Hay Crimper

[Texasmark1]

Got tired of the sickle bar haybines or whatever you choose to call them; sickle bar, reel rake, crimping rollers and discharge. The older JD name for a good one was the JD 1209.

Well things have changed and now I have the cutter, all I want to do is crimp the fat stems. Looking for a crimper

Located in N. TX.

Any help?

Thanks,
Mark
 

[bison]

The only crimper worth its salt are close to or full cutterbar width,..the rest are worthless.
 

[Nebraska Cowman]

Yeah, well dad had one when I was a kid. I never was so glad to see the hind end of something go down the driveway. That was over 40 years ago and I ain't going back.
 

[Bret4207]

There was a newly made crimper advertised in the Lancaster Farming paper last week. Might start looking there.

I had a NH crimper, a 404 IIRC. Never worked worth a hoot.
 

[showcrop]

I spent a lot of time with a pocket knife under a Cunningham as a kid. Now it seems that people are looking for them to recon after their mower-conditioner.
 

[LaVern Skarzenski]

Not that it really matters, but wasn't the NH 404 considered a "crusher" and not a crimper. If I remember correctly (and I may not because I'm talking around 1966-69) it had a smooth steel upper roller and a rubber lower roller with spiral grooves running across the length of the roller. The New Ideas of the day were crushers with steel rollers that meshed with each other and actually crimped the hay.

The 404 was a great improvement over just cutting with a sickle bar and letting it lay until dry enough to rake and bale, but it had to be adjusted just right to prevent wrapping the hay around the rollers and plugging up, Whereas the New Ideas our neighbors had and we borrowed a few times before we had the 404 were great with no problems plugging. (As far as I remember any way)
LaVern
P.S. Like show crop above stated, I remember spending a lot of time under that 404 with a jack knife too.
LJS
 

[DiyDave]

look for a New Idea model 571, if I recall right, one rubber, 1 steel roll. The NH 404, was similar, but not as good, IMHO. Smuckers welding will pay for older crushers, they rebuild them with splined metal rolls, making them crimpers. They are the ones that have the ad in lancaster farming.
 

[Don-Wi]

We got a New Idea crimper we use for fluffing grass in the swamp after a rain or whatever. Dad also ran some of our 4th crop through it 2 days after cutting as our haybine is a 14' cut and has a 4' crimper. It did make a difference in drydown on that stuff. What we didn't crimp was a little tougher, but it still made good hay.

Donovan from Wisconsin
 

[Texasmark1]

Thanks for the replies.
 

[Bret4207]

I'll tell you this much- if I had a choice between a crimper and a tedder, there wouldn't be a moments hesitation- go for the tedder.
 

[mudcreek183]

I am with Bret 4207 get a tedder we had a JD when I was growing up spent more time under it with a knife then anything else and the hay never dried any quicker then if we just cut it with the just the cutter and left dry on its own
 

[Texasmark1]

I have a tedder but that doesn't help to let the moisture out of the
stems (which crimping does) and regardless of how you plant and
cut, there are plenty.

Thanks,
Mark
 

[Bret4207]

[Texasmark1]

Drum mower. I got sick and tired of fighting sickles and all their
hangups; must have had half a dozen over the years, and a disc
moco costs too much money (I have a small operation). Besides, I
don't like the mechanics of the disc cutting drive system. Too many
parts to wear out and housing to break....every used one I ever saw
had lots of braze welding done to the under side.

The drum is a walk in the park.

Mark
 

[Texasmark1]

Drum mower. I got sick and tired of fighting sickles and all their
hangups; must have had half a dozen over the years, and a disc
moco costs too much money (I have a small operation). Besides, I
don't like the mechanics of the disc cutting drive system. Too many
parts to wear out and housing to break....every used one I ever saw
had lots of braze welding done to the under side.

The drum is a walk in the park.

Mark