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Post by SWMan on Apr 21, 2021 22:20:49 GMT -6
Planting a bit of hay down this year, need something to cut it. Seems many neighbors have what I would call a mower conditioner, with a cutterbar and crimping rollers. I see there is a discbine option and I saw one with flail conditioner instead of rollers. What would be the most reliable/effecient/cost effective to windrow for drying and pickup with a round baler? Any input would be appreciated, probably doing a hundred acres per year to start off with. I've been snooping for a header to put on my Challenger(Massey) swather, but they seem to all be paired with the tractor unit already. Buying new probably pricey but I haven't checked. Pull-type seems to be a reasonable option but ties up a tractor that may otherwise be used elsewhere.
Not even sure if I will get a cut this year after seeding it this spring, what is best strategy to take there? I'm not under-seeding it.
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Post by kevlar on Apr 21, 2021 22:26:42 GMT -6
You bought cows, didn't you?  |
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Post by SWMan on Apr 21, 2021 22:50:55 GMT -6
That's the plan, which I have not fully executed yet. There's a lot to it when starting from scratch...
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Post by snapper22 on Apr 21, 2021 23:29:18 GMT -6
I run a discbine with a flail conditioner. Works great for my needs but if you’re doing 100 acres a sickle mower conditioner like a new Holland would be more than adequate and can be had for a reasonable price. Disc machines are great but cost for a used one is enough.
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Post by meskie on Apr 22, 2021 0:38:57 GMT -6
Find a head to put on your swather tractor you never use...... I like our new holland sickle mower or haybine. I prefer the rubber on rubber chevron conditioner. We cut a lot of alfalfa and the flail doesn’t work great for us in that. Ours is 16’ and cut about 300 acres a year with it. We generally leave it for 3 days then v rake two swaths into one in the morning then bale that night.
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Post by cptusa on Apr 22, 2021 6:45:20 GMT -6
No way would I go to a sickle mower again over a discbine. I do 4 cuttings a year on straight alfalfa (30 acres) and any grassed waterway I can find. Fighting the sickle plugging and replacing sections gets old. Maybe you guys can get away with it up there as your crop my not be as thick...?
So... how many cows are you thinking?
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Post by kevlar on Apr 22, 2021 7:28:39 GMT -6
From what I hear guys say around here, a diskbine is the way to go. My brother in law has cattle and used to use a sickle mower, worked ok for the most part, but some conditions it just wouldn't cut, he said if it was wiry dry grass it wouldn't work. I think it needs to bet kept in top condition to work properly, no making do until you get done. When he cuts with his diskbine, pretty much the only thing that limits his speed is the terrain. My knowledge of cattle ends at rare, medium rare, or well done, so this is all second hand advice. I might get some experience on one this summer as he cracked a vertebrae and will be laid up for quite awhile.
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Post by garyfunk on Apr 22, 2021 7:47:22 GMT -6
We only cut about 450 acres a year here now (used to be a lot more) and use a tractor pulled Kubota disc machine with flails. If you're going to be cutting heavy tangled alfalfa you're going to want a disc machine. For anything less than 300 acres I'd stick with a tractor pulled unit; it's only going to be hooked up for less than a week, and for a hundred acres it'd be more like a day and a half. I think hay conditioned with the rubber crimper dries faster than flails but in my experience the machines with flails do a better job cutting the thin spots (something to do with the push of wind created by the rollers is my guess). Nothing like the smell of a hay field blooming or when it's ready to bale, enjoy!
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Post by SWMan on Apr 22, 2021 17:34:33 GMT -6
Not sure how many I would get, probably depends on what kind I get and from whom and how many they have available. For now I would say more than one and less than 20, because I know they multiply...
So judging by the comments a discbine with flails is probably suitable. I did notice a lot of the roller machines are advertised with a hydraulic reverser or a wrench for unplugging, makes me nervous when I see that specifically mentioned. O_o
So if I were to go with a smaller unit(say a ten footer), would I then rake two swaths together or maybe 3 or 4 together? I have a CaseIH 563 round baler.
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Post by meskie on Apr 22, 2021 19:08:11 GMT -6
With a 10’ machine I would rake 3 together. Two wouldn’t be bad either depending on the size of rake you can find. 4 could be a handful if the hay is heavier.
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Post by snapper22 on Apr 22, 2021 22:00:06 GMT -6
I’d never go back to sickle after having the discbine. The 10’ for your acres would be great and you can lay as wide as your cut. A good heavy rake is key to pull a heavy alfalfa swath together.
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nvw
Full Member
Posts: 105
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Post by nvw on Apr 22, 2021 22:35:51 GMT -6
The heavier the crop the better a Discbine works, light crops a haybine cuts cleaner. That's when you use the swather. Efing spell checker. discbine, haybine and swather don't appear to be real words. Neither does efing  |
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Post by garyfunk on Apr 22, 2021 22:37:52 GMT -6
10' will be big enough for those acres. We use a 13' and two swaths raked together is plenty most years. We have a 565 with the wide pu.
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Post by Beerwiser on Apr 23, 2021 0:32:40 GMT -6
For now I would say more than one and less than 20, because I know they multiply... Just so you know you need a bull or at least a stool and quiet cows lol. Anyways after having a chance to run a discbine last summer makes me want one even more. Personally I like steel on rubber for crimpers and from my understanding flail is great, but knocks heads off a bit if doing greenfeed. Also if a rain does show up the hay turns brown quicker compared to roller crimpers. One thing that a sickle has over discbine is ability to handle rocks. If you don't have rocks go with a discbine. |
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Post by cptusa on Apr 23, 2021 5:47:48 GMT -6
Maybe he's going to learn to A.I., my pretty vets are pretty good at it but I don't think they'll travel that far.
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