NH 479 Haybine Quesiton

trailrider1205 · Apr 22, 2013

I'm looking at a NH 479 that has a couple spots where you can see the metal on the rollers. The sizes are about a half dollar or so. The haybine has only been used to mow about 80 acres a year for the last 10 years or so. Well maintained.
I will be using it to mow my 5 acre hay field.

Is it worth picking it up for 700? How long would the rollers last? Currently using a sickle mower, but have added clover to my mix. Also would like to gain a day or so in drying.

Thanks

Turbys_1700 · Apr 22, 2013

Rick B here is the expert on NH equipment...
We have an old 477 that we use yearly and it is still a good old machine...
Our rollers are still in good working order and not worn completely out...
At that price I would think that the condition is somewhat suspect...
Replacing parts on those haybines are expensive if you are talking rollers...

trailrider1205 · Apr 22, 2013

The reason for the price is because he is my friend. I have helped him hay in the past and never had any problems with this machine.

aczlan · Apr 22, 2013

Is the rubber loose around the holes, or is it still solid? If its still solid, I probably wouldn't worry about it... IIRC, getting the rollers re-covered is $1000-2000 and a LOT of sweat equity. These people: B&D Rollers reportedly do a good job re-covering rollers.

Aaron Z

RickB · Apr 22, 2013

For $700 and considering that the rest of it is somewhat of a known quantity, I'd probably risk it. The machine will never be worth a set of new or reconditioned rolls, however. i assume you will be cutting less than the 80 or so acres per year it has recently seen.