Flails or rolls?

[SBMF 2015]

I'm afraid my old hay condition is beyond its last leg. I've pieced it together for the last two years. The hydraulic motor that drives the entire machine imploded the other night. After talking to the jd parts guy. I'm pretty sure it will cost more to fix than the mower is worth. So I reluctantly started looking for a used mower/conditioner. I've always had rubber conditioning rolls but about half the JD mowers I've looked at have flails instead of rolls. I know what Jd clams the flails will do, but don't know any one that has them. Most of my hay is alfalfa orchard grass mix.
The flails are the same price as the rolls. Does anyone have any firsthand experience with flails? Good, bad, or just different than rolls?

Thanks.

 

[1982vett]

I haven't had experience with flail mowers, but the issues I have with wet any hills and mud buildup on the roller may be something to consider.

Doubt you have issues with wet fire ant hills.

 

[ChrisB2]

I've always heard flails for grass, rollers for alfalfa. But personally I wouldn't hesitate going to flails and we also have mostly alfalfa/orchard grass.

 

[cfpinz]

We don't fool with any alfalfa, but I don't see a difference in dry down between the flails and rollers in grass hay here. I've got two Vermeers with the steel rollers and Dad has a NH with the flails. The flails may leave the windrow a tad "fluffier" in the right conditions, but they're tit for tat.

 

[simme]

The roller type crushes the stems. The fail/impeller type beats the stems and leaves. I can't speak for alfalfa, but for a crop with large diameter high moisture stems like sorghum-sudangrass, the roller type will crush the stems and give a better dry down. The clearance is adjustable on the fail/impeller type for different crop conditions. But still not best for big stem like sorghum-sudangrass. If adjusted to try to get more stem action, they end up shredding everything. The flail type won't plug like a roller type might in heavy conditions. Comments are based on a JD 530 flail type compared to an old NH interlocking roller type.

 

[Silver]

I had a JD 956 with flails an I really liked it. We have alfalfa / grass mix hay, and do 200-300 acres of oats a year. Never could see any more leaf or oat loss with the flails and dry down was at least as good. Put some good sized trees through it on some new land and didn't even know it until raking time.
I'm thinking of trading off my NH 313 on a new one with flails. Haven't made my mind up yet tho.