An equipment opinion needed

[Ron in AR]

Okay, this might sound kinda crazy, but here goes.... I'm looking into buying a new to me (used) mower to do my 125 acres of Bermuda/grass mix hay. The same thought keeps going through my head, would a combine make a reasonable hay cutting machine? I mean could I strip it down to the bare essentials and make a practical hay mower out of it? All opinions welcomed, good, bad, or ugly.

 

[Pair-a-dice farm]

Ron I suppose you could but you would be running a lot more fodder through it than it was designed for. I'm just guessing but I think you would have problems plugging up at the cutting reel especially if your grass had plenty of moisture. Here in arkansas where I'm at we use disc mowers and disc mower conditioners. If you are looking to economize you might find a sickle mower reasonable. I've not run a combine much but I have cut short soybeans with a lot of crabgrass in it and it was a pain.
This is just my 2c

 

[keh]

Won't work. Combines are basically designed to cut dry, ripe grass crops like wheat. Yes, I know someone combines Bermuda grass seed and I don't know exactly how they do it, maybe after frost has killed the grass. Anyway, the drive mechanism of combines I am familar with would not hold up to cutting green grass. Also the knife sections on combine sickles are shorter that knife sections on mower sickles designed to cut green hay. The combine guards are not as strong as hay mower guards. If you have 125 acres of decent hay get a disc mower and get the job done in a hurry. A mower conditioner such as a NH Haybine will also cut well. Haybines have a sickle cutter bar, but cut well because the reel with spring teeth pull the hay aggressivly across the cutter bar then move the hay off the bar out of the way. You can also get a sickle bar mower but it is slower than the disc mower or haybine.

KEH

 

[Ron in AR]

I'm near the Fort Smith area. I already have three NH sickle mowers and one JD 1219 moco. I've been looking at used disc mowers and they are just so steeply priced that I can't justify buying one right now. The last one I looked at was a six year old JD model that they wanted over $10000.00 for! Just can't justify that much money for a mower.

 

[Pair-a-dice farm]

Ron, I've go a Fort disc mower that I bought in Kentucky, it's not a cadilac probably more like a Kia, I cut about 100 acres twice a year and get along pretty well. It's 6 years old and all I've done to it is replace blades and belts. Here is the link to the place I bought mine. I would rather have a green one also but for the price I've been satisfied.


http://www.sweettractors.com/disc_mowers.html

 

[havvey]

I second that i bought one from sweets and it is a good machine.

 

[paul]

Forgetaboutit.

Header is built to cut dry stems. Won't work worth a darn for green grass. Whole different setup between the 2, even if they 'look' the same.

20 other reasons it's a bad idea, won't bother with the list.

--->Paul

 

[kyplowboy]

Ten grand is way too high to pay for a disk mower. Have seen adds for new ones for less than half that. I have a 66 Kuhn. Paid $800 for it at a auction, $200 for blades and belts, added a strip of mine belt for a curtain. Been cut"n with it for a few years. You should be able to find a used one in good shape, ready to use for around $2500, that is what a dealer round here asks for good 7 footer.

Dave

 

[Anonymous-0]

Check out the archives in Farm Show magazine. Can you do it? Yes. Is it practical?--whole 'nother story. Sure, you can use a combine header to cut hay, move it to the center, and drop it on the ground. Torch out the center of the machine that brings it to the threshing cylinder, along with removing the drives from there on to the rear. Or cut out one end of the header, etc. Possible is another thing from practical.

 

[rrlund]

I'll go along with that. I think the knives are serated on the wrong side or some such thing aren't they? Don't think they are interchangable with haybine knife sections either. Ever want to hear something hammer,just drop a combine head into something green.

 

[Ron in AR]

Wanted to thank everyone for the info and advice. Appreciate it. I try to learn at least one new thing every day. So this should have me covered for about a week here! :-}