Hay Equipment Options for Small Tractors

[ironpeddler]

CUTTERS

• Single action sickle bar mowers Old technology of post Civil War days-Used is the way to go here with the lowend being a Ford 501 and the highend being a NH 451- $200- $2,000 used
  Double action sickle bar mowers: Increased capacity over a single action mower with increased maintenance. $2,400- $3,500 NEW European MFG- also special models for compact tractors
  3 Point Drum Mowers The drum mower mows just like the well known disc mower. Small 2 drum mowers are available for 20 HP and up. Drum mowers will mow any crop in any conditions, they will not clog up. They are the most durable of the hay cutters. Some model need no exterior hydraulics. Popular brands: CCM, PZ, ZTR, Galfre', Deutz, Fella, & Star- CCM and Star make drum mowers for compact tractors
  prices start from $2,200 and up
  3 point Disc mowers Sizes range from 5.5'- 13' If you are using a 60 HP tractor or smaller then usually 9' and below are the safe options for you. Some shaft drive MFG's have disc mowers for 30-40 HP tractors Brands: New Holland, New Idea, John Deere, Vermeer/Lely, Gehl, Vicon, Krone, Kuhn, Fort, Morra, Marangon, Zeigler, Fella, Hesston, JF, Bellon, G&S
  These mowers range from $3,800 to $10,000

 

[Subsoil]

Does the Vermeer/Lely designation imply that Lely makes the vermeer moweres.

If so, Kuhn and Deere should be together also because I believe kuhn makes the deere 3 point disk mowers. New Idea and Hesston would probably be together also since they are both AGCO brands.

Farm Journal once had a chart showing what companies actually manufactured other companies stuff and it was very interesting. These partnerships the corporations have put together are quite complex. Hesston was building CaseIH hay equipment until Case and New Holland merged. Now all Case IH hay equipment is basically NewHolland with a different shade of red paint.

 

[ironpeddler]

Subsoil,
Lely builds the transmission components in Holland and Vermeer assembles the cutterbars and makes the frames, and other parts here in Pella, Iowa. Sole distribution for the Lely style mowers has been purchased by Vermeer.

Agco, Hesston, New Idea purchases their transmissions from Comer (Italy) and assembles the rest of the mower here in Kansas

I still think JD purchases all of their 3 point mowers from Kuhn and manufacturers nothing. This is the way it has been for 20 years.

 

[Subsoil]

I wonder who makes the bar for Bush Hog and Rhino. From your other post, it seems like the dutch are the only ones making them. I think both of them use the same type of disk as vermeer (2 blades) Vicon is about the only one I've seen using the tri-angular disk and three blades but we've had good luck with the vicons.

 

[ironpeddler]

Subsoil,

The Lely/Vermeer design is shaft drive and total different than any other mower in the world.

The Bush Hog mower is made in the Taarup plant owned by Kverneland. This mower is a conventional design with gears and oil bath.

The current Rhino mower uses a Comer gear & oil bath cutterbar made in Italy.

Vicon has the tri-blade standard and G&S & Bellon have the tri-blade optional. The tri-blade mowers do take more HP to pull.

Most of today's premium mowers cut the same if they are set properly.