Rotary mulcher and flail mower
You want to mulch grass, brambles or regrowth on the spot, on a bank, a ditch or overgrown land.
Three points decide:
vertical axis or horizontal rotor, the cutting diameter, the flow available continuously.
A photo of the vegetation and of the end of the dipper arm is enough to start.
it is the roller that sets the cutting height, not the arm.
Computer-generated image.
Vertical-axis rotary cutter or horizontal-rotor mulcher:
both reduce the vegetation on the spot and leave the material on the ground.
No gathering, no removal — that is what makes them worthwhile on long runs.
Other names for this family: flail mulcher, verge mulcher, flail mower, excavator-mounted brush cutter, rotary mower, forestry hammer mulcher.
- Family
- Maintaining green spaces
- Classes (t)
- Depending on the principle and the width: we calculate it with you for your machine
- Coupler
- We calculate it with you for your machine
- Power source
- Hydraulic, continuous function — flow and pressure: we calculate it with you for your machine
What it is for
Right: solid hammers for wood and small stumps.
What sets it apart:
flails or hammers — it is the dominant vegetation that settles it, not the machine.
Computer-generated image.
Heavy hammers for wood and suckers, light flails for grass.
Photo:
Alupus, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, resized, brand names removed.
Two principles go by this name.
The rotary cutter in the strict sense spins blades around a vertical axis, flat under a housing.
The horizontal-rotor mulcher spins flails or hammers around an axis parallel to the ground, and a support roller sets the cutting height:
it is the principle of the flail mower head.
In both cases, the result stays on the ground, where it breaks down;
on a roadside bank or overgrown land, there is nothing to gather.
Fitted on an excavator rather than on a tractor, it reaches what an agricultural tool carrier
cannot:
the bottom of a ditch, a steep bank, the back of a crash barrier, an
area the machine cannot approach.
This family turns continuously, unlike earthmoving
tools. A bucket works by occasional movements; a rotor
turns throughout the job.
The hydraulic circuit heats up, and the
cooling becomes a criterion in its own right — especially in summer.
Rotary mulcher, saw trimmer or saw?
The rotary mulcher mulches and leaves it on the ground:
a brutal cut, suited
to a bank or scrub, less so to a hedge you want to keep looking good.
The saw trimmer trims with circular saws:
a clean cut,
clean healing, but it leaves branches to be gathered.
Its width, its cutting diameter and its machine class are read in the instructions of the model chosen.
The pruning saw cuts one branch at a time, with precision and at a distance. See the pruning saw →
On which machine?
On a micro-excavator up to 2 t: a rotary mulcher from 70 to 130 kg.
On a mini-excavator from 2 to 5 t: from 70 to 300 kg.
Allow from 250 to 540 kg on an excavator from 5 to 10 t, and from 380 to 540 kg from 10 to 20 t.
It attaches with a bolt-on mounting plate: on pins, or with a Klac, Morin, CW, Lehnhoff, Martin or S30 to S50 coupler.
Its bracket adjusts from horizontal to vertical.
What the tool does
It works with blades on a vertical axis, or with flails or hammers on a horizontal rotor.
For example, for a cutting width of 1 300 mm: maximum cutting diameter from 100 to 120 mm.
It is available with a floating system or reversible rotor rotation, to be checked with you.
The right principle and the maximum cutting diameter: we calculate them with you for your machine.
What is needed on the hydraulic side
It needs a hydraulic circuit with continuous function.
It generally needs from 26 to 150 l/min, depending on the size of the machine.
A check valve or a pressure relief valve is built in, to be checked with you.
The flow and the pressure: we calculate them with you for your machine.
Figures taken from 9 models on the market.
Your study sets the exact value for your machine.
Have your machine checked.
Give us your excavator model, the type of vegetation and the length to be treated.
If you are hesitating between mulching and trimming, say so:
the result expected is not
the same.
- Your machine Its make and its tonnage.
- The auxiliary circuit Its flow in l/min, its pressure in bar, single- or double-acting.
- The coupler in place Its system and its class.
- The work The use, and the material.
Without these details, the study still begins: we will ask you for them.
Or call 01 84 16 55 49 · our lines are open 7 days a week, from 7h to 22h.
Written study within 3 working days, once the file is complete.
Suitable for grass and thin suckers; limit:
large-diameter wood calls for another head.
Photo:
Accoroutiste, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, resized, label removed.
Limit:
the circular-saw trimmer cuts the branches, the mulcher shreds them and leaves them on the ground.
Photo:
Kolforn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, resized, label removed.
-
Arm-mounted flail mower
Principle — an articulated arm that carries a horizontal-rotor mulching head, mounted first and foremost on a tractor.
Use — over a long, open run, the tractor that keeps moving goes further than the excavator. -
Forestry mulching head
Principle — a heavier horizontal rotor, with cutting tools that reduce wood to chips.
Use — it reclaims overgrown land or heavy brush clearing, and it throws out whatever it finds.
What determines the choice
Each point says what changes the choice.
The values, we check them in your carrier's instructions and in the tool's.
-
01 — Vertical axis or horizontal rotor
On a vertical axis, blades spin flat under the housing.
On a horizontal rotor, flails or hammers spin around an axis parallel to the ground, and are chosen with the dominant vegetation.
These are two principles:
their figures cannot be compared with each other. -
02 — The maximum cutting diameter
It is read in the instructions of the model, for its principle.
Moving from one diameter to another changes the carrier required, not just the tool. - 03 — The working width A wide unit advances faster but needs more power and manoeuvres less well in tight spaces.
-
04 — The flow available, continuously
The decisive parameter for the output.
An underfed rotor slows down and tears instead of mulching.
What is checked before ordering
-
The continuous flow and the cooling capacity
Both together.
It is the check peculiar to this family, and it is often forgotten. -
The protection of the cab
Working in vegetation throws up debris.
A grille or reinforced glazing come under the operator's safety, not comfort. -
The weight at the end of the arm
These tools are heavy and often work with the arm extended, on a bank on a
cross slope.
It is the unfavourable case. -
The surroundings of the site
A roadside, the proximity of third parties, the presence of fences or overhead services:
they govern the organisation as much as the tool. -
The interface
Coupler type and size, or pin dimensions.
The tool is supplied with the matching plate.
- Family
- Maintaining green spaces
- Trade
- Agriculture
- Compatibility
- The seven criteria in detail →