NH 404 conditioner

[xcsp]

Hi anyone know any information on a 404 crusher /conditioner ?? I am thinking of purchasing one and was wondering if anyone has one and if they work good ?????

thanks

 

[zzvyb6]

I had one and actualy used it once or twice in conjunction with a NewIdea sicklebar mower. Then I went with the combined machine: a 479 mower with conditioner. Never gone back. Problem now is the cost of fuel to make the second pass. Also it took some getting used to, especially if you windrowed the crop. Its very important to condition hay in my view, especially with the few dry days we get here in Michigan and with the poor weather report accuracies.

However, the parts list and diagrams for a 404 conditioner are on the NewHolland.com website ( I just looked). My dealer lets me phone in the orders to save time and trouble. I'd estimate that its about a $100 item at most. Scrap value. Next best item to do the hay would be a tedder+rake combo machine. My Kuhn has worked out pretty well. Rained on hay looks as good as properly dried hay.

By the way, I ran this 479 with an 18hp Yanmar 4wd without live power for 2 years, no problems.

 

[farmerjim]

i have one it works like a dream. a must have for haying in my area w/ limited drying days in the summer. should be about a 7ft swath,does the one your looking at have hyd lift or is it a manual lift? mine has manual lift which works but hyd would be ideal for rocks and woodchuck holes, i have 2 drive around them . the old ih we used to have was hyd lift. also what does it have for rollers? rubber top and steel bottom or rubber top rubber bottom. these are the key area you need to look over b4 buying. if the machine has been beat on they will have rubber chunks missing and or a worn down rubber to metal that the rubber is fixed to, also make sure no dents in the steel roller if it has one. also check for excessive gap between the rollers if they are fixed, if adjustable make sure they can be widened or closed. excessive gap of say 3-4in(w/ out looking at mine now not sure what it should be) stay away from it as it will constantly plug up on you meaning the hay will get bunched up inbetween the rollers and just wrap itself up into a big ball and stall the rollers which will make the roller drive belt smoke like heck, used to happen on my old ih. check the drive belt as well if its chewed up it will give you a good indication. you can still get parts for the 404, they are a great machine, although it does take longer to do the cutting then conditioning than it would w/ the moco. my next hay tool purchase will be the moco or disc cutterw/cond. with the rise of gas $$. what are they asking for the 404? the one we have we got about 4yrs ago for $500 its in mint cond and was always stored inside, but it was from a friend. hope this helps, i would also run the machine b4 buying to make sure everything is smooth.

 

[farmerjim]

one other thing what variety of grass do you have? on 1st cut you def will want this machine however on 2nd or 3rd cut its not necessary. and esp if you have any legume crops(alfalfa or clover) on a 2nd or 3rd cut you don't want to use the crusher. there's info that says by using the conditioner on legumes mostly 2/3/4 cuttings when they are in full, it may actually be damaging to the crop.

 

[xcsp]

thanks everyone for all the information on the 404 ,they wanted $250.00 for it . I Re-thought everything and I decided to go another route so I just picked up a NH 469 9" haybine/conditioner it is in real good shape and it was covered up and everything looks real good. so I think that will save me time on haying. .

Greg