Mower Conditioners or Discbines?
- Thread starter Manitoba_Rancher
- Start date
Help Support Ranchers.net:
Here in the south where fire ant hills, rock, limbs, mud, clay and you name it might prevail in a hay field, the disc mower is the only way to go. Sicklebars are basically a thing of the past, but in other regions sicklebars are an excellent choice. It basically depends on the individual's situation. Disc mower blades are a whole lot easier to replace then knives. Here in the south we usually spend more time putting on new knives or bars than cutting hay with a sicklebar mower.
Manitoba_Rancher
Well-known member
Well I ve tried both the discbine and the sicklebar mower conditioner and I think the sicklebar is the way to go for me. We ran the discbine for two days and it damn near self destructed. One planetary in the cutter blades went. everything was going good with it til we got into the stoney fields... Went through a whole box of flails and didnt get 30 acres of hay cut. Told the dealer to come and pick it up this afternoon and bring me sickle bar mower conditioner. Used it tonight and it works great even in the tangled and down hay. I think Ill keep this one, can cover a lot of acres with it as its 18FT. 
The one good thing about sicklebar mowers is the variety of gaurds and knives available for different situations. Such as rock guards, which is stronger and will go under and scoop up rocks to keep them away from knifes. Hope and pray that fire ants never move up to the northern areas because they are pure hell on sicklebar mowers. The dirt will dull the disc knives but at least we don't have to stop and replace a whole bar or replace knives on the bar. The disc mower lets us at least cut until we get through cutting.
I am like most of you, a sickle bar mower is really hard to beat if you can use it.
I am like most of you, a sickle bar mower is really hard to beat if you can use it.
johndeereman1284
Member
The discbine is the way to go. Cuts clean, fast, and man are they hungry! We have been using a New Idea disc bine for several years now, cant remember the model #, but it works well in most conditions. The only real complaint about ours is the maintenance. In order to grease the gearboxes under each disc, the disc has to be removed and then replaced. As long as you take your time, theres no big worry, but it is imperative that the discs be placed back in the correct gear for timing. The inner-most disc is the real pain the A$$! its only about 1 tooth ahead of the disc before it. In any case, I would def. go with a disc bine. We also have a brand new JD 275, which is actually a Kuhn made mower. This is the 3 point hitch type, and floats well in most pastures. Cuts like a laser and is extremely easy to handle. I usually run it behind a 90hp JD 6420, another new machine lol, and the two make mowing alot of fun and very easy.
Good luck with your purchase!
Good luck with your purchase!
Most everything I bale is rough and has alot of SEX AGGETS (F----N Rocks) I have a ROWSE double 9 mower with new holland heads on rough ground I can mow 6 to 7 acres an hour smooth ground about 10 acres an hour.Ihave had this mower 7 seasons now and have only broke one gaurd but its not worth a damn in heavy tangled hay or wet lowland as the hay catches under the second mower and starts to drag before long it will be one heck of a plug.
