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That crisp breeze, the trees alight with fiery orange and yellow leaves, all the football games on television: this is what many of us think of when fall is in the air. However, fall is also the time when many clean up, do their final maintenance on, and put away their field mowers: but not so fast! The truth is, fall is a fantastic time to put your brush clearing equipment to use.

Why Should I Use My Brush Clearing Equipment in the Fall?

With the trend towards self-sustaining fields that are free of any non-native vegetation, many property owners have turned to brush clearing equipment such as rotary brush mowers and flail mowers as a way to rid their fields of non-native plants, vines, and trees. There are numerous advantages to field mowing in fall, not the least of which it can be easier than in summer. With so much foliage coming off of the trees and onto the ground, it can be much easier to see those rocks, stumps and other obstacles that you want to avoid.

The falling leaves will also make it easier to spot which vegetation you want to get rid of and which you want to keep. If you have brush clearing equipment that is easy to maneuver, like Orec’s Samurai Walk Behind Brush Cutter or our Cyclone Walk Behind Flail Mower, than you go around the vegetation that you want to keep and chop up the brush that you don’t want in your field.

Using your field mower to chop up the brush that you don’t want is also a great way to help the plants that you do want to keep, make it through the stressful winter months. When you chop up the unwanted brush, you create mulch, which in turn provides nutrients for the native plant species. When spring finally arrives, that mulch will be long gone, leaving only the plants and shrubs that you want to keep around. What’s more, if you use a mulching brush and field mower that mulches, such as Orec’s Cyclone, you will create more mulch without leaving any vegetation left standing, and that will give your native plants even more nutrition during the rough winter months.

Use Field Mowers in Autumn to Get Rid of Woody Material

Finally, you can use your field mower in the fall to clear your field of woody material like saplings and woody plants to provide more space for native wildflowers that will contribute to a self-sufficient natural area. These woody materials not only compete with trees for water and sunlight, they create a dense canopy that can discourage the growth of native wildflowers. When you mulch this woody material in fall, you are ridding your field of that thick canopy, which will give your wildflowers more space, sunlight and water with which to grow. The wildflowers that you do have will be able to grow to maturity, and can produce seeds for the following year. And, if you continue to mow your field in autumn you will not only spread the wildflower seeds, you will discourage further growth of the woody material and the non-native plant species that you want to keep out of your field.

What Kind of Brush Clearing Equipment is Best for Fall Mowing?

The ideal mower for field mowing in fall is going to be easily maneuverable (to help you get around those obstacles like stumps and rocks, but also to help you avoid accidentally cutting vegetation that you want to keep), will cut all of your unwanted vegetation and will have the traction to go over the rough and uneven ground that is common to so many fields. Orec’s Samurai Brush Cutter has a front pivot wheel to help you avoid those obstacles, a superior cutting system that won’t leave unwanted grass and weeds left standing, and has a differential lock that acts as posi-traction to keep you going over rough ground.

If your field has an abundance of woody material and vines, Orec’s Cyclone Walk Behind Flail Brush Mower is a terrific option. It’s 38 flail blades will mulch grass, woody material like saplings and thicker plants that starve the competition such as Ivy. The cyclone has a track option that steers like a tank, meaning that all you have to do is grab a lever to turn the machine, which in turn makes it easy to handle through tight corners and around obstacles.

If you have a field that is a few acres, Orec’s Brush Rover, our riding brush mower, is the perfect choice. It has a three blade system that knocks over and chops up saplings, tall grass and brush, and won’t leave any of it left standing. The 38” cut will help you get more done in less time and the locking differential will get you through whatever terrain your field can throw at you.