# NH 1411 or NI 5212 - Which to buy



## Flying F Farms (May 11, 2010)

I am looking at a good used NH 1411 ready to go and a NI 5212 Ready to go both are 1997's and in good shape, rubber rolls and priced very close. Whats the better buy?

Thanks For any input.


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## Josh in WNY (Sep 7, 2010)

If I remember correctly, the NI 5212 is a 12ft cut side pull mower. It was basically an wider version of their 5209 9ft cut mower. They were good mowers from what I know of them, but did have problems with the cross-member frame on the side where the hitch attaches. The amount of torque on that joint causes the frame to crack. It can be fixed by welding it up and putting some bracing in. I have a CaseIH 3309 which is the same thing as a NI 5209 and it has already had this repaired.

I have only had one other problem with my mower and that is when you are finishing off mowing a field and the end of the cutterbar has to run over hay that has already been mowed, it can get a wad of hay caught on the end of the cutterbar. This is because the frame connects to the outside of the end disk sections of the cutterbar. On newer style disc mowers, the frame actually connects from behind the cutterbar, so this problem is eliminated.

If I had to choose between the two units, I think I would go with the 1411. It's probably going to be easier to get parts for and it doesn't have the plugging problem I mentioned above. I don't think the loss of 2ft of cut will be that big of a difference. I did test drive a 1412 (same as the 1411 but with the impeller conditioner) and I liked it. The 1411 has the "bent hitch" design that lets the mower follow the travel of the tractor a little better, but it does make left turns tricky when the mower is in the "road" position (the tongue will swing into the tractor tire if you turn too sharp). I didn't get the 1411 since the gear box that the dealer had "repaired" didn't make it through 3 acres before it was chattering, so there may be some things about the 1411 that I didn't get to experience.

Hope this helps,

Josh in WNY


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## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

I have noticed on a lot of the used NH 1411, the cutterbar has a swag or dip in the center of it when in the upright position. Anyone know what causes this or if it's a problem?

Sorry Flying F- Not trying to steal your thread.. Mike


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Never ran a New Ideal, have always owned New Holland. One thing that needs to be considered as well, how far is each dealer away from you? Which has the most parts stocked? Most importantly which one has the reputation of going out of their way to get you up and running?


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

"I have noticed on a lot of the used NH 1411, the cutterbar has a swag or dip in the center of it when in the upright position. Anyone know what causes this or if it's a problem?"

Yes it is a big problem. I had a 1431 that did this twice. The bolts are loose between the segments in the cutterbar. The first time, the machine was under warranty and New Holland fixed it. Second time, I traded it off. If run long enough loose, the knives will literally eat the bottom roller and the segments will wear enough that they will not stay tight. If you see one with the cutterbar swagging or the knife marks in the bottom roller, stay away, the cutterbar is junk!


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## PaCustomBaler (Nov 29, 2010)

NDVA HAYMAN said:


> I have noticed on a lot of the used NH 1411, the cutterbar has a swag or dip in the center of it when in the upright position. Anyone know what causes this or if it's a problem?
> 
> Sorry Flying F- Not trying to steal your thread.. Mike


Hey Mike, I think I have the answer for you. I was at a New Holland factory tour and a guy asked that question and the engineer told us. When guys take apart the cutterbar, all the bolts that hold that together have to be torqued to factory spec (wish I had the number for that but I don't), otherwise if they're not the cutterbar will end up "smiling" later on.

Flying F - I owned a NI 5209 (narrower version of the 5212) and a 1412. The 5209 was my first discbine and it did a great job for me in the beginning, but after awhile I just wasn't getting the conditioning I was in the past. Tried messing with the roller pressure but never got anywhere. Ended up trading that in for a NH 1412 and really liked that machine (plus I am a NH guy so that helped







). I did however have the gearbox go out due to the fact that hay got wrapped up in the pto shaft under the hood, and the hay worked itself up the shaft, tore out the bottom seal of the gearbox, all of the oil leaked out while I was mowing and the gearbox ran try. New Holland picked up the tab for that though, seemed I was the only guy that happened to. I actually was the 3rd guy that summer that happened to. So it was nice NH picked up the tab.

I agree with Josh, parts are easier to get in a hurry and the bent tongue design is great when you want to keep the mower running when it's directly behind you (because of the CV joints).

Good luck shopping...


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