Why isnt my drum mower giving a clean cut?

[PROFarms]

Hi guys,
So I have just been out and cut my first field of the year with my KM22 drum mower and for some reason it's giving a really rough cut. The first few of rounds it cut perfectly well then after I started going up and down it seemed to be cutting really rough. I can only think of 2 things that it could have been: firstly that one of the blades broke off? Secondly I went up a gear so could it be That I was going to fast once I started the straight lines?
Help will be much appreciated as I would like to get it sorted before the weather clears up and I get the next field cut!

 

[zzvyb6]

YouTube videos of your mower show large tractors running it at a pretty fast speed. These heavy machines don't bounce very much and leave a smooth cut baseline. You can check for bent or broken blades. Have you checked for belt slipping ? I would thing your tractor could benefit from some added weight to keep it from hopping around, but that doesn't explain why the first few rounds were good. So, I'd look first at the mechanicals: gears, pulleys, belt(s).

 

[ronchp]

I agree with che checking the blade condition first and then the belt condition and tension adjustments.

 

[whis]

you don't mow straight lines you mow clockwise around the field.

 

[stuckmotor]

I think I'd go back to mowing the way I mowed when it cut well. If this solved the problem, I'd change one thing at a time until it cut rough again. This should tell what's causing the problem.

 

[DT86]

Pretty easy to check for problems with the blades???

Almost every time I hear about a drum mower it is mentioned that you can mow as fast as you can drive.

you don't mow straight lines you mow clockwise around the field.

Why not?

 

[Tx Jim]

Why not?

Because IMHO it takes too much time turning around on the ends:thumbdown:

 

[flusher]

Hi guys,
So I have just been out and cut my first field of the year with my KM22 drum mower and for some reason it's giving a really rough cut. The first few of rounds it cut perfectly well then after I started going up and down it seemed to be cutting really rough. I can only think of 2 things that it could have been: firstly that one of the blades broke off? Secondly I went up a gear so could it be That I was going to fast once I started the straight lines?
Help will be much appreciated as I would like to get it sorted before the weather clears up and I get the next field cut!

Assuming the blades and belts are OK, I'd suspect it has something to do with not holding pto rpm constant while you mow in straight lines. Do you drive with the foot throttle or with the hand throttle? Seems like you can get more constant rpm with the hand throttle.

Good luck

 

[DT86]

Because IMHO it takes too much time turning around on the ends:thumbdown:

You must do something different than we do.

But is there a actual reason, with a drum mower, they shouldn't be? I can not imagine what it would be.

 

[Tx Jim]

You must do something different than we do.

But is there a actual reason, with a drum mower, they shouldn't be? I can not imagine what it would be.

I do cut different as I go round-n-round then disc cutter is nearly always cutting uncut crop until field is completed. Grass mashed down by tractor tires doesn't cut as clean as untouched grass.

 

[powerscol]

That's what I do on my fields - start outside with mower to inside (round and round driving on the cut material),. I then do the outside last after grass has a chance to spring back up. Even doing this there are rough spots when the grass was mashed down by the tires. Also one bad blade will give you a rough cut - look them over closely and make sure they will rotate and are not jammed up with grass/ bind weed. I keep a sharp spare set on hand as I find it is just easier to change them out and then inspect off the drum. Mine are quick attach as I have a PZ 170

 

[whis]

because you don't drive on standing crop unless your opening up the field,

 

[CDennyRun]

I think what the OP meant when saying he was speeding up during mowing a straight line, was after the turning the corner. Not that he wasn't doing the normal pattern. I mow in straight lines all the time (after making the turn).

Chris

 

[PROFarms]

I think what the OP meant when saying he was speeding up during mowing a straight line, was after the turning the corner. Not that he wasn't doing the normal pattern. I mow in straight lines all the time (after making the turn). Chris

Yes. I do 6-8 rounds around the edge then split the field up the middle and work then towards the outside, never leaves uncut grass it just cuts it really rough when I'm going in the straight lines

 

[whis]

mowing in a straight line has nothing to with how it cuts, mowing where the tires have ran does. the mower doesn't know if it's going straight or not

 

[bjr]

I have the small SFI 2555 and it uses the double sided CM-120 blade w/hump in it and can be switched to the opposite drum to use the new side. I've also started getting my blades from Webbs Sickle Service as they're made in Germany (better heat treating-harder cutting edge). Tisco's/A&I didn't keep the edge very long. But, yeah, you gotta change the blades often AND keep an eye on belt tension. I actually had a customer hand me a $50 bill and TOLD me "get some sharper blades on your mower or don't come back". Oh yeah, I tend to go roundy/roundy just for convience sake, but I don't think it makes too much difference other than try to run the tractor on the previous cut portion because layed down grass don't cut real well as someone else already said. bjr

 

[powerscol]

After baling and picking up I too noticed an uneven cut where I was cutting in an arc, and even straight. Checked the mower and found at least one knife that was bound up and would not swing (long grass wrapped around it). I also noticed several places that I did not pick up in a tight turn were a mess. Last is I could tell where I had messed up the pitch (too high) I had bumped the hydraulic top link.

Last I am surprised at the knife wear. I need to change the blades around before the next cutting. I have a PZ 170 mower if that helps.

 

[cabinhollow]

I have been using drum mowers for over 25 years. The last 15 years with a ztr 185.
I keep all the weight of the drums on the ground when I am mowing.
I keep the mower pitched forward. Not flat.
I do not pick the mower up on turns.
I use any type of blade that I can find, that will fit. I may not have two blades the same, on the mower.
Years ago I had a very flat field that I mowed. At that time I was using a 4000 Ford and could mow it in 8th gear. Top road speed.
This year with my TYM 754, I have been mowing in 9th,10th gear on fields with slope. The tractor bogs down in 11th going up hills, when mowing.