- Joined
- Feb 21, 2003
- Messages
- 26,967
- Location
- SE Michigan in the middle of nowhere
- Tractor
- Kubota M9000 HDCC3 M9000 HDC
I understand now, you have a sickle bar mower conditioner. I have one too. Don't get used much, I prefer the DiscBine for many reasons, mainly speed and it's no concern how tall it is (been dealing with the same weather patterns you are).
I like the SB mower/conditioner for 3rd cut. I can 'shave' the ground with no plugging issue and it gives a better cut but overall, a discbine is better.
I prefer not to leave anything but stubble.
I ran a 66 for years but the chains are a PITA. The new generation balers have no chains, all gear drive except the hydraulic pump for bale tension and the packer forks and they bale at least 3 times as fast or about half as fast as round baling plus the pickups are much wider but like anything else, you need a steel hinged wallet for one. You can get one point greasing for the knotters (which I don't because I don't trust single point greasers, hydraulic tougue swing (nice) and knotter blowers.
There are 3 disadvantages to a disc machine. One, you must run a cab tractor because with a disc machine, if you hit a rock or limb in the field, it's coming forward, out from under the mower and you don't know which way its going to go... and Two, disc mowers are real susceptible to getting old poly bailer twine under the cutting heads (tirtles) and wrapped around the output shaft causing premature seal failure. preventave maintenance for me is every year before I put the machines up for the winter, I pull the heads on the disc machines and check the upper seals and remove any poly twine that might be there. Just square bailing in a field and missing a bale and then cutting later can have a serious and costly consequence. If my 575 misses a bale (rarely but it does), I always take the strings and put them in the twine box to dispose of later. A sickle bar don't have that issue but a disc certainly does. Three is, it takes some power to spin a discbine, about twice what an equal width sickle bar mo-co takes. The disc makes up for it in speed, I can mow very tall forage, forage that would plug your machine, at 6-8 mph (or as fast as I can stay in the seat...lol) and it never plugs unlike a sickle bar machine does. That in itself makes it great for heavy first cut scenario's. I used to dread first cut with the twisted from the spring wind, overly tall forage. Now, thats a non-issue.
When I pull the heads, I change the cutterbar oil and reverse the knives if needed plus I check the wear on the skid plates and deflectors on each cutterhead. Sounds like a lot but it's reall an easy job and much less upkeep than a sickle bar mower. Np knife sections to change, no guards to deal with. I run an SCH double cut on my sickle machine which I like because the SCH bar has no adjustable hold downs to set.,
I like the SB mower/conditioner for 3rd cut. I can 'shave' the ground with no plugging issue and it gives a better cut but overall, a discbine is better.
I prefer not to leave anything but stubble.
I ran a 66 for years but the chains are a PITA. The new generation balers have no chains, all gear drive except the hydraulic pump for bale tension and the packer forks and they bale at least 3 times as fast or about half as fast as round baling plus the pickups are much wider but like anything else, you need a steel hinged wallet for one. You can get one point greasing for the knotters (which I don't because I don't trust single point greasers, hydraulic tougue swing (nice) and knotter blowers.
There are 3 disadvantages to a disc machine. One, you must run a cab tractor because with a disc machine, if you hit a rock or limb in the field, it's coming forward, out from under the mower and you don't know which way its going to go... and Two, disc mowers are real susceptible to getting old poly bailer twine under the cutting heads (tirtles) and wrapped around the output shaft causing premature seal failure. preventave maintenance for me is every year before I put the machines up for the winter, I pull the heads on the disc machines and check the upper seals and remove any poly twine that might be there. Just square bailing in a field and missing a bale and then cutting later can have a serious and costly consequence. If my 575 misses a bale (rarely but it does), I always take the strings and put them in the twine box to dispose of later. A sickle bar don't have that issue but a disc certainly does. Three is, it takes some power to spin a discbine, about twice what an equal width sickle bar mo-co takes. The disc makes up for it in speed, I can mow very tall forage, forage that would plug your machine, at 6-8 mph (or as fast as I can stay in the seat...lol) and it never plugs unlike a sickle bar machine does. That in itself makes it great for heavy first cut scenario's. I used to dread first cut with the twisted from the spring wind, overly tall forage. Now, thats a non-issue.
When I pull the heads, I change the cutterbar oil and reverse the knives if needed plus I check the wear on the skid plates and deflectors on each cutterhead. Sounds like a lot but it's reall an easy job and much less upkeep than a sickle bar mower. Np knife sections to change, no guards to deal with. I run an SCH double cut on my sickle machine which I like because the SCH bar has no adjustable hold downs to set.,
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