New disc mower needed, Krone, or Kuhn?

[Marshall R]

We currently have a Kuhn GMD 700 I believe, it is a 9' + disc mower. We are going to add another mower to the equipment.

My father stands by the Kuhn we have, but doesn't want to spend alot of money on a second mower. The Kuhn was purchased new in 2001, so this is its tenth grass season. It has been a good mower and I am sure it will give several more years of great service, however, it likes to streek up the field and not cut an even edge across the 9 ft. bar.

My father wants to get a knock off brand mower from our local hardware, farm and garden shop that is abour 5K. I have heard this mower doesn't withstand real work and is quick to wear out if you are not just a hobby farmer.

I am more interested in getting a higher quality mower, like the Kuhn we already have, but I have looked at the Krone website and it has gotten my attention.

What are some opinions on the Krone vs. the Kuhn mover?

The new mower would be attached to a new JD 5085M that should be delivered this week.

Thanks for the replies.

Marshall

 

[ddivinia]

I bought a used Krone AM323s. it has been a good mower. I am running it in a Mower Caddy behind my JD 5525. it is a stout mower - no belts to wear out, etc. It does suck some HP, so make sure you size them up.

New m series eh? They look like a mini-6000 series. Sure stout with the price to go with it.

How many acres of hay are you cutting?

D.

 

[ddivinia]

I bought a used Krone AM323s. it has been a good mower. I am running it in a Mower Caddy behind my JD 5525. it is a stout mower - no belts to wear out, etc. It does suck some HP, so make sure you size them up.

New m series eh? They look like a mini-6000 series. Sure stout with the price to go with it.

How many acres of hay are you cutting?

D.

 

[Marshall R]

235 acres total. We cut 165 of our own, and 70 for a neighbor/friend just down the road. We cut that amount up to 4 times a year so if you count it that way, that would be a total of cutting up to 940 acres during the summer.

This may not sound like alot to some and it may sound like alot to others. I am doing all the cutting and my 73 year old pop and I try to work around his school bus driving schedule and get it done.

We have rolled 850 +/- large round bales up to this point. We have 37 acres cut now, waiting for it to dry out, then it is onto the neighbors fields.

The New 5085M came into the dealer today. I hope to get it tomorrow and start it out on a tedder and then raking before the end of the day. I am excited to have some comfort. It has the deluxe cab and power seat. The 4030 that I have been on most of the time is an open station tractor. The tractor designated for the tedder is a Ford 5000 with no top whatsoever. Both these tractors have spring seats and they cant hold up my weight. Needless to say, they are hard on your rear and back, so I am looking forward to the extra comforts of the new tractor.

Take care.

Marshall

 

[D7E]

I like the Krone AM's...Very light and a good lift sytem and low hp req compared to other brands...We found the krones had more than their share of bed problems though..I liked the old AM242's if you could stop the belts slipping....Vicon is another mechanically good mower but suffer a bit of fatigue and crack up the tin work and frame easily....I must admit we had the least comebacks on kuhns but they're not bulletproof.
I still think that the good old "sickle" haybines are hard to beat for reliability and are what we've gone back to "using" after 10 years of disc mowers..!.And they will cut just as fast and clean if set up right..!

 

[ddivinia]

235 acres total. We cut 165 of our own, and 70 for a neighbor/friend just down the road. We cut that amount up to 4 times a year so if you count it that way, that would be a total of cutting up to 940 acres during the summer.

This may not sound like alot to some and it may sound like alot to others. I am doing all the cutting and my 73 year old pop and I try to work around his school bus driving schedule and get it done.

We have rolled 850 +/- large round bales up to this point. We have 37 acres cut now, waiting for it to dry out, then it is onto the neighbors fields.

The New 5085M came into the dealer today. I hope to get it tomorrow and start it out on a tedder and then raking before the end of the day. I am excited to have some comfort. It has the deluxe cab and power seat. The 4030 that I have been on most of the time is an open station tractor. The tractor designated for the tedder is a Ford 5000 with no top whatsoever. Both these tractors have spring seats and they cant hold up my weight. Needless to say, they are hard on your rear and back, so I am looking forward to the extra comforts of the new tractor.

Take care.

Marshall

I am in the same positions hay cutting wise, a job, 2 kids, etc. It is a lot of work.

I want to hear more about the M. Why not a E series?

D.

 

[ddivinia]

I like the Krone AM's...Very light and a good lift sytem and low hp req compared to other brands...We found the krones had more than their share of bed problems though..I liked the old AM242's if you could stop the belts slipping....Vicon is another mechanically good mower but suffer a bit of fatigue and crack up the tin work and frame easily....I must admit we had the least comebacks on kuhns but they're not bulletproof.
I still think that the good old "sickle" haybines are hard to beat for reliability and are what we've gone back to "using" after 10 years of disc mowers..!.And they will cut just as fast and clean if set up right..!

What is a bed problem? I want to make sure I am inspecting my mower properly.

D.

 

[chh]

I am running a pair Krone 283S mowers. They are great machines. I really like the ease of maintenance and the fact that they don't have belts. The Kuhns like you have are really good and I would not hesitate to buy one of them, but as far as the "hardware store" brand I think I would stay away from that. Life expectancy and parts availablility would scare me on them. No disrespect for the guys that like sickle mowers, but for the ground I have to cover in a year and the time I have to do it in, you couldn't run fast enough to give me one.
Good luck with the new tractor, post some pics if you get a chance, and I hope you enjoy it.

 

[ddivinia]

Sickle vs. disc is a religious thing I am convinced. A buddy of mine has a pair of sickles that he can cover like 30-40 per cut. Some crazy amount of area. I like my disc mower.

D.

 

[Marshall R]

The new tractor was driven over to my house today. I live only 2.5 miles from the dealer. I put it on the tedder and went to work with it as soon as I had it fueled up and after the rep. went over the bells and whistles on it.

This is the first brand new tractor that I have been on and so far, I am very pleased with the comfort this tractor provides.

I will get a picture of me standing with it and post on here. My dad said when he saw it at the dealer this morning that I wouldnt be able to fit in the cab. ......... I am 6'4" and 325.....

Pics coming soon.

Marshall