Jd 1209 haybine any good

A John deere 1209 haybine is listed close by for a good price. I'm wondering if they are any good. Seems like I heard they have issues, but I don't know what they might be. If anyone has or knows of a Case 555 for sale pass it along to me.

The 1209 is an old model. We had one for years and then the 1219. They both are great machines when dialed in. Easily maintained. Usually the rubber on the rolls is an issue when it's been around awhile.

also, gonna want the stub no-clog guards

John, I have a 1219 not bad but I don't think as good as a NH. Doesn't float vertically too bad but real poor laterally. Cuts fine though. I have regular guards. Jim

Used one for about 25 years. I have no complaints. Service is easy. Make sure it has the stub guards. Simple machine to work on.

There is a 1209 in Hinckley on CL that don't look too bad. Pretty reasonable on price.

Was looking at that.

I have a 1209 I have used for about 10 years. I also use the stub guards and in my country seems to be what is used on all sickle type machines. There was a serial number break during production and if this is on the earlier one you sometimes can't get parts, like sickles without changing lots of stuff. The one I have does a decent job if I keep the adjustable tops on guards tight. Not a speed queen but think mine was pretty much wore out when I got it.

Check bracket that wobblebox bolts to & & if it has required very much welding performed leave it for someone else to buy. Wobblebox brackets that have been replaced don't normally have a long life.

Let me put it this way , my one friend has a 1219 and upgrade from the 1209 and if it is and upgrade i sure don't want a 1209 . EVERY YEAR i end up working on it , replaced the input shaft and slip clucth like five times now , same thing every time the weld on the dis to the shaft fails , the nice thing is it never fails as long as it is parked . They mow like crap i don't care what you do or what knife and guards ya put on or ya spend HOURS setting each guard with a feeler gauge by the book . To do a decent job of knocking down hay you crawl along at 4 MPH MAX . For me that is third low T/A in high . Or 3.5 -4 mph and this makes for a vary long day to knock down 28 acres .

the 1209 works good in alfalfa or clover it is terrible if you have much grass find a later model hesston you will be happier person.
the 1209 you will soon your religion or be talking to Jesus a lot in a nice way you might even say sandy beach more than once.

Theres a 555 on Fb marketplace for 300 bucks at Milford Ne that looks like it could be fixed up to run.

(quoted from post at 12:20:03 05/19/23) Let me put it this way , my one friend has a 1219 and upgrade from the 1209 and if it is and upgrade i sure don't want a 1209 . EVERY YEAR i end up working on it , replaced the input shaft and slip clucth like five times now , same thing every time the weld on the dis to the shaft fails , the nice thing is it never fails as long as it is parked . They mow like crap i don't care what you do or what knife and guards ya put on or ya spend HOURS setting each guard with a feeler gauge by the book . To do a decent job of knocking down hay you crawl along at 4 MPH MAX . For me that is third low T/A in high . Or 3.5 -4 mph and this makes for a vary long day to knock down 28 acres .

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I don't share your viewpoint because I remember delivering both models when they were new & used. If they had good guards & sickles they cut just as good & reliable as other brand hay cutters

I looked at the ad. I'm not there, but it looks in great shape. For that price, I'd nab it in a heartbeat if I was there.

In good alfalfa mix I can cut in 6th with a 2510JD, in tough grass 4th or 5th but I could use a new sickle.

I enjoyed using mine until the panel around the drive shaft for the crimped roll cracked out. Never got around to fixing it, since I mostly do grass hay I went to a disc mower, no crimping but lot faster mowing.

Id buy one again if in good shape and I wanted such.

Paul

I think (???) the older 1209 had 2 lift cylinders and the newer had 1 lift cylinder?

Paul

We had a New Idea mower conditioner and if you want slow mowing that was it. With the 1219 I can mow a bit faster and it is a cleaner cut. As for the wobble box plate or any of that , it has not been a problem. We bought it new and it has set just about every night it has been here and never set out a winter. I have straightened the guards a few times and changed plenty of sections. It has been a good mower and we still have it. Only do about 20-30 acres of hay anymore.We used to do about a 100 back several years ago for several years this did not include the second or third cutting either. Rubber has not been a problem on the rolls. I think most of the problems some have is because they leave them set out either all summer or all the time.

The running changes on the 1209's that others have mentioned are an important consideration. The earlier ones had a lot more problems with wobble boxes and floating. The wobble box itself wasn't an issue - but rather (as mentioned) the mounting plate which could break loose. More commonly it wouldn't completely break loose, but bend a little, not get caught, and put excessive strain on the box as it was no longer in alignment. Broken knife heads and spitting bearings in the box would soon follow.

One of the other issues on the 1209 was the gearbox seals leaking, not being caught, and ruining boxes by running dry. My experience is that this is caused by the vents they have on the gearbox fill plugs, which are prone to plugging/jamming (especially in dusty environments) and thus don't vent when they get warm and the air expands. The air can't escape through the vent, so it blows out a seal. Problematic on both the wobble box and roll drive gearbox.

The 1219 has some significant improvements, incorporating all the running changes that the later 1209's had and a few others. The 5 bar reel of the 1219 was a big upgrade - really helped deliver the crop to the rolls much more smoothly and allow for faster travel speeds. While some people talk about going at a decent clip with the 1209, the general consensus (and my experience) seems to be that you seldom exceed 4 MPH.

Some people love the 1209's, some people hate them. If maintained and in good condition, I'd consider them a, 'meh', haybine at best. I think the New Hollands of the same era are a little better, and can travel a little faster. But I also recognize a lot of smarter people might argue the opposite. The one good thing I'll say about the 1209 vs the NH is that the rubber is vulcanized to the rolls a lot better.

If I was looking for a used haybine of that era, I'd be far more focused on condition than brand. Especially regarding the rolls. To me, the value of a used haybine would be 70% dependent on the condition of the rolls, 20% dependent on slop/backlash in the wobble box and gearboxes, and 10% on brand.

I will say this: The best older haybine I've used by far is my IH 990. The float on the head isn't overly superb, but they're fast, simple, rugged, and foolproof. They used the tried & true IH balanced head for their knife drive, which is so well built that Rowse is still using them on their new mowers today - half a century after they were designed. The rolls on the 990 are also one steel and once cross-ply rubber, which will last pretty much forever compared to the vulcanized chevron style of the NH and Deeres. And the IH rolls automatically separate when the head is lifted, making them pretty much impossible to plug. The chevrons on the NH and Deere probably crimped a little better when they were new, but once the corners on the chevron bars wear down their crimping capacity is greatly reduced. The IH still crimps as well as it did when new. IH got a bad rap in haying equipment because of their troublesome square balers and the 816 haybine (which was a complete joke). But they sure got it right on the 990. My 1209 hasn't moved since I got the 990. I might end up having to use the 1209 ad Dad's this year, but more likely I'll bring down the IH - it's worth it

This post was edited by DanielW on 05/19/2023 at 12:34 pm.

(quoted from post at 17:20:03 05/19/23) Let me put it this way , my one friend has a 1219 and upgrade from the 1209 and if it is and upgrade i sure don't want a 1209 . EVERY YEAR i end up working on it , replaced the input shaft and slip clucth like five times now , same thing every time the weld on the dis to the shaft fails , the nice thing is it never fails as long as it is parked . They mow like crap i don't care what you do or what knife and guards ya put on or ya spend HOURS setting each guard with a feeler gauge by the book . To do a decent job of knocking down hay you crawl along at 4 MPH MAX . For me that is third low T/A in high . Or 3.5 -4 mph and this makes for a vary long day to knock down 28 acres .

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Sounds like the machine has lived a hard life and pretty much beat. I don't care what color it is; they all have problems. Again, sounds as this machine was beat. If you had to fix the input shaft 5 times, maybe the root cause was never fixed? Yes, my input shafted failed once and I welded the disc back on and had no issues after that. Maybe need a better welder? Maybe the root cause was never fixed as it kept happening. I don't think that this is an example of a poor machine, more of an example of a machine that was not maintained and was abused. Also, sounds as the upgrade 1219 is in the same shape. What's in common with both units? The operator.