Need hay mower advice

[Joey Wahoo]

I need a mower that works on a 38 hp tractor. I have a baler and rake, but no mower. I will only be getting up about 10 acres of hay.

I need some honest practical advice on what to get.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance!

[uncle Will in In.]

A 38 HP tractor will handle most mowers. The plain old sickle bar mowers were very simple to repare and operate, but most hay is now cut with some type of mower-conditioner. These have a reel on the front that pushes the have back into the machine. This really helps prevent plug ups along the sickle bar. You might find a used conditioner in working condition, but it would be normal that it would need some fixing up. Most old mowers for sale have the gaurds and sections worn badly. Easy to put $300 and a days knuckle skinning into replacing those. I think any mower that has a really good cutter bar will do what you want.

[Stephen in SOKY]

New Holland 451 sickle mower. Simpler to hook up then many, easily serviced when (If) needed. Avoid sickle mowers with pitman arms at all cost. Impossible to calculate the # of acres of hay cut with this type machine. This assumes you're not cutting alfalfa which does virtually require crimping for dry down. Rebuild the blade & guards at purchase if needed, keep in dry & out of sun, & it'll cut your hay for untold years with nothing but grease & the occasional section if you have rocky hay ground.

[Up North]

Originally Posted by Joey Wahoo

I need a mower that works on a 38 hp tractor. I have a baler and rake, but no mower. I will only be getting up about 10 acres of hay.

I need some honest practical advice on what to get.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance!

Will You be cutting on flat fields or hills?
Does tractor have 3 Point Hitch?
Heavy thick Legume hay or mostly grass hay?

[Hammer4]

You don't have enough hp to run a disc mower, you might be able to run a drum mower ( 4 or 5 ft ).

www.ccmachinery.com has links to drum mowers, never used one myself but lots of folks like them.

Your cheapest bet would be a standard 3ph mounted sickle mower, I had an IH 100 balance head mower that worked pretty well, I had put new sickle sections on the knife and as long as the grass wasn't real wet or tangled it would cut nicely. You could get one of these as cheap as you can imagine, I picked mine up for $150 or so in good working order. The problem with a plain sickle mower is plugging, any kind of problem and they will plug up, requiring you to back up, raise and lower the 3ph, etc to get them unplugged. Usable but can be frustrating in less than ideal conditions, which is when most hay has to be cut.

Next step up would be a standard mower conditioner (mo/co) that you pull behind on the drawbar that runs off the pto. All sorts of those are around and available and vary in price, here is a link you can use to search in your area and price range. On these, inspect the drive mechanism for excessive wear and slop, look the frame and tongue over for lots of welding which is a sign of rough use, look at the conditioning rolls for them to run true and not be totally shot with lots of rubber tearing off (if it has rubber ones), lots of work and money to replace those, most likely more than the mo/co is worth. Lots of good ones out there, JD 1209, NH 488, Hesston 1010, New Idea, Kuhn, you name it. I would expect to pay $1000-2500 for one in decent shape. Advantage on a mo/co is the reels behind the sickle bar that cuts the hay to crush the stems on the hay and speed the drying process also help keep the mower from plugging as they pull the cut crop thru and away from the cutting bar.

You don't mention what type of tractor you have, if its a compact utility, be careful running a large mo/co on hills, that mo/co may outweigh your tractor and shove you around, just be aware of the weight of it and be cautious.

www.tractorhouse.com and www.ironsearch.com are good places to look for ones for sale near you and in your price range.

[Ross]

You must mean PT10, Hammer!? A 1010 Hesston is a hydroswing, they take some power just to roll them over! We had a 1010 and a 1014 both dandy hay cutters, both needed 60 hp min. You can find good little moco's in 7 feet which a 38 hp tractor will play with. I'm sure it can handle a 9 foot as well but at the upper range of its power.

[Joey Wahoo]

Thanks for all the feedback.

I have a Kubota 3830. Ground is relatively flat. I have access to a used sickle bar mower, but would prefer a moco or disc mower if possible.

[Up North]

7 foot New Holland haybine would be my first pick for your setup. A good sickle bar mower either 3 PT Hitch model or trailer model would work well too. Your tractor doesn't have the horsepower or mass to safely run a rotary disc mower-conditioner.

[vallyfarm]

I agree with UPNORTH. I've run a 7 ft NH for at least 15 yrs. Replaced the knife bar once, a few rock gaurds, grease and oil. Run it with a Super H. Mike

[fantasymaker]

Yep once agine the advice would be better if we knew where you were and what you were doing.
But a sicle bar mower would work nicely. If you can find a a small pull type conditioner it wouldbe even better.

[agmantoo]

I have here in NC a 472 NH haybine that has always been shed stored that I would like to sell. Curious as to where Joey Wahoo lives.

[kate]

a new holland 472 in good shape would work fine for you, we use one here, and it seems like it takes forever to get 10 acres down, but in reality, it is the size you need for tractor and field., and the dollars. you just get spoiled with disc mowers and 100 horse tractors..............and big bucks.

[Up North]

Originally Posted by kate

you just get spoiled with disc mowers and 100 horse tractors..............and big bucks.

We ran JD no. 8 sicklemower bolted to a JD 70 Johnny Popper. Then NH Trailer Sickle mower with tow-behind conditioner, then various and sundry models of haybine mower conditioners, the last a New Holland 479(9'cut model similar to 472). The New Holland was the better of the early haybines.
We currently run a 130 HP Tractor with cab on a 12' Case-IH 8312 Center Pivoting Discbine...One of the Tougher Mowers ever built... Steel 3/8" electric fence posts go right through it and come out looking like crinklecut french fries, LOL. Brush and Saplings won't stop it...But a roll of Hogwire will

PS I like being spoiled LOL

[agmantoo]

Being totally spoiled is not having to make hay! MIG and rotational grazing is where it is.
I have to boast for a minute.......I am out of Winter and the herd made it on the least amount of stockpiled forage ever with no hay. Great feeling.

[DaleK]

Originally Posted by Up North

We ran JD no. 8 sicklemower bolted to a JD 70 Johnny Popper. Then NH Trailer Sickle mower with tow-behind conditioner, then various and sundry models of haybine mower conditioners, the last a New Holland 479(9'cut model similar to 472). The New Holland was the better of the early haybines.
We currently run a 130 HP Tractor with cab on a 12' Case-IH 8312 Center Pivoting Discbine...One of the Tougher Mowers ever built... Steel 3/8" electric fence posts go right through it and come out looking like crinklecut french fries, LOL. Brush and Saplings won't stop it...But a roll of Hogwire will

PS I like being spoiled LOL

Are you paying Case-IH prices for knives etc. or are you buying the Hesston ones instead? We have a Hesston 1340, couldn't see paying more for a different shade of red paint.

[Up North]

Originally Posted by agmantoo

Being totally spoiled is not having to make hay! MIG and rotational grazing is where it is.
I have to boast for a minute.......I am out of Winter and the herd made it on the least amount of stockpiled forage ever with no hay. Great feeling.

Don't think I'm not proud of you Agman
Simply not an option in some climates. Best you can plan for is stretching grazing season to 7 months by planting cereal grains or Brassicas. Still have 5 months of winter feeding to account for this far north.

[Up North]

Originally Posted by DaleK

Are you paying Case-IH prices for knives etc. or are you buying the Hesston ones instead? We have a Hesston 1340, couldn't see paying more for a different shade of red paint.

Hear That Dale. I knew they were the same machine built by Hesston. Will comparison shop knife prices next go-around. Thanks for the tip.

[DaleK]

Originally Posted by Up North

Hear That Dale. I knew they were the same machine built by Hesston. Will comparison shop knife prices next go-around. Thanks for the tip.

Only difference I've found so far is that Hesston knives use a bolt with an 11/16 head, Case-IH use a 5/8 head to try to convince you that they're different but they all fit in the cutting disk the same way.