# Massey Ferguson Disc Mower - Thoughts????



## VA Haymaker

Doing a little internet window shopping/reading today on the DM series MF 3 pt mounted disc mowers. Sound interesting, shear protection, oil confined to each cutter head, oil in the cutter head can be oil or grease (grease would be nice in the event of a cracked housing that might leak?).

I see very little on the MF disc mowers. What is the good, bad and ugly regarding them. Are the Krones, Kuhns, New Holland and JD mounted disc mowers just better?

Here is a link to a comparison: http://www.rudolphbrosinc.com/productguides/mf1300productguide.pdf

Are these something MF makes or a rebadged Enrossi?

Just curious.

Thanks,
Bill


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## MDill

I was told by the dealer up this way that Massey bought out Fella and that the heavy duty models we're just rebadged Fellas, he was pretty sure but not positive that the lighter duty ones were too. If you look up the sales brochures for Fella mowers they look exactly alike, with the same shear protection, but are no longer sold in the states due to Massey selling them with their paint and decals. Some of their other equipment is also rebadged Fella. 
Good looking mowers though, they were on my list when I priced 3pt mowers.


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## FarmerCline

From what I have been told the MF 3 point disc mowers, tedders, and rotary rakes are all rebadged Fella.


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## Vol

Fella makes excellent mowers....I have a small one I use on the hillsides, around trees and obstacles, and to trim ditches....it's a little brute....7' cut. I have owned it close to 15 years.

Regards, Mike


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## Fireman355

My MF 1328 works great. have had no problems with it, I have a hard time understanding why you don't see more out there.


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## Maxzillian

The DM series are all Fella units; there is a farmer series and a professional series. The linked document is the older series of mowers that originated with New Idea and saw incremental improvements throughout the years until they were replaced by the Fella built units. If the model begins with DM its a Fella unit.


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## 20156point7

I don't know much about Massey mowers but I think krone is about the best. I have a friend that has a old am242 that is 20+ years old and is still running strong.


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## VA Haymaker

A little update. Been doing a lot of reading regarding the Massey Ferguson 3 pt mounted disc mowers. Went to a couple of dealers for a look see too.

Looks like there are two MF 3 pt mounted disc mower designs and are of two origins - best I can tell.

The DM 1305, 6, 8 and 9 models use a spur gear setup cutter bar. The bar is filled with oil. There is a roll pin shear feature on each cutter head, kind of sort of like the Krone, if you hit something, but unlike the Krone Easycut mowers, don't think the cutter head spins up out of the path of the other discs to each side. This series is a lighter weight, lower hp model and indeed looks like a Fella design (which I believe Agco now owns). These mowers are referred to as the "Farmer" series.

The DM 1358, 61, and 62 appear to be the New Idea design disc mowers and may well be still made in Hesston Kansas vs a Fella factory/location. They use a hex shaft in the cutter bar with spur gears to drive the cutter head. Each cutter head has it's own reservoir of oil and can be filled with grease. They also have a shear mechanism that is a thin disc. This disc looks like it is easily field replaced. Sometimes roll pins IMHO can be a pain to remove and reinstall, this shear disc looks like you remove 4 bolts, the cutter head comes off and you remove the disc - like one would a copper gasket. I read a ton of posts on the YT site about New Idea models - which appear to be essentially the same design as the DM1358, 61 and 62. With the exception of one person, who I don't think ever owned one, the reviews/recommendations are very positive. Price wise, they are somewhat lower than a similar bar length New Holland or Kuhn. You can also add a flail or roller conditioner to these mowers. MF refers to these mowers as the "Professional" series. Overall, I'm impressed. But than again, I'm the guy running a 50 year old sickle mower... 

Both mowers have a breakaway feature, so if you snag the cutter bar on a fence post or other non movable object, it will give.

One thing I don't know about the MF, Kuhn and NH 3 pt mounted mowers is if they can be parked and unhooked with the cutter bar in the up position. The Krone Easycut 280 can if it has an optional stand - which I believe is 4 folding legs.

That's what I think I know.

Thanks for everyone's replies.

Bill


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## Maxzillian

The professional series is built and designed by Fella as well. It is a hex and spur design similar to a hesston/ new idea, but the similarity stops there. One big difference is that the Fella has the hex shaft behind the cutter bar and uses two bevel sets per disc while the new idea is underneath with a single bevel set.

The new idea could use grease, but Fella is oil only. The modules share a common oil bath in the cutter bar, but due to their design each holds a little oil, keeping lubrication in them on hill sides.

That said, at the speeds a spur bar operates at, there is sufficient oil mist to keep them lubricated on slopes as well.


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## VA Haymaker

Maxzillian said:


> The professional series is built and designed by Fella as well. It is a hex and spur design similar to a hesston/ new idea, but the similarity stops there. One big difference is that the Fella has the hex shaft behind the cutter bar and uses two bevel sets per disc while the new idea is underneath with a single bevel set.
> The new idea could use grease, but Fella is oil only. The modules share a common oil bath in the cutter bar, but due to their design each holds a little oil, keeping lubrication in them on hill sides.
> That said, at the speeds a spur bar operates at, there is sufficient oil mist to keep them lubricated on slopes as well.


You are absolutely correct. I looked at the Agco parts book and they are indeed different.

Thanks for setting me straight!

Wonder which is the better design, Fella or New Idea?

Bill


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## Maxzillian

Honestly I think I'd lean a little towards the Fella mower. Both are about the same age, design wise. The Fella mowers, at least the professional series, are a decade or two or three (I want to say late 1960s) in origin, but like the New Idea it's seen tweaks through the years.

Construction wise, they're a little different. The Fella bar is a box of steel tubing with these cast modules bolted to the front while the New Idea bar is all cast iron; the modules forming the bar. I think the Fella design may be a little more resiliant to hits since it is steel; might be lighter too.

They had a bit of a glass jaw when they first got sold as Masseys; chipping teeth on the bevel gears until they were offered with the shear hubs as standard equipment. Apparently in North America we run equipment a little harder.

That said, the frame/lift mechanism on the Fella mower doesn't lend itself well to ditch work. They're designed to run mostly level and operating at high angles will wear on the lift linkages as well as damage some shielding around one of the joints. The New Idea is a better ditch mower, although neither are intended for that kind of work.

Other than that I haven't heard too much bad about them. The Fella bar, since the hex shaft is at the back, is a lower profile design; if you look at the skid shoes you'll notice nice deep valleys between the module which they advertise as a place to let dirt slip past the bar so it doesn't plow.

The farmer series are considered the lighter option, but spur gear cutterbars have been pretty damn reliable in terms of overloading the discs. The only drawback to them, I feel, is that they don't have the shear hub option nor are they available with conditioners. Other than that the cutterbar may not take hits quite as well.


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## Grateful11

70 some year old neighbor bought a new Fella disc mower this year. Her baler was in the shop, been there for 2 weeks and they haven't even touched it, so she asked if we would bale her hay for her and my wife said sure. I tell you what that some really clean cut Bermuda grass, didn't look like had missed anything, looks like it had been cut with a finish mower.


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## FarmerCline

I'm a tad bit confused.......are all of the MF disc mowers currently being sold a Fella or are some of them New Idea as well? I was under the impression that they were all Fellas but this thread suggests otherwise. On the MF disc mower conditioners I was told that they had a Hesston designed cutter bar except for the 1359 which was completely a New Idea design machine......is this correct?


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## VA Haymaker

FarmerCline said:


> I'm a tad bit confused.......are all of the MF disc mowers currently being sold a Fella or are some of them New Idea as well? I was under the impression that they were all Fellas but this thread suggests otherwise. On the MF disc mower conditioners I was told that they had a Hesston designed cutter bar except for the 1359 which was completely a New Idea design machine......is this correct?


I caused the confusion. The latest are Fella mowers. Someone correct me, again - please, if I'm wrong.

Interesting note - the older New Idea design uses individual cutter pods with short drive shafts between them - vs one long shaft. Looking at the New Holland H series disc mowers, like the H6740, I see lots of basic design elements to the older New Idea.


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## Maxzillian

I'm going to stick with Massey models since this could get long trying to cover all the cross-references. Today you should be able to get:

DM1305, DM1306, DM1308, DM1309 - 3pt Farm Series, Fella

DM1358, DM1361, DM1362 - 3pt Professional Series, Fella

DM1340/DM1398 - Triple Mower, Fella

1359 - 9ft side-pull, New Idea

1363 - 10ft side-pull, Hesston

1366 - 10ft center-swing, Hesston

1383 - 13ft center-swing, Hesston

1386 - 16ft center-swing, Hesston

You might still be able to find some old stock of:

1326, 1327, 1328, 1329, 1330 - 3pt disc mower, New Idea

1372 - 12ft center-swing, Hesston

1375 - 15ft center-swing, Hesston

Edit: Forgot the triple mower.


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## VA Haymaker

FWIW - here is a link to a 50 something page pdf showing the Fella mowers and their add on conditioning system. I believe these are the MF rear mounted mowers.

http://www.fella-werke.de/media/pdf/SM_Kompaktwinkelantrieb_englisch_2012-2013.pdf

I gather the conditioner can be added/removed vs being integral to the mower from the factory. Perhaps available for purchase later, if you had a need for it?

Bill


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## WEED WHACKER

I have been running a DM 1361 on a carriage all summer. The Machine IS made in Germany. Only three issues so far: Early on I noticed it was pretty noisy. Sounds like cutting a big piece of sheet metal with a dull skill saw. Nothing getting hot or loose. Full of oil. The owners manual says wear hearing protection if you arn't in a cab tractor. So I guess it is supposed to be noisy.

Pulling it with an M135GX Kubota and running the engine rpms up to spin the pto above 500 rpm to keep the blade speed up (and I'll admit a little too much ground speed) hit a clump of heavy stuff and popped the drive belts. Too much pto horse power. I found out they are an odd size metric size 'Fella' brand and don't cross reference to any standard size US belt. Massey Ferguson part only, $191.00 for a set of four. after a three day wait.

A couple of weeks ago mowing in dry conditions, set a half dozen hay field fires before I finally quit and waited for rain. I figured out that when the skid shoes drag over a stone just right in the field it peels off a red hot shaving. I was able to see where that happened once. Or if you happen to striking a stone with a cutter blade that creates a shower of sparks The first one I saw in time and was able to stomp it out with my boots. The second one a half hour later was too big and I called the fire dept. Quit for the day then tried it again thinking the dew would help. It didn't. But I did learn the best way

to put out a hay field fire thats not too big is try runing the disk mower over the flames. A couple of passes and it snuffed them out for me. Much easier on the boots and no watching the field burn while waiting for the fire department. And don't tell me you can put out a grass fire with a soda fire extinguisher.

15 years ago I had a Bushog brand three pt. disc mower and I don't remember any of the above issues. That being I like this mower and if it holds up well I will replace it with another one.


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