John Deere Crimper

[Keddano]

Gave up on pulling a Mower/conditioner behind the H. Just put all new blades and replaced some bad guards on the Case 10 Sickle Mower,gave it a try and seems to cut great with no clogging as before.
So yesterday,I came across a nice JD crimper,couldn't find a tag or # model # on it. But it has both crimper bars/rollers made of steel.(model 22?)

Any tricks or advice on using a crimper behind the sickle mower in tandem.Will be picking it up tonight and going to start cutting tomorrow,weathers looking good here in Iowa for the next 4 days. Thanks in advance,Dan

 

[Leroy]

A 22 breaks the stems every about 2-2 1/2", a No 1 and 21 will break the stems about every 1 1/4" so you get a lot better drying with them and on the 21 both rollers are chain drive while the No. 1 only the top roller is driven and very noisy while both rollers driven are quieter.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I have a JD 32 crusher but pull it seperate after I have done the cutting.

 

[Keddano]

I went and picked it up today. It's a 21, there was also a 22 there that someone had took the drive shaft nearest the tractor from. It is field ready. Looks like a low hour one.

A few questions, my case mower has the hitch point directly behind.

So with that set-up, you would be crimping the previous row that you cut as you cut the next.....Correct?

Also how far down do you run the crimper to the ground,there's no cylinder on it just the screw adjuster. Does it run flat with rollers on the ground,which I think it would do? Thanks, will be using it and cutting tomorrow.

 

[Anonymous-0]

That crimper will give the H a workout!

 

[tjiniowa]

I got a 22, works good, put it down just off the ground, so it picks up the hay. If you hit a slug of hay or gopher mound it will really make the H snort. I have not used mine for a year beause I can't keep the sickle head from breaking in my sickle mower. I use a MM Jet Star which has about 2 times more power than the H. If it is to much work you can always crimp right after you mow. Sure helps dry the hay quicker, probably speeds up drying time at least 1 full day or maybe 2. I liked the 22 because it didn't have any rubber rolls to rot off. The bad part about them is that JD parts are crazy high priced. I broke one of the cranks and the special nut it threads into and they wanted $150-200 for the parts. I ended up making one in my shop, just looks a little different.

 

[Leroy]

No, you do not set it to the ground, you do and it will take a hunderd HP to operate it plus all the pluging. Just crank it down till it will just pick up the crop that it does not look like it would but it will. And yes it works on the previous cut round, if you try to use on the current cut row or the last one of the day with more standing in the field you cannot get the right side of the swath up due to the width of the tire sticking out. And do mow in a round and round patern instead of a back and forth pattern as that would destroy all the hay you were turning on. Yours will pick up the hay no matter the direction you travel, mow the back cut first, then hook up the crimper and go. Some you can't do that with as they will only pick up in the direction of mowing. You got the best model ever made there, when Deere started to make the No. 22 they forgot what a crimper is supposed to do. That No. 21 will cut drying time over a No. 22 by a full day, possibly 2. Sometimes they will knock the blossems of the hay and some complained about that so that is why they started to make the later No. 22 as its rolls will not do that. And a plain crusher with both smoth rolls, rubber or steel will be in the middle of the 21 & 22 for drying time. Never had the 21 but the 1 & 22 plus AC, McC. NH, Yetter but always wished had the 21. Later a Case 555 haybine and we would mow with that case and set it for a swath as wide as the 7" mower would lay (The habine was 9') and would follow up behind the habine with the crimper for extra drying quality.

 

[Keddano]

Cut the hay on saturday and ran the crimper yesterday. A little back story first.
Last year picked up a Casse 10 mower,and fought getting hay cut with it. This year I replaced all the blades and 12 new guards,started cutting and was fighting with it clogging,so I pulled all the old guards and notched them with a cut off wheel,what a difference.

The thing cuts like new and was able to cut in 2nd and 3rd gear.(A hint that might save some cash seeing if a old mower is worth putting money into)

Didn't get thru cutting till dark,so had to wait till the next day to crimp. The 21 did a great job with only a few times tangling grass on the right side of the mower,mainly when I had to turn over a row.(the sound of the machine tells you when your tangled,a folding Stanley knife made quick work of cutting it out) Again I was able to run 2nd and 3rd gear(in 3rd in the real heavy stuff it would bark the H)

Next cutting I will try running them both together.

Thanks Leroy and the rest for the info. I guess we will see tonight with the heat we're having if it can be raked and baled tonight,or have to wait till tomorrow. Hopefully this rain will hold off for me.

 

[BobH in NH]

Tandem mower/conditioner hook-ups were the curse of the devil. That is why they were never popular and dissappeared in a few years. My Oliver 3Pt hitch mower had a rear hitch and a male PTO spline for the conditioner to hook to. To successfuly condition you need to keep the conditioner turning ar near capacity. They don"t like to be stopped, backed up, ec, the common moves you have to make with a mower.

It is much easier to separete the mowing and conditioning operations.