cutter/conditioner &thick hay "balling up"

[Kelly in tx]

I've got some VERY thick hay to cut. I wish I had a straight sickle mower, but I don't. So I cut with a sickle cutter/conditioner. Sometimes the hay is so thick inthe windrow immediately behind the rollers that it plugs up the rollers. I've opened the side shields as much as possible. Is it possible to remove those? Has anyone ever used a cutting torch and removed the back half of the machine? Other ideas???

 

[NY 986]

I've got some VERY thick hay to cut. I wish I had a straight sickle mower, but I don't. So I cut with a sickle cutter/conditioner. Sometimes the hay is so thick inthe windrow immediately behind the rollers that it plugs up the rollers. I've opened the side shields as much as possible. Is it possible to remove those? Has anyone ever used a cutting torch and removed the back half of the machine? Other ideas???

Reduce travel speed to in turn reduce quantity of material passing through per minute. We sometimes had to do that with reed canary grass.

 

[Tx Jim]

Stating brand & model of your hay cutter could get you more correct answers. Ditto on slowing ground speed. Have considered due to thickness of hay to cut less than a full cut? Relocating reel back closer to crimper rollers might help feeding of hay through the rollers. If you haven't already I suggest reading your hay cutter operators manual

 

[Mike(NEOhio)]

Slow down and increase the reel speed.

 

[DanielW]

In addition to what was said: Make sure your reel; belt and roll drive belts aren't slipping - keep them tight. Most can have the speeds adjusted by adding/removing shims to open/close up the 'vee' in the sheaves (more shims between plates of a driven sheave makes the driven component turn faster, more shims between the plates of a drive sheave makes the driven component turn slower). An operator's manual would be the first step: Lots more adjustments than you might think to mocos/haybines: Reel & roll speed, reel position fore/aft, reel height above guards, reel tine pitch/angle (and adjusting the cam to control where the reel teeth release the product for the rolls to grab), etc.

Also, is the swath stop shield that's at the back between (and under) the shields up or down? A lot of people don't use (or don't know about) the swath stop shield in there. Most mocos have them: A toothed guard or plate that can be dropped down to arrest the flow of product as it leaves the rolls before it even hits the side shields. You drop it down if you want a really wide swath (you're pretty much eliminating the shields). Not sure if it would help or hurt in your case, but doesn't hurt to play around with.

 

[m16ty]

If you are having trouble with a mower conditioner, you for sure don’t want a plain old sickle mower. Your problems will be compounded. Maybe a disc mower.

I’ve cut some really rank stuff with a New Holland 477 before, never had a problem if I adjusted my ground speed accordingly. What make and model are you using? Are your crimping rolls in decent shape?

 

[Ray,IN]

If I'm envisioning the same machine it's name is a haybine. As other said, make the correct adjustments as stated in the operators manual.
I would not recommend removing things, It will be hard to put back after you realize how much it's needed.

 

[Timmycornpicker]

If I'm envisioning the same machine it's name is a haybine. As other said, make the correct adjustments as stated in the operators manual.
I would not recommend removing things, It will be hard to put back after you realize how much it's needed.

Well, to be the guy who splits hairs, New Holland trademarked Haybine, so any other brand is a mower conditioner. Like how not all facial tissue is Kleenex brand, but people say Kleenex to refer to any facial tissue.

 

[Tx Jim]

Another important thing to check is condition & amount of wear of the reel drive belt

 

[Ray,IN]

Another important thing to check is condition & amount of wear of the reel drive belt

Yep, IMO the man who made that utube video knows his subject, and explains it well.