Tough cutting hay may need disc mower

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mtncows

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I'm having trouble mowing hay this year.Second growthis down and tangled with early hay.488 haybine with stub guards building up cutings under hold down clips and is tough to get out.Knocked out new knife head bushing in less than ten acres.Have tightened hold down clips and sections in knife a almost new.Using top-serrated sections.474 has rock guards and builds up cut hay in front of the guards and runs over uncut hay.Thinking about a disc mower.Have looked at New Holland,Vermeer and Hesston.Any advice appreciated.Don't want to trade in Haybine for Discbine.Too much money involved.
 
Dad's got a worn-out Kuhn, seems like he likes it but I've never used it to mow hay. Couple of my friends have Vermeers and all of them have good things to say about them. It doesn't hurt that we have an excellent Vermeer dealer.
 
mtncows":2rn39s7p said:
I'm having trouble mowing hay this year.Second growthis down and tangled with early hay.488 haybine with stub guards building up cutings under hold down clips and is tough to get out.Knocked out new knife head bushing in less than ten acres.Have tightened hold down clips and sections in knife a almost new.Using top-serrated sections.474 has rock guards and builds up cut hay in front of the guards and runs over uncut hay.Thinking about a disc mower.Have looked at New Holland,Vermeer and Hesston.Any advice appreciated.Don't want to trade in Haybine for Discbine.Too much money involved.
Slow down.

Wish we were that wet.

Could it be time to rebuild the cutter bar? New guards, shims, hold down clips. Disc cutters are not 100% trouble free when the ground is wet either.
 
Raise that haybine up a little and keep it crankin'. Put a donut on the cylinder to hold it up if you don't feel like dropping the skids for a season. I can't believe how many people I see running equipment tipped into the ground around here and wonder why they have problems. A hayfield ain't no golf course. It's ok to leave a little stem.
 
Thanks for the replies.I had already slowed the machine by dropping back a gear and cutting a under 4mph.I had also changed the bar angle up with the pin provided.I usually try to leave some stubble to have regrowth and elevate hay from being flat on the ground plus after- shave for 100 acres would be too expensive :D .Per advice of a mechanic, I am going to check straightness/alignment of the cutterbar and proper tightness of the wobble drive and head bushing
 
mtncows":8y9iqwwy said:
Thanks for the replies.I had already slowed the machine by dropping back a gear and cutting a under 4mph.I had also changed the bar angle up with the pin provided.I usually try to leave some stubble to have regrowth and elevate hay from being flat on the ground plus after- shave for 100 acres would be too expensive :D .Per advice of a mechanic, I am going to check straightness/alignment of the cutterbar and proper tightness of the wobble drive and head bushing

How are your guards? Even a new sickle won't cut on old guards with round edges. You probably know already, but don't overdo it on the hold down clips. They can put the knife in a bind and break the drive pin/bushing. You may also need to bend some of the guards back upward. Some people use a hammer, I use a pipe.
 
I would look at a modular disc mower and stay away from the Kuhns. The older ones were pretty good but they have gotten cheap with them.
 
I've got an old 411 new holland, the thing is basicly junk, but it will cut down rank hay and not stop, I think the more it's tangled the better it likes it. It don't work as well if the hay is light, keep yor haybine for the later cuttings.

Larry
 
In addition to what others have mentioned, its time to check the drive system for t slippage. I'm not familiar with the 488, but does it use belts anywhere in the drive? If so, check them for tightness. Also check all the bearings with a prybar. Buildup on the knife isn't necessarily poor guards or knife.

Also check your reel tines to ensure they've not slipped or are set properly. Especially check the end tines. Buildup often starts at one end or the other and works its way across the cutterbar.

Check your auger to stripper bar clearance. This needs to be tight. I run no more than 1/8 inch away from the stripper bars.

My MacDon 16 foot had buildup issues, much the same as you're describing and it turned out to be a bad hydraulic pump. I'm back to cutting 3 ton/acre hay at 6 mph with absolutely no plugging issues. I replaced the knife and guards, checked all my settings, replaced a couple of suspect bearings before I finally checked the power unit. Wish I'd checked it first.

On the disc mower side, I don't think you'll be happy moving from a conditioning machine to a non-conditioning machine, especially if your windrows are heavy. Heavy windrows simply don't cure down unless they're crimped.

Rod
 

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