used tedders

[thomas moseley]

Looking to buy a second hand 17" tedder, hydraulic arm lift not necessary. Upcoming auction has 2 for
sale. Assuming equal condition, which is better: New Idea 4217 or a PZ Fanex 500 (similar to Vicon 410) and how much to pay? Parts are available for both in my area. I make about 200 4x5 bales and 1000 small squares and we have to ted 2 and sometimes three times for dry hay (northern VT) Any advice greatly appreciated.

 

[kyhayman]

I've got a NI 2417, its decent. I've yet to see a tedder that was really well built and this one is sure no exception. They are a rebadged Tonutti. Main thing I've found is you've got to slow down if you've got rough ground, otherwise they wont take the pounding.

 

[Bret4207]

I have a Kuhn, my neighbor has another brand that looks like mine. Both say made in Italy. I think maybe they kind of specialize in tedders someplace in Italy because all the rotary tedders I've seen are made there and look similar. They can be a real life saver. The only thing I don't care for is the fixed wheels, they don't swivel in the turns, they expect you to lift the machine in every turn.

FWIW- the horizontal Peaqua/Grimm type do a better job tedding, but they don't come as wide.

 

[Farmallhal]

Thomas, I went to some auctions this spring to attempt to bid on and buy a used tedder but didn't have any success. It might have just been the locations of the auctions that I attended but I found they would always sell for 75-90% of the cost of a new one in the condition I was looking for. These tedders in my opinion are very overpriced for the amount of goods you are actually buying and I certainly didn't want anything that wasn't almost new condition as they aren't built with a lot of scraficial metal as part of them. After a half a dozen auctions I just got out and got serious about buying a new one. I bought a new 17' Durabilt (a Enorossi tedder) for $4200 with manual fold wings. I saw some 20-30 year old ones sell for in the range of $3500 at auction which had an implement name like JD, NH or such on them but they were just painted in their colors and were same units in other aspects. I could have gotten a new 17' Sitrex for even less but liked the adjustable crank jack on the Durabilt better and felt is was just worth more. My New Holland dealer doesn't sell the NH brand tedders because he said they are just renamed Italian manufactured units with NH colors and decals for $1 to 2K more and his farmer community is too smart for those tricks. The short of this note is if you can find a really nice used one for a decent price you just might be the only person at the auction looking for one. I would certainly know before the auction what you can obtain a new one for so you have a very good idea of the point when enough is enough for a used and worn unit. Good luck in your hunt and sharing my same efforts earlier this spring, Hal.

 

[charlie n]

Me and my sons searched a lot of auctions and dealers trying to find a good used one and had little luck.They were either junk or over priced.The local massey dealer got 2 new ones on the lot,so what the heck we'll buy one.Saw the price,jumped back and kept lookin.I found this rossi in eastern Indiana same tedder only says rossi instead of Massey.Was also $600.00 less.Made a 300 miles round trip and still saved $500.00.My buddy at the NH dealer told me there are companies that build tedders and badge for everybody else.Good Luck.

 

[Harold Hubbard]

Since you are in Vermont, it might pay you to look around for an old Grimm Super 16. They are not as aggressive acting as a geared tedder, and you are giving up a foot of width, but I have never found that to be a problem. A lot of the time, they go for little more than scrap price. If you find one that hasn't been wrecked or beaten to death they are a good deal. I know that Grimm no longer makes them, but they still have some parts available. This is not a big issue, because most of the parts are standard industrial items, or are welded up out of standard structural iron.

If you go looking for one, try to find a later model with the "boat trailer" wheels and tires, they stand up better than the lawn equipment that was on the earlier models. Check for overall looseness, welded repairs, and belt condition. The belts will set you back nearly $400 if you have to replace all of them.

I bought my first Grimm about twelve years ago as a backup for the Kuhn I had at the time. Since then I have bought two more Grimms, and the Kuhn is parked in the woods. Two Grimms are being used, and the other has been retired. I bought all three of them for less than I paid for the Kuhn eight years before. I do six to seven thousand small square bales on eight acres of hill farm every year.

 

[Brian in MA]

6,000 bales on 8 acres? You must have magic fertilizer, I'm lucky to get 3,000 bales on 30 acres.

 

[Bret4207]

Rossi is the name of the one my neighbor has. Very similar to my Kuhn.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Kyhayman, FWIW I have a Neimeyer (predates Krone Neimeyer actually) HR501 4 spinner and that thing is built like a tank. However, it has to be at least 20 years old, and I agree they don't build them like that anymore.

 

[thomas moseley]

thanks for all the replies. I"m still looking.