# Which chopper for alfalfa?



## Nate926 (Apr 6, 2014)

Hey guys it's been awhile since I've been on here! Been busy cutting and baling hay. Just broke the 10,000 bale mark and still going when I can get the weather lol.

My question is I'm looking at chopping some pure alfalfa next year. Looking to buy a used chopper this fall. Will be using my 6120r to pull the chopper. I have heard chopping can be a rain pain with it plugging the blower and all. Which chopper would you be looking at with a 120 hp tractor and a budget in the $10,000 or less range? Also my tractor does have 540 and 1000 pto. Probably chop 100 acres during a season at first.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

I'm of no help to your question but I'm just curious what your reason for chopping the alfalfa is and how you plan on storing/selling it......that is if you don't plan on feeding it.

After the aggrevation I had a getting some alfalfa up dry I have been kicking around the idea of putting up alfalfa wet.....either chopped or baled.....when the weather isn't fit for dry hay but the alfalfa needs cut. Over mature alfalfa looks very poor in the bale and then the next cutting isn't growing until I get the over mature junk off the field. The only problem I have is I don't have a clue what I would do with alfalfa silage.


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## Nate926 (Apr 6, 2014)

Farmercline I'll be selling it to a local feed lot. Plan on expanding acres of alfalfa when the weather is fit to bale dry I will bale dry. When it's not I will sell it to him.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

It's much easier to put up a lot of hay as silage with a chopper than baling it, definitely much easier to put up silage in a silo, bag or bunker rather than trying to get it to dry, really only need a 36 hour window to get it done, a good drying day can mow in the morning and blow it in the silo that afternoon without having to worry about the silo seeping.


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## Nate926 (Apr 6, 2014)

Yeah that's why I'm planning on selling to the feed lot. That way I can plant more alfalfa and have more good quality hay when the weather is right to bale and when it's not I have a back up.

My only concern is which chopper to get with a 100 pto hp tractor. Eventually I will get a older cheap hp tractor like a Jd 4840 buy until then I will be using the 6120r. Just wonder if it could pull a Jd 3970 or NH 900 behind a 10' discbine with the 6120r?

Thought the Jd 3970 over the 3950 or Nh 900 over the NH 782 or NH 790 would have more capacity and be less apt to plug the spout like I have heard alfalfa can often do.


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

Its not so much about the kind of chopper as it is the particular condition of the alfalfa. What happens is dust from over dry leaves sticks to the sap from less dry stems to form a rough build up in the blower and spout to the point where no amount of power can make it blow. The second year my brother had his Claas 880 we had a bad case of this and I saw a 500hp diesel get snuffed just like nothing. The solution is to either be sure you stay on the wet side of this phenomenon or to pull a nurse tank and run a garden hose stream of water in the throat. Blowing won't be a problem if the moisture level is between 60 and 65% which is where we want it.

Before the Claas we ran a New Holland FP240 which was a good machine. Before the 240 we used a Fox Super 1000 which also did alright.

Will also add that with the pull type machines we almost always raked 2 14' swaths on one. That was for 1066 power and later a CIH 7140. The Claas likes either 3 on one or 5 on one, we hire a merger for that.


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## Nate926 (Apr 6, 2014)

So what would happen if I was in the 45%-55% moisture range? That's the moisture the feed lot wants my silage at


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## Widairy (Jan 1, 2016)

I currently run a John Deere 3950 and my uncle runs with a 3970. If you're going to stay with the 6120r definitely go with the 3950. You don't have enough power to get a consistent chop job with your current horsepower. I perfer the Deere pull types unless you are running way over 200 hp. They pull easier. I run a 7110 Case on my 3950. Nice match horsepower to chopper capacity. My uncle running the 3970 puts his 4755 Deere on it and usually merges 3 14 foot windrows to one. He claims when he takes single rows you can tell the cut length gets long as there is not enough material going through the chopper. I would stay with the 3950 if you do not plan on merging.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

We have a new Holland 900 Chopper and chop hay with a tractor your size the key to success there is having the cutter head hand blower set up perfectly. Having the knives in perfect circumference and sharp Bend with the proper bevel also having the proper age proper adjustment to the sheer bar. Additionally having the blades in the blower in perfect condition and adjusted properly to the band on the blower reduces the horsepower requirements dramatically. No Chopper will work on that tractor the chopper is not setup properly. Guys around here chopping with 100 we went Rapala lure hey now for years but everything had to be spot-on at the cutter head and the blower and then they went like mad. We Bale and wrap all the hay for the dairy herd. I have a 900 Chopper and 3 Badger 1050 wagon is sitting in the shed that have not moved for 5 years. We pay somebody $280 an hour to chop corn with a Class 8 row Chopper. It is cost-effective but you have to keep the chopper moving

R


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## Jharn57600 (Dec 23, 2013)

If you have uniform windrows you will be able to chop with 120 HP. Are you pulling wagons with the chopper or side filling trucks or carts. Pulling wagons takes hp and doesn't leave as much for chopping. As far as plugging from gum build up, add a water tank. It doesn't take a lot of water. I'd say we put 100+ gallons on 40 acres of alfalfa. Spraying it in just behind the cutterhead on our self propelled class. This will keep it from building up. 150 gallon tank and a 12 volt diaphragm pump two nozzles mounted saves a lot of headaches. Set it up to run when the feed rolls are engaged.


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## Nate926 (Apr 6, 2014)

Thanks guys for the info! I have been reading about using water to keep it from gumming up, but won't that raise the moisture of the silage quite a bit? I think I'm gonna keep my eyes open for a 3950 or if I get real lucky a 3955.


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## Bgriffin856 (Nov 13, 2013)

A little sprayed in like others have said will make very little difference in moisture.

We run 3950 with a 7405 (105pto) with no problems. Have to keep the chopper full to make it cut and blow the silage as it should. Deere choppers are very easy to sharpen the knives and set the shearbar and generally easy to maintain but we've put all new lower feedroll bearings in it as there are no grease fittings for them. Thats the only downfall and im not sure about other brands. Our previous chopper was were two NH 770's and I sure hope NH made improvements since then


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

Does the feedlot have a forage harvester or do they hire a custom operator? I'd be hiring them at least one season before jumping in buying your own.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

, Youu seem pretty organized but One question I have beyond the chopper, you indicate when you have whether you'd Bale and if the weather didn't cooperate you chop. We had that same philosophy here and that is exactly why we went to round bales wrapped. With haylage it is difficult to switch due to the storage usually Silo's ag agbags bunkers or Pile. Other than a blue silo it is pretty difficult to add new Hayle age, in a sporadic manner any time that hay doesn't dry. I know here if someone said I got 12 acres of hay to chop uncover the bunker, it would not happen. For that reason that is exactly why we switched to round wrapped bales


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