# tractor creeper /crawler transmission



## robertrej (May 24, 2012)

I am buying a new tractor and want to use a flail mower attachment.Most of
the manufacturers recommend creeper transmissions for maximum efficiency.
I have done some research and it seems most tractors have a rated speed of
1.5 mph in 1 st gear range low ( standard transmission) .My question: is that
too fast and do I really need a creeper transmission?
Only select models have that transmission?

A rotary mower will work on all transmissions if need be.

Thanks / Bob


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## shona13 (Aug 12, 2011)

G,Day robertrej.
All Massey tractors except the little grey ferguson have low range gearboxes which is plenty slow enough for your flail mower.
Just remember that in some situations it may be necessary to do the job in two passes that is if what you are mowing is really dense and matted ,no machine will do it in one pass so some common sense is required when using any machine, but yes most 35/40 horsepower tracors will do the job.
happy Mowing .
Regards .
Hutch. 
P.S Welcome to the forum.


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## MBTRAC (May 28, 2012)

Flail mowers can required a lot more torque/power in dense vegation than equivalent rotary mowers & that I suspect is why manufacturers recommend creeper gears (i.e. to keep the tractor in their sweet "power band" within operating rpms & also to be able to specific a lower power requirement for their implement).........though flail mowers are great in initial clearing or semi-annual maintenance of woody weeds/bush....& considerably less efficient than rotarys in cleared pasture.

Operating at maximum efficiency in the "ideal" world, consider a 72inch implement (be it a flail mower, slasher, plough or whatever) @ 1mph will only cover 5acres in 7.6hours......something most salespeople either don't know or acknowledge.....

I have both flails & rotarys (slashers or bush hogs as I think they're called in the USA), a rotary is more versatile but on the downside leave windrows, a flail is hard to beat on taming new ground but vastly more time, power & fuel consuming on pasture.


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