Drum mowers

[sassafras manor]

Does anyone run drum mowers on smaller HP tractors? I have a 35hp New Holland and have researched some of the available options and am contemplating purchasing one along with a rake. I would only be cutting 5 acres at my house and then another 8 acres at my business. I have been using a local hay contractor to cut, rake and round bale and in the past our arrangement has been that I keep what is baled at my house and he keeps what is baled at work. I have spoken with another contractor that bales across the lane and he is willing to just do the baling at both locations for me. Thoughts?

 

[Bigfoot]

I have a drum, and a disc mower. A 35 hp tractor will turn it, but they are heavy. Real heavy when you turn it for transport.

 

[sassafras manor]

I am looking at one that has a 5.5' cutting width, requires minimum 28hp and weighs 794 lbs which is less than the round bales I tote around with my tractor so I am hoping that it will give me a lot more flexibility with my hay situation. It is down in Mundfordville, KY.

 

[A.J.]

I think you will be happy with it if you buy one. They are very durable and low maintenance. You can run the tractor as fast as you want and it will mow right through what you put in front of it. The only downside is they windrow the hay a little bit which makes it take longer to cure if you don't have a tedder.

 

[callmefence]

I am looking at one that has a 5.5' cutting width, requires minimum 28hp and weighs 794 lbs which is less than the round bales I tote around with my tractor so I am hoping that it will give me a lot more flexibility with my hay situation. It is down in Mundfordville, KY.

Sweet farm equipment??
I've got a tarriver 186. I bought it for fields to rough and dirty for a haybine. Great mower I've had to replace some parts ( do to abuse) sweet is a first class outfit. Including pulling a part off a stock unit when they didn't it in stock. And shipping it to Texas in a few days.
I run it on a 85 hp tractor so idk about the smaller tractor. I think it would be fine except like mentioned it may be a bit heavy running down the road in transport. Probably ok as long as you take it slow.

 

[Bigfoot]

I run mine on a 961 Ford. Heavy old tractor from the 60's. You have to back the tractor with it in transport. Carries it fine in cutting position.

 

[MtnCows93]

the cm135 will work, the cm165's will be too heavy more than likely

 

[sassafras manor]

Yes, it is Sweet Equipment and from what I've seen they are top notch. I'm also considering a smaller rake that they carry but on the fence with it vs a tedder/rake combo

 

[Texasmark]

I have a 6', actually on my second. First was made in Turkey and is popular, second is Tar River. I like the Tar River better for a couple of reasons. Both cut close to the ground and are unsuitable for haying SS type crops and anything requiring some 4" give or take stubble.

Mine weigh(ed) 900+ lbs and I preferred to lift in the mow position, rather than go through the significant PIA of moving to the transport (straight behind the tractor) position. They both made a windrow where the clippings come out in the center since the blades are counter rotating. I like the WW when haying and grass fields are what gets mowed with it. Nice thing about CR drums is that blades are double sided and you can swap to the other side when one side gets dull.

A 35 hp tractor with a FEL and a bucket full of something will help you to keep the left front wheel on the ground....I have a pile of sand and another of gravel, making front ballast on my small tractor easily achieved. Otherwise you need a tractor of sufficient weight, front end weight, to offset the weight of the mower when in the air. On the ground the only weight is the 3 pt system....the mower rides on the two stump jumpers.

Nice thing about them is they cut anything wet or dry, crawdad mounds, fire ant mounds and some foreign objects as fast as you think your body can stay in the tractor seat....not recommended obviously...it hurts.

I swore I'd never go back to a sickle MOCO but I did as I planted haygrazer this year and needed that 4" stubble height and the MOCO handled that and that is all it gets used for. There are different brands of drums and I understand one brand has a scattering attachment for those that don't want/like the WW. I know of no drum that has a MOCO as do disc mowers.

 

[sassafras manor]

Texasmark, thanks for the information. I have a frontend loader on my tractor and always have piles on gravel around to use as ballast. What height does your cut at? I have read about spacers that will increase cutting height, what do you know about them?

 

[Texasmark]

The spacer on the bottom "stump jumper" is 1" roughly on both types I have/had. I bought one for my first drum, the Turkish manufactured one, and the dealer installed it prior to shipment. The spacer consisted of a steel ring, the diameter of the drive mechanism...about 4", cut to 1". The bottom stump jumper (free wheeling disc) is held in place with 3 Grade 8 I suppose, as thy were hex-socket type bolts. With that spacer, cutting crops that could be laid over with the bar that encircles most of the mower (except at the 3 pt area) prior to blade contact, like Haygrazer, could get 3-4" stubble.

Life was short however as I was doing a neighbor's place which was much rougher terrain than my place and I was running at a good clip to get it done, and the 3 bolts sheared. I didn't know it till I was lifting the unit for some reason and the outer stump jumper fell off..... apparently, after it started breaking bolts and became loose it ruined the lower bearing on the vertical shaft. In short I wouldn't recommend the spacer unless running on smooth pastures.

Since the unit weighed 900+# and I have no helpers, I couldn't repair it alone....really needed to flip it over to get at the problem to repair. Sold it for what it was and bought the Tar River 6'. No dealers here in N. Tx. but found one in Kansas who had a $3500 price tag including direct drop shipment from the North Carolina distribution center.

The spacer available for it lists 44 cm.....at 25.4/inch about the same 1" height. One reason I bought the TR was the way they designed the support for the stump jumper. If you pull up parts diagrams for both machines, you will note that the TR has a much better system of supporting the stump jumper disc and I would expect a spacer on that machine would hold up a lot better. Also the mechanism for moving from mow to stow...when you need to do that seems to be more user friendly.

Another reason I bought the TR was the fact that the shield on top of the cutters protrudes farther out front of the discs, reducing the opportunity for throwing rocks at you or your "cab glass" while mowing. I bought a Ford 3910 open station to use with that mower and rigged a piece of plexiglass (Lowes) on the right fender to shield me from flying debris. Works just fine. The cab tractor I keep hooked to my baler.

One note of caution with both. The shield around th belts collects clippings and you can't get them all out without removing the rear (half of the) belt shield. Got tired of that so I just left it off. Nobody around but me and I have enough sense....I think...to avoid rotating machinery.

As it stands now, without a spacer, I cut grass with it and SS with the MOCO. Seems to work for me.

 

[ERNIBIGB]

I ran the Reese drum mowers for several years. Yes they would be heavy for a 35 hp tractor but they are almost impossible to wear out. We had the tedder attachment on them and almost never had to use the other tedder. The Reese mowers are easily adjustable for stubble height. One bolt for inside skid shoe and one pin for the outside wheel. My dad used it to clip pastures at about 8" high or drop it all the way down to scalp bermuda grass. Some of the newer ones are hydraulic fold but ours were manual fold around to the back making them somewhat heavy for a 70 hp tractor.

 

[callmefence]

The spacer on the bottom "stump jumper" is 1" roughly on both types I have/had. I bought one for my first drum, the Turkish manufactured one, and the dealer installed it prior to shipment. The spacer consisted of a steel ring, the diameter of the drive mechanism...about 4", cut to 1". The bottom stump jumper (free wheeling disc) is held in place with 3 Grade 8 I suppose, as thy were hex-socket type bolts. With that spacer, cutting crops that could be laid over with the bar that encircles most of the mower (except at the 3 pt area) prior to blade contact, like Haygrazer, could get 3-4" stubble.

Life was short however as I was doing a neighbor's place which was much rougher terrain than my place and I was running at a good clip to get it done, and the 3 bolts sheared. I didn't know it till I was lifting the unit for some reason and the outer stump jumper fell off..... apparently, after it started breaking bolts and became loose it ruined the lower bearing on the vertical shaft. In short I wouldn't recommend the spacer unless running on smooth pastures.

Since the unit weighed 900+# and I have no helpers, I couldn't repair it alone....really needed to flip it over to get at the problem to repair. Sold it for what it was and bought the Tar River 6'. No dealers here in N. Tx. but found one in Kansas who had a $3500 price tag including direct drop shipment from the North Carolina distribution center.

The spacer available for it lists 44 cm.....at 25.4/inch about the same 1" height. One reason I bought the TR was the way they designed the support for the stump jumper. If you pull up parts diagrams for both machines, you will note that the TR has a much better system of supporting the stump jumper disc and I would expect a spacer on that machine would hold up a lot better. Also the mechanism for moving from mow to stow...when you need to do that seems to be more user friendly.

Another reason I bought the TR was the fact that the shield on top of the cutters protrudes farther out front of the discs, reducing the opportunity for throwing rocks at you or your "cab glass" while mowing. I bought a Ford 3910 open station to use with that mower and rigged a piece of plexiglass (Lowes) on the right fender to shield me from flying debris. Works just fine. The cab tractor I keep hooked to my baler.

One note of caution with both. The shield around th belts collects clippings and you can't get them all out without removing the rear (half of the) belt shield. Got tired of that so I just left it off. Nobody around but me and I have enough sense....I think...to avoid rotating machinery.

As it stands now, without a spacer, I cut grass with it and SS with the MOCO. Seems to work for me.

Doing a repair today I've already done a couple times and recalled this post.
Tar river has a tendency for these four bolts to work loose. Gives the appearance a bearing has failed as the entire drum flops around.
You pull the stump jumper then a metal shroud with four 17mm wrench size bolts to expose these four.
You cannot remove them completely without pulling the shaft. But if they are not damaged you can tighten them and put a tack weld. But you have to catch it quick, usually have to pull the shaft and replace. I replaced the other drum with grade 8 bolts , lock tight and a lock washer so far so good.

 

[sassafras manor]

Thanks, good information to know!

 

[Texasmark]

The spacer on the bottom "stump jumper" is 1" roughly on both types I have/had. I bought one for my first drum, the Turkish manufactured one, and the dealer installed it prior to shipment. The spacer consisted of a steel ring, the diameter of the drive mechanism...about 4", cut to 1". The bottom stump jumper (free wheeling disc) is held in place with 3 Grade 8 I suppose, as thy were hex-socket type bolts. With that spacer, cutting crops that could be laid over with the bar that encircles most of the mower (except at the 3 pt area) prior to blade contact, like Haygrazer, could get 3-4" stubble.

Life was short however as I was doing a neighbor's place which was much rougher terrain than my place and I was running at a good clip to get it done, and the 3 bolts sheared. I didn't know it till I was lifting the unit for some reason and the outer stump jumper fell off..... apparently, after it started breaking bolts and became loose it ruined the lower bearing on the vertical shaft. In short I wouldn't recommend the spacer unless running on smooth pastures.

Since the unit weighed 900+# and I have no helpers, I couldn't repair it alone....really needed to flip it over to get at the problem to repair. Sold it for what it was and bought the Tar River 6'. No dealers here in N. Tx. but found one in Kansas who had a $3500 price tag including direct drop shipment from the North Carolina distribution center.

The spacer available for it lists 44 cm.....at 25.4/inch about the same 1" height. One reason I bought the TR was the way they designed the support for the stump jumper. If you pull up parts diagrams for both machines, you will note that the TR has a much better system of supporting the stump jumper disc and I would expect a spacer on that machine would hold up a lot better. Also the mechanism for moving from mow to stow...when you need to do that seems to be more user friendly.

Another reason I bought the TR was the fact that the shield on top of the cutters protrudes farther out front of the discs, reducing the opportunity for throwing rocks at you or your "cab glass" while mowing. I bought a Ford 3910 open station to use with that mower and rigged a piece of plexiglass (Lowes) on the right fender to shield me from flying debris. Works just fine. The cab tractor I keep hooked to my baler.

One note of caution with both. The shield around th belts collects clippings and you can't get them all out without removing the rear (half of the) belt shield. Got tired of that so I just left it off. Nobody around but me and I have enough sense....I think...to avoid rotating machinery.

As it stands now, without a spacer, I cut grass with it and SS with the MOCO. Seems to work for me.

Doing a repair today I've already done a couple times and recalled this post.
Tar river has a tendency for these four bolts to work loose. Gives the appearance a bearing has failed as the entire drum flops around.
You pull the stump jumper then a metal shroud with four 17mm wrench size bolts to expose these four.
You cannot remove them completely without pulling the shaft. But if they are not damaged you can tighten them and put a tack weld. But you have to catch it quick, usually have to pull the shaft and replace. I replaced the other drum with grade 8 bolts , lock tight and a lock washer so far so good.

Thanks for the tip. Will watch for it.

Question: Can a pre-cutting inspection of the stump jumper catch the problem early....like can I grasp the SJ and it will show to be loose?

 

[callmefence]

The spacer on the bottom "stump jumper" is 1" roughly on both types I have/had. I bought one for my first drum, the Turkish manufactured one, and the dealer installed it prior to shipment. The spacer consisted of a steel ring, the diameter of the drive mechanism...about 4", cut to 1". The bottom stump jumper (free wheeling disc) is held in place with 3 Grade 8 I suppose, as thy were hex-socket type bolts. With that spacer, cutting crops that could be laid over with the bar that encircles most of the mower (except at the 3 pt area) prior to blade contact, like Haygrazer, could get 3-4" stubble.

Life was short however as I was doing a neighbor's place which was much rougher terrain than my place and I was running at a good clip to get it done, and the 3 bolts sheared. I didn't know it till I was lifting the unit for some reason and the outer stump jumper fell off..... apparently, after it started breaking bolts and became loose it ruined the lower bearing on the vertical shaft. In short I wouldn't recommend the spacer unless running on smooth pastures.

Since the unit weighed 900+# and I have no helpers, I couldn't repair it alone....really needed to flip it over to get at the problem to repair. Sold it for what it was and bought the Tar River 6'. No dealers here in N. Tx. but found one in Kansas who had a $3500 price tag including direct drop shipment from the North Carolina distribution center.

The spacer available for it lists 44 cm.....at 25.4/inch about the same 1" height. One reason I bought the TR was the way they designed the support for the stump jumper. If you pull up parts diagrams for both machines, you will note that the TR has a much better system of supporting the stump jumper disc and I would expect a spacer on that machine would hold up a lot better. Also the mechanism for moving from mow to stow...when you need to do that seems to be more user friendly.

Another reason I bought the TR was the fact that the shield on top of the cutters protrudes farther out front of the discs, reducing the opportunity for throwing rocks at you or your "cab glass" while mowing. I bought a Ford 3910 open station to use with that mower and rigged a piece of plexiglass (Lowes) on the right fender to shield me from flying debris. Works just fine. The cab tractor I keep hooked to my baler.

One note of caution with both. The shield around th belts collects clippings and you can't get them all out without removing the rear (half of the) belt shield. Got tired of that so I just left it off. Nobody around but me and I have enough sense....I think...to avoid rotating machinery.

As it stands now, without a spacer, I cut grass with it and SS with the MOCO. Seems to work for me.

Doing a repair today I've already done a couple times and recalled this post.
Tar river has a tendency for these four bolts to work loose. Gives the appearance a bearing has failed as the entire drum flops around.
You pull the stump jumper then a metal shroud with four 17mm wrench size bolts to expose these four.
You cannot remove them completely without pulling the shaft. But if they are not damaged you can tighten them and put a tack weld. But you have to catch it quick, usually have to pull the shaft and replace. I replaced the other drum with grade 8 bolts , lock tight and a lock washer so far so good.

Thanks for the tip. Will watch for it.

Question: Can a pre-cutting inspection of the stump jumper catch the problem early....like can I grasp the SJ and it will show to be loose?

Yes that's exactly how this repair got started.
Grab the main disk?? Above the stump jumper and pull and push. You'll see slop at the top of the drum assembly. Again like a bearing has failed. And if you don't know you'll think that until you remove this shroud that hides the bolts. I think probably on a impact those four bolts must take a pretty good strain causing them to stretch and get loose.

 

[Texasmark]

Thanks...and wow what a fast reply. On 4 bolts, the other brand only had 3 and being hex socket and accessible on the bottom of the stump jumper (contamination), all but impossible to get to to get out. At least these are up and protected.

 

[callmefence]

Thanks...and wow what a fast reply. On 4 bolts, the other brand only had 3 and being hex socket and accessible on the bottom of the stump jumper (contamination), all but impossible to get to to get out. At least these are up and protected.

Lol you caught me standing over it with a cup of coffee, fixing to go back to together with it.

 

[Johnnybar]

Does anyone run drum mowers on smaller HP tractors? I have a 35hp New Holland and have researched some of the available options and am contemplating purchasing one along with a rake. I would only be cutting 5 acres at my house and then another 8 acres at my business. I have been using a local hay contractor to cut, rake and round bale and in the past our arrangement has been that I keep what is baled at my house and he keeps what is baled at work. I have spoken with another contractor that bales across the lane and he is willing to just do the baling at both locations for me. Thoughts?

I've ran a 2070 and 3100 for many years. A daily greasing and occasional $10 bearing or $25 belt keeps them going several years. Of course there is the blades and occasional blade bolt like all rotary mowers require. Set the 2070 to carry the weight on the caster wheel with the skid set to run around 2-3" off the ground. Use the top link to level the drums fore and aft and remember to raise the 3pt when you cross deep dips so the blades don't scalp and you will be more than happy with them. I bought 80 acres that had super dense fescue and hit a hidden turtle back salt feeder base with the 2070 ...mowed right through all of the 1"legs just above the ring base! I jumped out expecting to replace the blades and bend back dented drums and couldn't believe it had ZERO damage. Jumped back in the seat and kept mowing.