New Holland 488

[Tim14167]

I would like everyones opinions on the New Holland 488 Haybine. The good, the bad, the ugly...
Thanks!

 

[RickB]

Good, proven design that follows closely behind the 469 and 479. Rolls are located in the header, so flotation can be a problem if one doesn't keep up with spring adjustments, but that's true of anything that cuts hay. I'd have one over a 489/492/1465 in a heartbeat. Same model in production for 36 years, how bad can it be?

 

[farmeroz]

I second what Rick had to say. Good machine.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I am in the East and their sale value is low. People making grass hay are using 3 pt disk mowers and tedders. In Alfalfa areas they are worth a little more.

 

[2510Paul]

Rick nailed it. I researched Haybine's for some time because I thought I would need one when I retired from my town job. The 488 is the one. The other key is to find one not all used up. I found one at a fair price that was in nice shape. I had put a new belt on it and did one field for a neighbor, it ran really nice. When I retired I did not need it and could not store it anymore so I sold it. The buyer loved it and could not believe has smooth and quiet it ran. Like Rick said, do not buy those other model numbers where the rollers are not in the head. My two cents.

By the way, a discbine is better but at a lot more money. Paul

 

[Tim14167]

Is a discbine really better? That all depends on the application. There are a lot more moving parts and gear boxes to maintain. This means more issues, unless you plan on trading them in every few years. The parts are also expensive to rebuild the gear boxes; I have been down that road looking at the cost of maintenance of a discbine. The sickle bar mover is a simpler machine, yes it is harder to change a knife out, but I only lose 2 or 3 knifes a year and I do 75 acres 3 times a year. Everyone has thinks that a discbine can go so much faster and then can. The problem is that they all go too fast. There is a limit on how fast they can go. The cutter bar wont plug up; it will just run the hay over and leave a third of it standing in the lot. I have seen this happen all over the US and Canada and it does not make a difference of what color it is. The discbine also does a poor job on light grasses…Just my 2 cents

 

[NY 986]

A pretty good machine but not as good as the 492, 1465, etc.. You are not going to make time with it versus the other machines because of less knife strokes per minute. You will probably run along at 3.5 to 4.0 miles per hour in medium to heavy hay. Guys that do not push them run them down to a nub. Check sprockets, chains, U-joints, rolls, frame, everything for wear and abuse.

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 09:19:42 12/07/13) Is a discbine really better? That all depends on the application. There are a lot more moving parts and gear boxes to maintain. This means more issues, unless you plan on trading them in every few years. The parts are also expensive to rebuild the gear boxes; I have been down that road looking at the cost of maintenance of a discbine. The sickle bar mover is a simpler machine, yes it is harder to change a knife out, but I only lose 2 or 3 knifes a year and I do 75 acres 3 times a year. Everyone has thinks that a discbine can go so much faster and then can. The problem is that they all go too fast. There is a limit on how fast they can go. The cutter bar wont plug up; it will just run the hay over and leave a third of it standing in the lot. I have seen this happen all over the US and Canada and it does not make a difference of what color it is. The discbine also does a poor job on light grasses…Just my 2 cents

So, Timmy, nobody that cuts hay with a disc mower in the north eastern hemisphere knows as much about it as you?

 

[Anonymous-0]

well Nocrop Tim makes some good points. I have ran disk bines and they have some good points but they will plug in gopher mounds and as he says they do a poor job in light or down hay and take more power, I run a sickle machine and will for a long time yet, as for a 488 they are a pretty good machine

 

[Brendon Warren]

Really good machine as far as I'm concerned. Just watch for slop in the gear box. They tend to get wore and can break the shaft, $180 bucks for a new shaft.

 

[Shetland Sheepdog]

Well Colin, I got a chuckle out of your response!

"So, Timmy, nobody that cuts hay with a disc mower in the north eastern hemisphere knows as much about it as you?"

I'm guessing Timmy prolly either never ran a discbine, or else tried to run one at 10 MPH. I know when I went from my 477 to my 408 I found it mowed just as clean if not cleaner! Of course that might be because I generally mow in 5th, not 8th or 9th, with the 5610.

Dave

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 20:31:33 12/08/13) Well Colin, I got a chuckle out of your response!

"So, Timmy, nobody that cuts hay with a disc mower in the north eastern hemisphere knows as much about it as you?"

I'm guessing Timmy prolly either never ran a discbine, or else tried to run one at 10 MPH. I know when I went from my 477 to my 408 I found it mowed just as clean if not cleaner! Of course that might be because I generally mow in 5th, not 8th or 9th, with the 5610.

Dave

Well I thought that saying that ALL people with a discbine are leaving a third of their crop standing, is saying that most people cutting hay are pretty dumb.

 

[hd6gtom]

Tim My dad bought a new 1 in about 1976. It has cut thousands of acres of hay, I rebuilt the gearbox the first year I got it and I refill the sickle every other year with chrome sections. I've had it about 20 years and have replaced the chains once. I would not trade it for another brand. If it ever wears out I will be looking for another 1. It is literaly the best hay conditioner I have ever used.

 

[Jason S.]

I have one I bought a few years ago. It didn't look to great but the rollers were good. It has been one of the best pieces of equipment I have ever owned. Very little maintainence and parts are easy to get. It was the best haybine that New Holland ever built. It's still in production today so that says something about it.