# Krone big M



## IAhaymakr (Jun 4, 2008)

Anyone here running a Krone Big M? Wondering about operating costs, reliability, and overall satifaction.


----------



## Production Acres (Jul 29, 2008)

We run a 2000 model big m. It is a little rough riding compared to a JD Swather we had previously. Cuts very nice - about 20-26 acres/hr. Road transport was the main reason we bought it. folds up to 9.5 ft wide and will go 26 mph down the highway. We bought a used machine that had been treated rough in its previous life. We have had a LOT of maintence. 10-20K per year of parts only - we do our own work! I would really like to run a newer machine, just haven't been able to justify one yet. The 2000 model was one of the first year models and the newer units are supposed to be much improved. We also like the fact that one man can cut the hay that 2 people can with 15' swathers.


----------



## IAhaymakr (Jun 4, 2008)

Seriously, you spend 10 to 20 thousand per year every year?? That sounds like one helluva lot for parts. I am sure I don't spend more than 5 thousand on my three deere swathers combined. What kind of stuff are you fixing? The productivity of the M has me looking seriously at them, but not if I need to spend that much just to keep it running.


----------



## Production Acres (Jul 29, 2008)

Our JD swather had 1400hrs on it when we traded it. We had had to replace the shaft from driving the conditioner, a couple bearings on the conditioner, drive belt on the head, and a couple of sensors. Probably less than $3,000 in non wear parts(knives, flail fingers, etc.)

Our big M now has 1800 hours on it. The pulley idlers have all gone out. They are made from way too soft of a metal. The bearings are wearing out the hubs. Insane! We have replaced all the drive belts. (That may not be too out of line for the hours on the machine.)
3 gearboxes have went out on the cutterheads. Insane! The computer for the machine had to be replaced. About $2500. The Central gearbox on the machine went out! New gearbox was $15000. The shafts in the old box were driven with a single keyway. The new gearboxes are driven with splined shafts. We found a burnt machine with a new gearbox - his had went down as well at about 1600 hours. Bought the burnt machine for $5,000 and pulled the gearbox and replaced ours. Had to replace about $1500 in seals and rubber, but now have some spare parts.

Supposedly, the new machines are a lot better, but the older machines have maintence issues.


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Something else that needs considered, while 10-20K a year on maintenance is high, how much would be spent running 2 or more swathers's plus the labor to drive em. Or if a person was still using a pull type, how much would the cost be for the extra 2-3 tractors and the operators for em?

Sounds liek if the new machines are more reliable with lower maintenance costs, that'd be the way to go compared to having severa lsmaller machines plus the extra help to run the extra machines.


----------



## Production Acres (Jul 29, 2008)

You are exactly right! The big M is a $250-300K machine and that isn't really that much maintence on that machine; but the parts that are wearing out should not be.

For us the decision came down to a couple things.
1. The JD swather was 15' wide and extremely dangerous on these narrow mountain roads.
2. The Big M was 9.5 ft wide.
3. The JD went 14 mph, the Krone goes 26mph.
4. The JD is 2 wd adn the krone is 4wd - big difference on hills and muddy sections.
5. Generally need to cut hay on Sun afternoon and I can easily cut 100-150 acres by myself without having employees working on the weekend. And even if we have to have an employee cut the hay, getting one employee to work is easier than getting 2.
6. Getting the most hay on the ground the quickest is the goal as hay cut at 10am will bale a day earlier than hay cut at 7pm the same day.
7. We found a used Big M for 70K.


----------



## gording01 (Sep 17, 2009)

mlappin said:


> Something else that needs considered, while 10-20K a year on maintenance is high, how much would be spent running 2 or more swathers's plus the labor to drive em. Or if a person was still using a pull type, how much would the cost be for the extra 2-3 tractors and the operators for em?
> 
> Sounds liek if the new machines are more reliable with lower maintenance costs, that'd be the way to go compared to having severa lsmaller machines plus the extra help to run the extra machines.


Howcome butterfly solutions were not mentioned here? Having 2 cutting units behind the tractor and 1 in front of the tractor nearly gives the capacity of a bigm. The bigm will turn faster at the ends of the field but will max out at approx. 17 km/h or 10,5 miles/h so if the field is smooth enough, the butterfly will pass the bigm.

Plus the butterfly can be unhooked, freeing the tractor for other uses - nice when the grass season has finished.

Plus the investment will be smaller with the butterfly solution

Plus the resale value of a bigm sucks...

- Peter


----------



## Production Acres (Jul 29, 2008)

very few 200hp single rear wheel tractors with 3pt hitch on front here in USA. And many days you have to cut hay and bale it at the same time. Also the 3 mounted cutters are nearly the same price as a big M if you also purchase the tractor.


----------



## IAhaymakr (Jun 4, 2008)

Thanks for the details on your repairs. It sounds like much of what you spent money on will not be yearly repairs, but rather a one time deal that should get you down the road a few years. My next question is, how do you rake behind that machine? I pull two 15-16 foot windrows together with my v-rakes to bale. But with the big M the center windrow would not get handled or tipped over at all. That would be a problem here in the humid midwest. Vermeer makes a little tedder type attachment that mounts under thier rake that would spread the center windrow out to be gathered back up, but I'm not wild about that plan either, just too rough on the alfalfa.


----------



## Production Acres (Jul 29, 2008)

90% of all our hay gets tedded before it is baled. Even our a/o fields will get tedded once gently. After tedding, raking is not an issue. Additionally, we generally don't rake the same direction or in the same pattern as we cut the hay. We use a nh double rake caddy and a vermeer hydraulic v rake. Need a new rake, but haven't been able to afford it yet. You do have to make sure that you rake all the hay if you don't tedd it.


----------



## gording01 (Sep 17, 2009)

Production Acres said:


> very few 200hp single rear wheel tractors with 3pt hitch on front here in USA.


Aren't big MFWD tractors with front hitch and PTO getting more common over there? It took a while here, but now you practically see them at every contractor... Then they use the tractor for mowing grass from May to October, bale at harvest time, haul slurry/manure in the spring and autumn and haul corn forage in October/November.



Production Acres said:


> Also the 3 mounted cutters are nearly the same price as a big M if you also purchase the tractor.


Offcause, but with the butterfly's you can keep the tractor and put more hours on it and only replace the mower. Most tractors will outlast the mower several times.

With the *BIG *investment of a *BIG*m (







) you are stuck with the entire machine - tractor unit and cutting units will be purchased, worn down and sold/scrapped together.

Just my 2 cents









- Peter


----------



## river rat (Jan 16, 2009)

Production Acres said:


> You are exactly right! The big M is a $250-300K machine and that isn't really that much maintence on that machine; but the parts that are wearing out should not be.
> 
> For us the decision came down to a couple things.
> 1. The JD swather was 15' wide and extremely dangerous on these narrow mountain roads.
> ...


Sounds like seven good reasons for owning a Big M. For 70K compared to 250-300 you can stick some serious money in repairs on a yearly basis instead of the big wad at once. The bankers like cash flow. If I remember correctly you cover some serious acres and with less labor cost and faster ground speeds that adds up to alot of savings too. Iv'e seen some of your roads down there and I would not care to drive a self propelled with a 14 or 16 foot head down them either.


----------

