cutters

[bigbull338]

ok ive got a q for those of you that bale hay.how meny here run 2 cutters just because they want to get done with the hay faster.my brother wants to buy and run 2 8ft cutters insted of 1 10.5ft cutter.because he thinks you can get all the hay cut twice as fast than running 1 cutter.if it was me id buy a 12ft pull type cutter.

 

[J&D Cattle]

Guy that bales my hay runs two 9 or 9.5 foot Vermeer's like Highgrit's.

 

[bigbull338]

we only bale 125acs once as 1 cutting makes enough to get us through the year.plus if we ran 2 cutters we would have to hire some1 to run the 2nd cutter.plus we dont do custom baling where 2 cutters are great.

 

[skyhightree1]

I run 2 when i have someone that knows how to run it help me .. I have 7 foot and 9 foot Nh haybines

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I guess if you have someone to run 2 cutters that would be the way to go.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Another way I look at stuff like that is if you have 2 cutters and one breaks down you still have one going.

 

[James T]

That 12 ft pull type would need more horsepower though. I can see running two cutters if there's enough hay acreage and bales to justify the cost. If rain was coming, getting that hay cut quick could pay off. I have been looking at new disc cutters and a basic Krone is almost $10k. The gear head on my Kuhn 600 is locked up and 3 of the skids are cracked. Given the price of a new one or a questionable used one, I might have to break that gear box open, fix it, and weld up the skid plates.

 

[Bigfoot]

You also gotta think about how much hay you can get up at one time.

 

[dun]

If you cut it twice as fast, to take advantage of that you would need 2 rakes and 2 balers. We cut at multiple places at the same time, for that we each use our own cutter.
Getting it cut wth rain coming doesn;t make much sense unless it's coming a couple of days away. Even if you wrap the hay you have to let some of the moisure out or it will rot anyway.

 

[bigbull338]

we have a 90 pto hp tractor so it prolly would pull a 12ft cutter.but it could push it.im like this a 10.5ft cutter can cut 80acs in a 12hr day if you run the tractor.

 

[James T]

If you cut it twice as fast, to take advantage of that you would need 2 rakes and 2 balers. We cut at multiple places at the same time, for that we each use our own cutter.
Getting it cut wth rain coming doesn;t make much sense unless it's coming a couple of days away. Even if you wrap the hay you have to let some of the moisure out or it will rot anyway.

Around here it's not uncommon to cut and then have a rain shower or two pass over. With temps in the 90's it doesn't take long to dry out for raking.

I think it's been posted somewhere on CT about a rake/baler rig pulled in tandem. I actually saw one in operation a couple of years ago and it was pretty slick!

 

[bigbull338]

those tandem hookups i dont like.because its alot of stress to watch the rake and baler.plus if you mess up on your turns theres alot crapp you can tear up.

 

[James T]

25 MG of Ativan will fix that bb. Seriously, not much to watch for on the rake. It would be more difficult to see if the round bale cleared the back of the baler though.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

How about a 18' self propelled. Get rid of two tractors and two mowers, just need one driver, and more money. :lol:

 

[pricefarm]

I run two mowers I use a dm70 bush hog disc mower and my dad uses a 451 new holland sickle bar mower. Sure does speed things up with two mowers.

 

[JW IN VA]

Another way I look at stuff like that is if you have 2 cutters and one breaks down you still have one going.

 

[bigbull338]

personally i prefer to have 1 10.5ft cutter insted of 2.because if you buy say 2 8ft cutters your looking at $16000 or more for both.wich means more labor and fuel to run the 2nd tractor.with a 10.5ft cutter running 12hrs you can lay down 60 to 70acs depending on how fast you run the tractor.and how weird shaped your fields are.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

We run to 9ft cutters.

 

[bigbull338]

2 9ft cutters new is $19000.

 

[hurleyjd]

2 9ft cutters new is $19000.

Also the day will come when you cannot get enough family or friends to run two cutters. I bought a used vicon this year and have a khun. All grand sons big enough to work are busy with their own lives. I was looking for a used trail mower. A week after the vican purchase came up a person in Lindale had a used vicon 10.5 trail mower for $5000 which was $500 more than what I bought.