachments helps you clear and prepare the ground quickly. A flail mower is a useful option on this kind of job. Why should you use this kind of mower?

1. Deal With Rough Growth

If the land you need to clear is full of overgrown tough grass, shrubs and weeds, then a regular mower attachment will find it hard to cope. Chances are that this kind of land also contains a lot of small stones and bits of debris that might damage regular mower blades. Even if the mower can cope with these items, they'll get thrown around as you mow which is a safety hazard.

Flail mowers don't have traditional cutting blades. They have thicker pieces of metal that have irregular shapes. They flail the grass rather than just cut it. These blades are stronger and better able to cut down tall, dense or tough growth.

The flail design also prevents the attachment from picking up and throwing stones around. This makes for a safer mow.

2. Mow in Different Directions

If you use a regular mowing attachment, you may have to make a couple of passes over the ground to get an effective cut. The attachment may not work that well on humps or banks.

Flails tend to be inserted on their rack in an irregular pattern. This gives you a more effective mow as the flails come into contact with growth at different points.

You can change the direction of flails to get the cleanest cut for the ground you're working on or to cut growth to fall in a specific direction. You can also use this attachment on uneven ground — it can cope with humps, banks and even hedged areas.

3. Reduce Damage and Maintenance

Regular mower blades dull as they cut. This can be a real problem if you're mowing rough grasses and shrubs. You may need to sharpen the blades periodically or repair areas of damage if the ground you're clearing is pretty tough.

Mower flails are more robust. They won't dull even on the roughest ground. If a flail does get damaged, you can simply replace it.

To find out more about ground-clearing tractor or excavator attachments, talk to your equipment supplier.