John Deere 1219 or any 9' "haybine"

[Safarmwv]

I am thinking about getting a john deere 1219 sickle bar mower conditioner and I was wondering if anybody has had one and if you thought 42 pto hp would do ok with it. Or any 9' haybine for that matter. The tractor is good and heavy around 5,800 lbs. Any input will be appreciated!

 

[zzvyb6]

I used to run my NH479 with a 22hp Yanmar (didn't even have live power!). I now run the same machine with a 35hp JD. You will need some extra front weights to keep the nose down (high hitch weight) and at least one hydraulic control: 1 way for header rise. Two is better: header raising and tongue swing. I use my loader circuits to manage all this. Other than weight and hydraulics, the actual cutting power requirement is quite low. I can outrun the cutter in top gear if the hay is wet.

 

[Verticaltrx]

Being in WV, how steep are your hills? Weight may be the biggest issue, but if you are careful it should be ok. We have a 1219 mower conditioner that we pull with a Deere 2550 (65 pto hp, 10,000lbs). It has more than enough power as 40-45 pto hp is adequate. However, on some of the steep ground we used to farm that mo-co could push that tractor around a little on the slopes. With a 5800lb tractor I'd be pretty careful on steeper hills, use 4wd if you have it.

 

[Safarmwv]

Thanks alot guys! I actually decided against the haybine and went with a disc mower! My neighbor who was getting rid of everything had a lightly used vicon cm167 disc mower that i've actually borrowed before for sale so i went ahead and bought it! Thanks for the info on the haybine!