Disc Cutters

[Kelly in tx]

Thinking of going to a 9' disc cutter. Very limited budget. Found four possibles on local Craigslist. One for $3,000, Two for $3,500 and One for $5,500 (maybe out of my price range).
--One for $3,000 doesn't show or post manufacturer. Red with green tarp. Blade pix look okay. Only description: slightly used.
--One for $5,500 is Kuhn GMD 700 GII HDN field ready good tarp (blades look rusty in picture).
--One for $3,500 is Krone 283S good used machine all new skid plates and seals ready for field
--One (8') for $3,500 is Kuhn 600 GMD GII HD new set of blades works good
Which one???

 

[Brown Swiss]

Not real familiar with them, I have looked at the shear protection on them and I do like the krone design, when shears it raises that turtle up out of the way of the others!

 

[Tx Jim]

I like my Krone AM283S cutter but it has no shear protection except driveline slip clutch. Be sure to check bottom of Krone cutter bar for wear or a crack. My neighbor recently bought a used 10 ft cut Krone AM323S but it has a crack in the bottom of the cutter bar case.

Kuhn also builds a cutter with a very good reputation.

When it comes to cutter bar repair I like modular design over Krone or Kuhn

 

[SHALER]

Pretty easy answer IMHO. The Kuhn 700. If that as you say is over your budget, the Krone is the next best choice. The other Kuhn, the 600, is not a 9 footer as Im sure you know.

 

[showcrop]

Check for bad bearings in header gear box. Try to move each disc side to side and up and down by holding at the point where the blade attaches. They should move only 1/8 to 1/4 inch up and down or side to side. If any move significantly more than others, it probably has a bad bearing in the box. Try to get them to run it for five min before making this test.

 

[SHALER]

Also, I would add - the $3K red mower may be a New Idea 540X model. They came in red and also gray. Would definitely be worth a look if indeed it is 'slightly used. They were decent mowers.

 

[Texasmark]

When I was looking at alternatives to sickles I was looking at used disc mowers. Every one I saw that was priced in my comfort
zone had numerous brass brazed repairs to the bottom.....of the gear oil tank running the full length of the cutter...I guess.....makes
sense, you have gears and need to lube them....gear oil sump makes sense.

I settled on a drum and in my second one now as there only 2 shafts, minimum moving parts, priced right, a box of 50 blades was
like $20 when I bought my first one and it only takes 6 for a full replacement and they are bi-directional so you can swap sides and
get double the use out of one. Made some mods to mine to get the hydraulic tilt. Work ok for me.

The thing I don't like about either kind.....that I have seen....is that when cutting sorghums you need to leave 4 or so stubble for
reliable regrowth in a timely manner.....these cut right on the ground...so I have to use a sickle anyway when doing JG or Haygrazer
which is what I do!

 

[RodinNS]

Best advice I can give you is check them all over very carefully for condition. Any could be good or bad. Check for play in disc bearings. I'd remove a drain plug from the bar if I could and check for metal on the magnet. Id buy the one with no metal on the magnet and doesn't leak..... The rest can be fixed fairly easily. You're dealing with a price point at 1/4-1/3 of new so choose carefully. Brand is much less important than condition.... Or price.

Rod