Haying legacy on the way out

agman · Feb 22, 2012

Been looking for a replacement hay mower and am very surprised to learn that John Deere no longer makes a sickle mower conditioner. The only pull type sickle mower conditioners NH offers are the legacy 472,488, and 499 models as well as a few high capacity models. Dealers say they sell 10 discbines for every one sickle conditioner they sell. Looks like the low horsepower operations are going to be pretty limited in the future for a sickle mower conditioner.

Anonymous-0 · Feb 22, 2012

A Well Versed Farmer can tune on a New holland mower conditioner in one mornin to cut like a new one with 50 bucks of parts,...and it will be good the entire season ,... most disc mowers will be recycled 3 times in the same 30 yrs ,i spent 2 grand in parts on a 5209new idea ,5yrs before that messy Idea,, Vicon got 1500 in hard earned cash,...all the while My son and i kept a N-Holland 489 mowing , The Vicon Came to replace the 489 , and because of my steep hillsides IT LEFT defeated ,traded it for a New Idea 5209,it left too leaving all the hay for the original worn out 489 New-Holland to cut , WHICH IT DID ,the 5209 played BAD- MINTON with the baseball size rocks ,throwin knives at 12 bucks a breakdown,,RULE ONE on disc Mowers, REPAIR BROKEN BLADES IMMEDIATELY to avoid vibration and balance problems , You simply cant repair those disc mowers and expect them to run as good as new, when They start to Fail , GET RID OF THEM ,, their parts move to fast at engine tech tolerances ,, thats my 2 cents ..

LAA · Feb 23, 2012

Don't know where your located but if you look in dairy country like Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and other places there are a world of very low acre, shedded, like new sickle mocos out there, I see them all the time when on buying runs.

RMinVa · Feb 23, 2012

I have a 820 Moco that I bought new. Nonclog guards, full floating head, rubber rollers and an extra bat in the reel. It was the last year JD made the sickle bar conditioner. It sat on the dealers lot for almost 2 years. I bought it in 2004. Cut 50 acres a year and it's stored in a building. Very nice clean machine. Due to health problems I'll be selling it. As soon as I sell my fall calves then I'll sell the cattle. Not going to save hay this year.

Sparktrician · Feb 23, 2012

Well....if you mow hay with a good discbine once....you will throw rocks at a sicklebar haybine.....

We bought a new 1411 new holland a few years back, to replace a 489 new holland. The 489 was a good machine, no doubt....but it was wore out! That discbine will flat get on with it.....fast as you want to go....got to keep up with your rocks though......but you should anyhow!

We use about 2-3 sets of blades a year....maybe 30 dollars a set? New holland discbines have each "turtle" is seperated from the next....so steep hill sides dont run all the cutter bar lube to one end.....class is not that way.....

Dealer told us that NH was quitting the sicklebar type cutters soon when we bought ours.....i dont know why someone would buy a new one of that type.......NO COMPARISON!!!

Ken Macfarlane · Feb 23, 2012

I have to say you must have had an old discbine our experience here is with a 489 and you couldn't give me one now. Rubber falling off rollers cracked tongue bent cutter bed big-money on busted guards and knives burning up expensive belts multiple times a season breaking knife heads etc etc.
The discbine gets 50$ of skids and 50$ of knives. I did eat an elm tree with it last year and had to weld a crop flow paddle back onto a turtle as mine isn't a break away type

Josh in Pa · Feb 23, 2012

I think its that way with a lot of machines. Not many 4 row planters, and I don't think any 4 row combines.
Josh

rrlund · Feb 23, 2012

Did Hesston/Massey Ferguson stop making them?

rrlund · Feb 23, 2012

Ya,they do,right here. If they're still as good a machine as my Hesston 1120,you can't beat'em.
Massey 1400 Series

Fordfarmer · Feb 23, 2012

MacDon quit making their 4000 9' pull-type, but still make hydro-swing and s/p sickle-type mowers.

Haying legacy on the way out

agman

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Anonymous-0

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LAA

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RMinVa

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Sparktrician

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Ken Macfarlane

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Josh in Pa

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rrlund

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rrlund

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Fordfarmer

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