# ReCon 300 hay conditioner



## river rat (Jan 16, 2009)

I noticed swmnhay has a ReCon 300 hay conditioner. How satisfied are you or anyone else that owns one. The advertisment sounds too good to be true. I like many had a devil of a time drying hay this year, no joy in that!


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

It helps but it is another trip over the field.I am short on labor this yr so havn't run it much.I bought a used one a new one is over 20K.


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## RCF (Sep 14, 2009)

we have one while it is another trip over the field we use it in both silage and hay. For silage we mow and windrow it and then run the recon through it either that day or the next morning it helps it dry down to the correct moisture level that the guys want and it makes cleaner feed since we dont have to rake. On hay we only use it on Tifton 85 and it helps us save the color and it helps it dry down quicker although we do still have to ted it out afterwards.


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## river rat (Jan 16, 2009)

swmnhay said:


> It helps but it is another trip over the field.I am short on labor this yr so havn't run it much.I bought a used one a new one is over 20K.


I usually run a windrow inverter over most of my ground but am not really happy with the results at best it saves a day. If the ReCon does make 5-6 day hay into 2-3 day hay at least in my area it would make alot of 60-80 dollar a ton cow hay into 120-150 dollar a ton small square horse hay. That 20 grand would pencil out then. If their claims are part true and part snake oil then maybe not. Like everyone I'm looking for the magic bullet. Is this it?


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

river rat,going to try to do some side by sides this week hopefully


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Seems like going with the super conditioning rolls would have the same effect and save a trip across the field or am I missing something here?


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## farmboy9510 (Feb 16, 2009)

i wonder how one of these would compare to a hay macerator from agland?
any thoughts


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

farmboy9510 said:


> i wonder how one of these would compare to a hay macerator from agland?
> any thoughts


The ReCon is basicaly a crimper with intermeshing rolls,more aggresive crimp than on the mower conditioners.It lowers to the ground and the hay goes directly into the rollers.

The Macerator has rolls with groves similar to a roller mill that turn at slightly different speeds that scuff the stem.It has a pickup that lifts the hay up into the rolls.

I had been looking at both of them at Dakota Fest for a few yrs.I liked the ReCon better thinking it has a lot more capacity.And I found a used one for under 1/2 of new so I bought it.


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## IAhaymakr (Jun 4, 2008)

The Recon and the macerator would have one advantage over the super rolls...handling hay which has already started to cure, and leaving it in a fluffier windrow than you can get behind a winrower with just cut hay. But it requires that extra trip, Always a trade-off right?


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

IAhaymakr said:


> The Recon and the macerator would have one advantage over the super rolls...handling hay which has already started to cure, and leaving it in a fluffier windrow than you can get behind a winrower with just cut hay. But it requires that extra trip, Always a trade-off right?


Well I can see several advantages to the super rolls:

1. If fluffing is needed a tedder could always be used. This would fluff it and spread it which should dry it even faster than just fluffing it and leaving it in a row.

2. Tedders can be had up to 50' wide these days while a macerator or Recon does one row.

3. A tedder uses a lot less horsepower. I run a six basket tedder with a Oliver Super 88 diesel. I think I seen the Re-con said a 75-90 horse tractor is required. I'm tedding 2 rows at a time with a 60 hp tractor while the recon takes a bigger tractor to handle one row at a time.


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## jstrohfus (Nov 16, 2009)

I just started looking at this. The thing that I liked about the ReCon is that it can essentially ted also if you use those fins or the spinner. I am also thinking it could just replace the rake altogether. That said, it's an extra trip on the field and I hate the single windrow capacity.


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## Bison (Aug 5, 2016)

High guys,i am a new member here.

I wish i had found this tread sooner, it would've saved me a lot of grief.

I just bought a near new (only 2-3 hours of use) Recon 300 10 days ago for 20 grand.

IMO the only way it would shine would be on the bottom of a deep lake.

It does a good way of crimping but but leaves the swath in lumps.

Fluffing after a rain makes the lumps only bigger and puts the wet stuff in heavy lumps right back on the ground under the dry hay.

every pass one makes beats the crop more to snot and causes more losses.

Trying to invert a swath is a joke, The rollers don't pick up all of the swath..at best it puts most of the swath 4-5 feet over and leaves 90 % of the wet on the bottom and leaves the rest were it was..

The Seller( private party) won't take it back.

The salesman at the factory leaves me on dry land as well


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Bison said:


> High guys,i am a new member here.
> 
> I wish i had found this tread sooner, it would've saved me a lot of grief.
> 
> ...


Sorry you had bad luck with your purchase.

But you have made one post on Haytalk and it is just to slam a product.Instead maybe you should ask for some advice?

Perhaps you should put a spreader attachment on it to spread out the clumps.

If its not picking it up perhaps you are going in the wrong direction of how the hay is laying?

If its beating it to snot maybe you need to open open the rolls some.


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## E220 (Feb 10, 2016)

I'm sorry to hear about your problems with the Recon. We sold Recons several years ago. Our customers found that it does have its place for making dry hay. The 5 in our area follow Pottinger triple mowers or JD mowers with tines. For example, the man with 2 will run his triple mower. Then an hour later his wife and son start running the recons. He as no swathboards or tedder units attached. As soon as he is done mowing for the day, he starts tedding with a eight star (Vermeer ) tedder. The next day he might ted again, then rake and bale everything.

I guess what i'm saying is that the recon has its place in our area, but the selling price is hard to justify.


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## Bison (Aug 5, 2016)

The thing just does not work as advertised.

When i make hay i cut with a 14' haybine that throws the swath 5 1/2 wide and round bale it as soon as it is dry(most years i get away with that) i don't ted or rake( i own neither one) as i try not to work that hay over as it usually leaves a mess that is harder to get dry after a rain. I used to use a 10' wide combine pick up i put on 2 wheels to fluff the swaths up after rain fall but the thing piled up the other and it's not worth fixing and i could not find another one in good condition to replace it

I mainly bought that Recon to fluff the hay after a rain or flip the swath when it wont dry. I don't see a need for recrimping the crop.

The factory rep told me it does an excellent job in both applications even fluffing the same field 5-6 times .,He let me believe it was an all around hay making machine..Well he lied!.

As it happens to rain in my neck of the woods almost every other day this year it is hard to get any hay put up and i had to do multiple passes to fluff the swaths and every time it leaves a bigger mess.

I baled tonight 25 acres of the stuff and i can't even make a decent bale as the " inverted" swath is uneven with 2/3 of the hay to one side of the swath and the rest smeared out over 6' wide.

II been ranching and making hay for damn near 40 years so don't try to tell me i don't know how to or how to operate a particular piece of machinery or figure out how to make it work, Heck i could even build one if i have to.

I am so disappointed by this thing that i have invested an insane amount of money for and happens to be as useless as tits on a boar.


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## dirtball08 (Jun 26, 2011)

I've owned a recon 300 since 07. Bought it cause that yr, we didn't go 1 week without getting a good a rain or a shower.
So decided to try it out. Would cut with a NH 1431, day 2 would recrimp and fluff up swath, and depending on the weather, would rake 2 swaths together late day 3 or early day 4 and bale late day 4.
This yr added the spin spreader, and should have done it a long rime ago. I now cut with a MF 9770 with 16 ft dual crimp discbine so I don't crimp with recon anymore, just leave the roll gap set as wide as possible. With the swath spread back out 16 ft wide I'm baling late day 3.
Keep in mind, I'm dealing with 4-6 ton an ac alfalfa under pivot irrigation.
The only time I had any trouble with the recon not picking up swaths, was on light swaths in dryland corners.
Other than that, the recon works as advertised.
My 2 cents.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

Sorry but it sounds like you are using a 20,000$ machine to do the same job as a 500$ single row tedder?


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

If its leaving things in a lumpy mess I have to ask if your leaving a lumpy mess behind your haybine? I used to get so mad at my brother when he ran haybine. He would not listen to me how to run it and he left me with lumps to deal with to dry. I also squared baled for a neighbor last year who got her brother inlaw to cut the field. What a mess. Itold her I would not have charged her anymore to bale if I cut the field myself. Never ran a recon but I would look at the cutting job first.

Also just cause you have made hay for a long time does not mean you cant learn a new trick or two. I have been making hay for 20 years. In order to get to the next level of making quality hay I had to relearn hay making. If willing can learn a lot from this site and a few others too. Anyone who has been on haytalk for awhile will admit they have learned something.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

hog987 said:


> Also just cause you have made hay for a long time does not mean you cant learn a new trick or two. I have been making hay for 20 years. In order to get to the next level of making quality hay I had to relearn hay making. If willing can learn a lot from this site and a few others too. Anyone who has been on haytalk for awhile will admit they have learned something.


Very well said.I've been at it over 40 yrs and still try to learn new things and listen to people.


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## Bison (Aug 5, 2016)

dirtball08 said:


> I've owned a recon 300 since 07. Bought it cause that yr, we didn't go 1 week without getting a good a rain or a shower.
> So decided to try it out. Would cut with a NH 1431, day 2 would recrimp and fluff up swath, and depending on the weather, would rake 2 swaths together late day 3 or early day 4 and bale late day 4.
> This yr added the spin spreader, and should have done it a long rime ago. I now cut with a MF 9770 with 16 ft dual crimp discbine so I don't crimp with recon anymore, just leave the roll gap set as wide as possible. With the swath spread back out 16 ft wide I'm baling late day 3.
> Keep in mind, I'm dealing with 4-6 ton an ac alfalfa under pivot irrigation.
> ...


In my neck of the woods i can normally just cut it with the haybine ,leave it in a 5 1/2' swath and in good drying weather bale it up in 4-5 days. (average 2.5 t/acre)

If i wanted it spread as wide as the haybine i would've bought a tedder instead

my 2 cents.


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## Bison (Aug 5, 2016)

slowzuki said:


> Sorry but it sounds like you are using a 20,000$ machine to do the same job as a 500$ single row tedder?


My thoughts exactly. Might be the tedder does a better job.


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## Bison (Aug 5, 2016)

hog987 said:


> *If its leaving things in a lumpy mess I have to ask if your leaving a lumpy mess behind your haybine?* I used to get so mad at my brother when he ran haybine. He would not listen to me how to run it and he left me with lumps to deal with to dry. I also squared baled for a neighbor last year who got her brother inlaw to cut the field. What a mess. Itold her I would not have charged her anymore to bale if I cut the field myself. Never ran a recon but I would look at the cutting job first.
> 
> Also just cause you have made hay for a long time does not mean you cant learn a new trick or two. I have been making hay for 20 years. In order to get to the next level of making quality hay I had to relearn hay making. If willing can learn a lot from this site and a few others too. *Anyone who has been on haytalk for awhile will admit they have learned something.*


Thanks for the tip, but after using the same haybine for over twenty years you ought to think i would've noticed by now don't you think?

The only thing i learned so far is that nobody believes me, that some think i am a troll and that the wonderful Recon 300 is the best thing invented since sliced bread


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

No I believe you. There are lots of disappointed macerator owners too. I've seen the recon videos and was never impressed myself.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

[quote name="Bison" post="479786" timestamp="1470596780"]

Thanks for the tip, but after using the same haybine for over twenty years you ought to think i would've noticed by now don't you think?
/quote]

Funny story about people not noticing stuff. When I was looking to buy a discbine I saw what looked like a brand new case machine on the john deere lot. I looked at the machine and saw it was slightly used. Went inside to learn more about it. The story was the guy bought it from case and used it on eighty acres. The machine cut great but didnt dry any better than his old worn out junk. So he went to john deere and traded it in. Now when I looked at it and saw it was slightly used I also noticed the rolls had a 1.5 inch gap between them. No wonder it didnt dry the hay any faster. The funny thing was the machine went through the case dealer and no one there noticed or thought to adjust. Also the farmer didnt notice or think to adjust.

Maybe you got a lemon of a machine, I dont know. Was just giving you an idea of what to look out for.


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## Shetland Sheepdog (Mar 31, 2011)

How are you doing up there Bison? Haven't seen you on the other forum for a while! Welcome aboard, this is a good bunch of guys!

Dave

Just wondering how the tatonkas would do on baleage? 'course that would mean getting a wrapper! Maybe trade the Recon for one?


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## dirtball08 (Jun 26, 2011)

Bison said:


> In my neck of the woods i can normally just cut it with the haybine ,leave it in a 5 1/2' swath and in good drying weather bale it up in 4-5 days. (average 2.5 t/acre)
> If i wanted it spread as wide as the haybine i would've bought a tedder instead
> my 2 cents.


Well I guess you'll end up getting rid of it and get something that works for you. 
What works for some, will not work for others!
My 2 cents.


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## Bison (Aug 5, 2016)

Shetland Sheepdog said:


> How are you doing up there Bison? Haven't seen you on the other forum for a while! Welcome aboard, this is a good bunch of guys!
> 
> Dave
> 
> Just wondering how the tatonkas would do on baleage? 'course that would mean getting a wrapper! Maybe trade the Recon for one?


I'm doing fine sheepdog but we have a heck of a wet summer here.

I still visit the other site but post not as frequent as i used to.

Nah,i ain't interested in trading one piece of junk for another and i don't want to have to fight with getting plastic of the bales in our winters, i fight enough with the twine already.


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## Bison (Aug 5, 2016)

hog987 said:


> [quote name="Bison" post="479786" timestamp="1470596780"]
> 
> Thanks for the tip, but after using the same haybine for over twenty years you ought to think i would've noticed by now don't you think?
> /quote]
> ...


I don't know about you bud but i read the operator manual cover to cover before operating a new to me piece of equipment..( getting to know the machine so to speak ),.i also have a service manual for every piece of equipment i own as i do all maintenance and repairs myself. So you have got to come with a better argument than telling me " you may have to look at your crimper roller adjustment"


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## Bison (Aug 5, 2016)

slowzuki said:


> No I believe you. There are lots of disappointed macerator owners too. I've seen the recon videos and was never impressed myself.


Thanks man,..you give me hope.


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## Bison (Aug 5, 2016)

dirtball08 said:


> Well I guess you'll end up getting rid of it and get something that works for you.
> What works for some, will not work for others!
> My 2 cents.


I would love to sell it but my consciousness won't let me to lie to a potential buyer as to how it works.

I If the factory won't take it back i probably modify it and put a pickup under it and fix me something better than these completely useless deflectors. we'll see.


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

I guess I don't understand why you would rather let hay lay 5-6 days in a 5 1/2' swath, or drop an 8' swath behind the haybine, and rake the morning you would like to bale, possibly/probably day 3-4? Don't get me wrong, I don't know everything about hay in all parts of the country, but I do know a fair bit about evaporation....


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Bison said:


> I would love to sell it but my consciousness won't let me to lie to a potential buyer as to how it works.


Maybe put it in a Auction? Then you will not have to answer questions about why are you selling a new machine.

Regards, Mike


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

Bison said:


> I don't know about you bud but i read the operator manual cover to cover before operating a new to me piece of equipment..( getting to know the machine so to speak ),.i also have a service manual for every piece of equipment i own as i do all maintenance and repairs myself. So you have got to come with a better argument than telling me " you may have to look at your crimper roller adjustment"


Missed the point of my story. Iam not saying your rolls are out of adjustment. The point was that sometimes something simple on a machine can get missed even when it has been through the hands of several people who know what they are doing. I have also seen where a machine has 1000 pto gear boxes and someone put a 540 shaft on it. Than it takes a team of experts a long time to figure out why its not working right.

Another question for you. How tall is your stubble? Another question. What kind of hay are you running through?. Could these not have some bearing on how the machine performs?


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

hog987 said:


> [quote name="Bison" post="479786" timestamp="1470596780"]
> 
> Thanks for the tip, but after using the same haybine for over twenty years you ought to think i would've noticed by now don't you think?
> /quote]
> ...


Never trust setup mechanics... they're usually the guys that are too dim to do anything else...

"If in doubt, READ THE MANUAL!" It's an old axiom, but true nevertheless! I can't count the number of problems I've seen with equipment that could have been fixed by just reading and following the manual. Lots of guys just seem absolutely averse to reading the flippin' manual, but basically everything you need to know about how to run the machine (at least to get started and get it to work as intended) is in there. Common sense and know-how should get you the rest of the way!

I used to run a Ford 5610S with a nine foot Kuhn mower on it for a guy nearby. He told me that I couldn't cut over 5 mph because the mower would bog down and the belts would slip. He'd been cutting that way for YEARS with it, was rather disappointed with it actually, because he thought it should cut faster. "Yeah, it should!" I said. After checking it out, come to find out the belt tightener spring was only tightened down about halfway-- the European equipment usually use either a pipe tube or a flat-iron "spring length strap" to indicate when spring-loaded stuff is tightened down to the proper level-- just tighten it til the washer under the nut is even with the end of the tube or flat-iron indicator sticking up beside the spring. I spent about two minutes cranking down the spring, ran it a little bit, and checked it again, and voila-- instant fix! Mowed anything as fast as you wanted to go after that!

Same tractor was visibly pigeon-toed on the front tires-- so much so that the thing was VERY twitchy on the road and nearly threw me in the ditch on a rough road as one tire grabbed while pointing in a different direction than the other one. The owner told me "I had the dealer set the wheels in all the way so it'd fit on my trailer, and that's how they delivered it-- I always figured it was set up right". "No, the tires should be parallel, not like /-\ that", I said. Grabbed a crescent wrench and turned the tie rods in "by eye" in the field and went to work. He'd run it that way for SO long that the front tires were worn practically SLICK. When I got back to the house that evening, I grabbed a tape measure from the truck-- I adjusted them to within a half-inch of where they needed to be just by eye, so I finished the job right on the spot.

Just because a dealer dumps something new in the yard, don't ASSUME that whatever idiot they had "checking it out" knew what the heck they were doing, or in fact, that they did ANYTHING AT ALL. ALWAYS check things out YOURSELF, using the MANUAL as a starting point.

Later! OL J R


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## Bison (Aug 5, 2016)

Vol said:


> Maybe put it in a Auction? Then you will not have to answer questions about why are you selling a new machine.
> 
> Regards, Mike


And loose my shirt on it ! ,...no thanks


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## Bison (Aug 5, 2016)

hog987 said:


> Missed the point of my story. Iam not saying your rolls are out of adjustment. The point was that sometimes something simple on a machine can get missed even when it has been through the hands of several people who know what they are doing. I have also seen where a machine has 1000 pto gear boxes and someone put a 540 shaft on it. Than it takes a team of experts a long time to figure out why its not working right.
> 
> Another question for you. How tall is your stubble? Another question. What kind of hay are you running through?. Could these not have some bearing on how the machine performs?


I am a lifelong heavy duty mechanic/machinist/welder,I ran for many years from my ranch a one stop repair shop. I pride myself in that i can fix just about anything .I usually buy fixer uppers and go completely trough it before using it, be it a truck,tractor,wheel loader,cat or whatever piece of equipment. By the time i am done i know the machine inside out.

This year because of all the rain i leave the stubble 4" high. The crop is an older stand alfalfa/grass mix.

The alfalfa is in full bloom, yield is an estimated 3-4 1500 lb rounds/acre baled with a JD 567.

I use an NH 114 bine.

This is the swath it leaves


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## E220 (Feb 10, 2016)

Bison said:


> The only thing i learned so far is that nobody believes me, that some think i am a troll and that the wonderful Recon 300 is the best thing invented since sliced bread


From a dealer's point of view, I believe you. The first one we had out was in narrow swathed hay. The Recon did a tremendous job of crushing the snot out of the crop. However, the crop had no body structure to allow airflow through the windrow. His windrows were a bit lumpy which didn't help.You could actually smell the spoilage in the field the next day.

I think the Recon could do some good for you but a (hook tine ) tedder probably would have done better. If you plan to keep using the Recon, lay your windrow as wide as you can pick up with the Recon, and don't expect it to fluff the windrow. All it will do is another crimp/conditioning.

With the American dollar as strong as it is, if you do want to sell it in Minnesota or north dakota, you might get enough out of it to cut your loss?



luke strawwalker said:


> Never trust setup mechanics... they're usually the guys that are too dim to do anything else...
> 
> ........
> 
> ...


Ouch! Some of us take pride in our work!  But I too have seen some stuff in the field that I wonder who ok'ed it for delivery.


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

E220 said:


> Ouch! Some of us take pride in our work!  But I too have seen some stuff in the field that I wonder who ok'ed it for delivery.


Well, maybe I overstated the case a little, but still, I've seen some DOOZIES in my time.

Dad and Grandpa had an old #18 Deere cotton planter that you had to watch like a hawk to make sure it didn't throw a drive chain when you lowered the 3 point to start the next pass. The plates were driven by the guage wheel in front of the planter sweep/sword opener by chains running from a sprocket on the end of the guage wheel shaft, past a spring-loaded idler, and then back to the planter plate sprocket, and back up over a fixed idler and back down to the wheel sprocket. The PROBLEM was, when you'd lower the planter into the ground, sometimes the three-point lower arms would hit the chain and knock it off, if the guage wheel climbed up over a clod or something or the tractor tire dropped in a depression. SO, every pass, as soon as the planter was lowered into the ground and you made sure you were driving straight, you turned around in the seat and visually checked every chain to make sure they were on. By the time you did, you were twenty yards down the field, and every so often, you'd find a thrown chain, have to stop, back up, put the chain back, and plant it over again. They just put up with it and operated it that way for years, probably decades.

When I started farming the place after my Grandpa died when I was 13, after a year or two it was driving me nuts, so I started doing some checking and thinking about it. I figured out that the setup mechanic put the center two row units on swapped side for side, so that the chains were facing IN toward the lift arms-- I took the two center units off and swapped them side for side so the chains faced OUT AWAY from the lift arms, and voila, problem solved.

Later! OL J R


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

Along those lines I was fixing a chain on my round baler the other day and found the chain had been routed on the wrong side of the tension idler. The used the limit bolt to tighten the chain but the spring couldn't move so the chain had gone slack. Who knows how many years it was like that.



luke strawwalker said:


> units off and swapped them side for side so the chains faced OUT AWAY from the lift arms, and voila, problem solved.
> 
> Later! OL J R


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## Bison (Aug 5, 2016)

luke strawwalker said:


> Well, maybe I overstated the case a little, but still, I've seen some DOOZIES in my time.
> 
> Dad and Grandpa had an old #18 Deere cotton planter that you had to watch like a hawk to make sure it didn't throw a drive chain when you lowered the 3 point to start the next pass. The plates were driven by the guage wheel in front of the planter sweep/sword opener by chains running from a sprocket on the end of the guage wheel shaft, past a spring-loaded idler, and then back to the planter plate sprocket, and back up over a fixed idler and back down to the wheel sprocket. The PROBLEM was, when you'd lower the planter into the ground, sometimes the three-point lower arms would hit the chain and knock it off, if the guage wheel climbed up over a clod or something or the tractor tire dropped in a depression. SO, every pass, as soon as the planter was lowered into the ground and you made sure you were driving straight, you turned around in the seat and visually checked every chain to make sure they were on. By the time you did, you were twenty yards down the field, and every so often, you'd find a thrown chain, have to stop, back up, put the chain back, and plant it over again. They just put up with it and operated it that way for years, probably decades.
> 
> ...


When i bought my(used) haybine 20 odd years ago from my local dealer i did not know a thing about. It was supposed to be field ready as it was completely "gone trough" by the dealer. Well, maybe they meant "ready to put in the field" cause i couldn't cut anything with it, all it did was jump and shake and chuck hay back over the reel I quickly found out why when i read the manual.

First of the crimper roller were out of time with each other.

Secondly the rubber flaps on the center of the auger laid flat against the auger when they are supposed to be at a 90 degree angle to the auger tube.

Thirdly , the two7' knives were running in parallel instead of opposed to each other.

Fourth, i could only bar the machine over with a large pipe wrench which i thought was not right. So much for dealers making machinery field ready.

I could've returned the thing but it was the only one i could find at that time and i needed to cut my hay.So i went to work on it myself. After a full day of adjusting bearing and shafts and straitening out all the other things that were obviously out of wack i could spin that bine around with 2 fingers.

I have been cutting hay with this bine ever since. I never even had to replace a bearing yet and i am still using the same 2 knives it came with although i have replaced sections and guards Chains and belts as needed, I cut on average 300 acre/year.


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## Bison (Aug 5, 2016)

E220 said:


> From a dealer's point of view, I believe you. The first one we had out was in narrow swathed hay. The Recon did a tremendous job of crushing the snot out of the crop. However, the crop had no body structure to allow airflow through the windrow. His windrows were a bit lumpy which didn't help.You could actually smell the spoilage in the field the next day.
> 
> I think the Recon could do some good for you but a (hook tine ) tedder probably would have done better. If you plan to keep using the Recon, lay your windrow as wide as you can pick up with the Recon, and don't expect it to fluff the windrow. All it will do is another crimp/conditioning.
> 
> ...


Oh boy.

I wish the factory sales rep was as honest as you, but i guess there would've been no sale.

My haybine does not allow me to lay the swath any wider than 5 1/2 feet, i have removed the deflectors completely already years ago. That means i have to buy another bine ( i have no intention of doing so) and spend another 15 + grand just to be able to use the Recon, the other option is to buy a tedder that might cost 15 grand as well and an extra pass trough the field, then a pass with the Recon and later on a pass with the tedder or a rake in order to bale. That does not make any sense to me.

Selling this effen thing in the States is not really an option either as i am 700 ml north of the Montana border


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## Bison (Aug 5, 2016)

Well, I found out that AgShield really stands behind its product. When i talked to the factory sales rep about the poor performance of the 300 he handed me over to their "hay specialist" who blamed it all on me and that i did not know how to use this machine. I replied, why not come over and teach me then. His answer was no. Then i asked, well in that case, if you think it is so good a machine then why don't you buy it back, its hardly used, do me an offer

.

HE JUST HUNG UP ON ME..


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

Do you have a way of posting pictures Bison? I'd like to figure this problem out, or at least be able to see what exactly is happening. I've never run an ReCon, but have run many different crimpers in the past. I'm not trying to be a smart aleck, I'd really like to try and help if we all can.


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## Bison (Aug 5, 2016)

I don't know what kind of pictures i could post that would identify the problem. The hay(if one still can call it that) that i worked trough this thing is all baled up just to get it out of the field.

AFAIAC this machine is designed to crimp a crop and nothing else.I bought this machine on the claims it could fluff a crop multiple times and do no damage and invert a swath completely if so wanted.Running the same crop especially alfalfa more than once trough this machine even in the fluffing setting is only beating it to snot and it leaves only the stalks( the leaves are all but gone) and it also fails completely in inverting a swath.I have no use for the reconditioning mode,..The haybine does a good enough job on that.

It also finds every stone (stones i thought i didn't have as i in twenty + years of cutting these hay fields i never had one knife section or guard on my haybine bend or break on a stone,..deer antlers yes but a never on rock) in the field and that damages the spiral bars on the rollers to the point that you have to grind the burrs off cause the rollers will contact each other and that makes a racket one can hear from a mile away.

If you happen to have only 10 stones per acre then there are 1600 stones in a 1/4 section that this thing will and does find.( the operators manual says,...the crimper will let a 3 1/2" stone trough without doing any damage to the rollers and that is one hell of a lie.

In short,..this thing is IMO poorly designed and an utter failure to do what i was assured by Ag Shield it would do


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

I'm at a loss, wish we could've helped you out. If all you were looking to do was invert the windrow, I guess you should have gotten a windrow inverter.

We used to have a Ford pull type crimper that would beat the alfalfa to crap if crimped once the stems got too dry.

Maybe trade your 114 and the ReCon at a dealer for a newer discbine. You'd get he advantages of a wider windrow and gain some speed at mowing. Just a thought.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Sometimes we just have to take our lumps and move on....with some lumps being larger than others. I guess the moral in this story is do your research and seek more than one opinion.

Good Luck, Mike


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## glasswrongsize (Sep 15, 2015)

I will admit that one of those WAS on my pie-in-the-sky wish list. According to their propaganda, they are the bee's knees and I'm sure they are for certain crops.

73, Mark


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## Bison (Aug 5, 2016)

stack em up said:


> I'm at a loss, wish we could've helped you out. If all you were looking to do was invert the windrow, I guess you should have gotten a windrow inverter.
> 
> We used to have a Ford pull type crimper that would beat the alfalfa to crap if crimped once the stems got too dry.
> 
> Maybe trade your 114 and the ReCon at a dealer for a newer discbine. You'd get he advantages of a wider windrow and gain some speed at mowing. Just a thought.


I have used a few different "windrow inverters" before,..i found they work fine with a light narrow swath but plugged up and made a mess in wider and thicker swaths.

I have used side delivery and wheel rakes and V rakes but was never satisfied with the results.

If i had another haybine with a wider crimper i would still throw the swaths as wide as the baler cause ninety percent of the time i can just cut it let it dry and bale without disturbing the swath.

This year is just a bitch with all the rain we are getting.

Maybe i am hard to please but i hate to be lied to like this outfit did.


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

I understand. I couldn't dream of cutting and just baling. I lay my windrows 8' wide, then rake to merge windrows for the baler. It's just interesting different parts of the world and different weather patterns.


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## dirtball08 (Jun 26, 2011)

What dealership did you get it from and what do they say is wrong?


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## dirtball08 (Jun 26, 2011)

Sorry I just reread the post, "private seller"


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## Bison (Aug 5, 2016)

dirtball08 said:


> Sorry I just reread the post, "private seller"


The guy (from Saskatchewan) i bought it from had bought it brand new this spring, used it a few hours and put it up for sale. I know now why. Stupid me believed his sob story and fell in the trap.

I found out later that he tried to trade it in but the dealer was not interested and neither was AG Shield.


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## Bison (Aug 5, 2016)

stack em up said:


> I understand. I couldn't dream of cutting and just baling. I lay my windrows 8' wide, then rake to merge windrows for the baler. It's just interesting different parts of the world and different weather patterns.


Up here we have 18 hours daylight in hay season. In excellent weather i have cut one day and baled the next. plenty times i had to stop baling at noon and resume baling during the night after the dew set in cause the hay was getting to dry at 6% moisture and i was losing as much as i was picking up.


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## dirtball08 (Jun 26, 2011)

What pto is your machine? Start machine up and tell what the rpm of the lower roller is, do it at a idle, if you have a tach gun.


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## Bison (Aug 5, 2016)

The machine is set up with a1000 rpm PTO shaft and i run it with the 1000 RPM tractor PTO


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## dirtball08 (Jun 26, 2011)

Just wondering the speed of the rollers. Possible that you could have a 540 gearbox on a 1000 pto machine.


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## Bison (Aug 5, 2016)

Nope, 100 rpm gearbox as well.


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## dirtball08 (Jun 26, 2011)

Shitty!!!!!


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

Vol said:


> Sometimes we just have to take our lumps and move on....with some lumps being larger than others. I guess the moral in this story is do your research and seek more than one opinion.
> 
> Good Luck, Mike


Yeah, and arrange a demonstration before pulling out the checkbook... or go ride with someone who's got one and have a nice long talk with them about it afterwards over their beverage of choice...

Later! OL J R


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