# NH 488 Haybine



## gman1772 (Mar 20, 2010)

I've been looking for a haybine and have been told this is the one to get. I farm in the Texas gulf coast area. Yeah, the area with the epic drought this year. I normally put up around 500 rolls a year of Jiggs bermuda and Bahia grasses. I use a Kuhn GMD 700 for that and have no wish to change that cutting arrangement. God willing we will get some rain this fall and I hope to plant some Jumbo rye for hay, hence the need for a conditioner. I know a discbine is faster but costs a lot more money new and the used stuff around here is junk. Any yays or nays to the 488? I also need to know about the trouble spots on a used one. Thanks in advance for your input.


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## Toyes Hill Angus (Dec 21, 2010)

488s were good machines in their day (started in the early 80s) and although they are still made today with little change, I still don't understand the reason for wanting such a low capicity machine...but more to your question they had a tendency in the earlier machines to peel the rubber off of the rollers, which can cause feeding problems along with the obvious loss in conditioning. The 4 batt reel definatly limits the ground speed/crop density that it will handle due to its tendency to feed the rollers in four big slugs. Slugs on the infeed side of the rollers can cause plugs, but if it does go through it will put the same size slug out in the windrow, which will never dry unless you spread it out with a fork. I spent countless hours walking fields with a pitch fork spreading out these "beaver huts".
I do beleive in the merrits of a haybine, but also suggest you step up to a five bat reel if you can find a good deal on one.


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## gman1772 (Mar 20, 2010)

I appreciate the input. I am well aware of how slow you have to go with a sickle cut moco. There is a major price difference between used haybines and discbines around here. All of the used discbines for sale around here are ready for the scrap heap at best. I pulled the driveshaft in the neck of one out by hand while owner was extolling its virtues (the u-joints were that worn out). The used haybines go for as little as $1000.00 and still have a gloss on the paint. I'm going to do 40 acres of jumbo rye if it starts raining. I was warned about the plugging issues you talked about. The Geezer who warned me about it said it was related to pushing the cutter too fast. We could really use some rain down here. We have blown away the record for the worst drought on record down here with no end in sight.


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## Iowa hay guy (Jul 29, 2010)

i ran a nh 488 for many years and we mowed some real rank stuff
as long as its not really tangled up and wet ir will mow anything and between 4 and 5 mph it makes a real nice windrow 
very simple mowers and can be rebuilt easily when they are wore out i would recomend one if you can get it at a decent price and its not shot


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## ZekeTheDog (Apr 26, 2010)

I run a 488 and love it. I cut grass hay with it and I run 5-6mph with it. On a couple fields, the hills and odd shapes slow me down. I bought it used and it cut well, but the rollers were too far apart... see this thread for the discussion on that.

http://www.haytalk.com/forums/f7/question-nh-488-crimping-roller-settings-3948/

I haven't had the time or inclination in this heat to tackle the job yet, but I will, God willing.

The only thing that's tightens me up is running the road with it around here. Too urbanized now and the BMW drivers are not looking out for SMVs! It's an oddity these days. Had a few close calls and that's even with escorts spinning flashing lights and waving flags out in front of me on these narrow roads!! (I'm about 15 feet wide in tow mode - roads are 20 feet in spots). These dumb folks won't put down their cell phones to comprehend why everyone is waving and flashing them!!


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## downtownjr (Apr 8, 2008)

ZekeTheDog said:


> The only thing that's tightens me up is running the road with it around here. Too urbanized now and the BMW drivers are not looking out for SMVs! It's an oddity these days. Had a few close calls and that's even with escorts spinning flashing lights and waving flags out in front of me on these narrow roads!! (I'm about 15 feet wide in tow mode - roads are 20 feet in spots). These dumb folks won't put down their cell phones to comprehend why everyone is waving and flashing them!!


Been there...the burbs are moving in and people are stupid, I have magnetic LED lights on all my equipment. the new more reflective SMV signs, my flashing cab lights and still they try to run into me. When did people get so stupid about safety. I had one guy stop me at a field when I pulled in and ask why we were allowed to drive on the road? Why can't we just drive across all the fields. He stated farm eq should be outlawed on the roads. I am putting huge speakers on my tractor and playing the song "International Harvester" when I drive down the road.











> Any yays or nays to the 488? I also need to know about the trouble spots on a used one. Thanks in advance for your input.


I have a small hay farm, I do 44 acres of my own and 35 acres of custom work with 2 x NH 479, which is similar to the NH 488. They are tried and true machines if you have a small operation. I run about 4 mph in heavy first cut and about 5 mph later in the season in NC IN. Easy to work on, I have rebuilt both after pulling out of weeds at a couple of farms for $200, and am on year number three and two using them. So they are good to go. Keep the wobble box and joints greased, baldes and guards in good condition and there are no better haybines on the market. If you have a lot of ground, I would look higher capacity.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

downtownjr said:


> When did people get so stupid about safety. I had one guy stop me at a field when I pulled in and ask why we were allowed to drive on the road? Why can't we just drive across all the fields. He stated farm eq should be outlawed on the roads.


My grandfather had a reply to that. Look em straight in the eye and tell em "If you don't like it, quit eating"

Problably won't have near the effect at times that it used to as way too many cidiots really believe "their food comes from the store" so why do we even need farmers.


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## ZekeTheDog (Apr 26, 2010)

(I'm way off topic of the 488 here.. so please forgive me...)
I should add I also had a lot of people give me a thumbs up when pulled over so I can pass even though I was interrupting their trip slightly. So they are not ALL are bad, but an accident only takes 1 idiot, and they sure don't seem to be in short supply!

> "their food comes from the store"
To your point, I was at a great Aunt's funeral yesterday and at the luncheon afterwards I commented to another aunt (my closest one, but far removed from the farm life - we're an enigma to her) that we had to cull all the chicks we raised from the school hatching this year because they were so fat in 9 weeks they couldn't walk but for a few steps and were literally dying from the heat wave (supposed to be leghorns, but we figured out it was a leghorn-cornish mix - total meat bird - after cleaning, ~9lbs in 9 weeks! ). She said "remind me not to eat any chicken at your house again". Then I asked her where she thought the Veal Parmesean came from she just ordered? She just looked at me and said "well, that's different" and laughed, which made us all laugh. The "food truth" was just 'too close' for her to deal with.

Even people that 'know', can't or don't want to think about it.

The friends of my 10 y/o daughter, who volunteers and works hard in all phases of the process, just say 'ooooooouuuuuuughhhhh' when she tells them what we did. They think she's crazy. My other daughter won't come out of the house when the process is underway. Although, this time it was her class that hatched the eggs and she becomes attached to anything quickly. While she didn't eat much of the roasted chicken, she ate the leftovers from that in a quick soup the wife made the next day.


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