Time has come to do some serious hay cutting. We are not allowed to cut hay until July 1. So our first cutting is some tall rank and sometimes a few weeds. Alfalfa is 4 ft high with orchard grass above the hood. I would like to buy a second haybine and am thinking a Hesston 8200 or newer or a Mac Don. Must haves are steel on steel rolls and sickle cut. With all irregular shaped fields a hydro swing or self propelled are the only efficient options. No a discbine is not the answer been there done that. Cost of operation per acre is to high and the reduced regrowth does not fit our criteria. Thoughts on a good machine?
- Thread starter NEIADan
- Start date
Bigdaddy4430
Member
Curious why steel on steel is a must? Been cutting alfalfa and grass for 30 yrs with rubber rolls and never had an issue.
I'm not familiar with the 8200 Hesston. I had a 1010 and have an 1120. They both are steel on rubber. (If memory serves me right on the 1010) They're different than a New Holland rubber roll. If the 8200 is like every other Hesston I know,that'll toss it out as a possibility for you if you're bent on steel on steel.
Other than that,hard to beat a Hesston as far as I'm concerned,although I've had no experience with a MacDon.
Other than that,hard to beat a Hesston as far as I'm concerned,although I've had no experience with a MacDon.
Brendon-KS
Well-known Member
- Location
- Goessel, KS
The 8200 had a mechanical drive single-sickle header while the 8400 had a hydraulic double-sickle head. The 8400 also had a turbo engine, two speed ground drive and direct-drive pumps instead of belt-drive. For these reasons the 8400 might suit you better but of course it will cost more. Most of these heads had intermeshing rubber-on-steel conditioners; you would have to get up to an 8450/8250 vintage machine to find mostly steel-on-steel rolls in the sickle headers. However, I believe you can swap out the rubber roll for a steel one in a rubber-on-steel header but you'd have to check me on that.
By the way, don't go to your local AGCO dealer asking about a Hesston "haybine" - you'll probably get a dirty look!
By the way, don't go to your local AGCO dealer asking about a Hesston "haybine" - you'll probably get a dirty look!
One of our first haybines was a generic 1010. I have seen some Hesston built Case IH machines and looked at the self propelled Hesstons with the steel on steel. I am most concerned if the double auger system will handle extreme high volume hay. Not unusual for us to bale 4 ton an acre on the first cutting.
Brendon-KS
Well-known Member
- Location
- Goessel, KS
I've cut sudan grass higher than the windrower cab with a Hesston sickle header with double augers so know first-hand that they can handle heavy volume. In my experience the double augers tend to leave a smoother windrow then a large single auger.
Much of our hay acreage is on public lands where we are trying to protect game bird nesting. Non negotiable. It offers a number of challenges, but does allow us to provide a need in the marketplace for both dairy hay and beef or horse hay. Each field is managed separately as to being baled in Lg squares or rounds and in a two or three cutting program. 100% of our hay is sold so we try to meet the needs of the market while satisfying the farm managers and customers
The quality wouldn't be there for dairy as a stand alone feed, but in today's world, larger farmers feed rations mixed in a TMR. Quite often they use straw or other very poor qulity hay as a filler and fiber to mix in with their extremely "hot" good quality feeds.
A farm just up the road uses a lot of wheat straw for that purpose, and they raise heifers for other dairies. Others find grasses to be a little more palatable.
Donovan from Wisconsin
A farm just up the road uses a lot of wheat straw for that purpose, and they raise heifers for other dairies. Others find grasses to be a little more palatable.
Donovan from Wisconsin
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