# NH 340 SP Discbine info



## wbstofer (Mar 13, 2010)

Hello everyone. New to the forum. Am looking at a NH 340 SP Discbine, 1000 hrs, and was wondering if anybody could give me some feedback on the unit. 1999 model, 2355 head.  This would be my first self propelled as well as my first discbine. Am really stretching it for the budget so I don't want many suprises if/when I get it home. Are the new models really that much better for another 10-15k? Where are the weak points? What breaks? Where could it be welded? Previous experiences? Thanks in advance!

-Bill


----------



## Rodney R (Jun 11, 2008)

The new machines run a 2355 head as well, but the big difference is the 'shock pro' unit. Unless it has been updated, I know it won't have that - basically, it strips the splines out of the top, vs the inside when you hit something. It's supposed to be a cheaper/faster repair for you.... I don't know, we've never broken any. I'd keep an eye on the skid shoes under each module, and if one is much hotter than the rest, you know the oil seal has gone between them. I wouldn't be terribly concerned about welds on the machine, I think the biggest thing to go wrong is hydraulics. Basically that engine just runs hydraulic pumps. Some have said that the early models had trouble going up hills, but I think there was an update on that. I've never been around one long enough to know what goes wrong. I do think that the new ones have gone backwards in the header flotation - I like actual springs on the header (like the HW340), the new ones try to do everything with hydraulics and it just doesn't seem to work as well as springs would - the conditions here change fast enough that it is impossible to just set it once.

Rodney


----------



## cmsc (Feb 14, 2010)

we have a NH H8090 with the air ride axle on the back and the suspension on the cab. I ran a 340 for a while when ours was in the shop getting some work on the head done and i would never buy a 340 deal to the fact of no air ride axle. the 340 was very very ROUGH riding compared to ours with the air ride axle it just floats across the fields with no bounce at all. We havea HD720 head with the shock pro hubs which are very very nice since if you hit a rock or something it just shears the splines off instead of breaking a shaft. Takes about 15 minutes to change out a shock pro hub vs hours on putting new shafts in. I would spend the extra money and get a new one and get the waranty with it. just my opinoin not buying someone elses junk


----------



## Rodney R (Jun 11, 2008)

Anybody that has ever ran a balewagon will agree that the air ride axle on the haybines is not worth it. The air ride cab is nice. If you buy something used, you have to be aware that these machines are used hard, and you have to look at everything.

Rodney


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I thought a self propelled would be nice as well. Thing that does turn me off is the fact I have three tractors that could run my discbine. If something goes wrong with the one I normally mow with, I can unhook it from the discbine, drag it outa the way and get back to mowing with another tractor. Can't do that with a SP mower.


----------



## Cannon (Aug 18, 2009)

What we have found in our area on all makes of disk heads is the 1,000 hour mark. At a 1,000 hours of head operating time the bearings have enough wear in them to start to give you trouble. I saw a JD head with 1,200 hours on its head and it lost a gear because the bearings let it get out of alignment and caused the breakage. I have found that NH and Hesstons run about the same hours. Just something to watch for.


----------



## wbstofer (Mar 13, 2010)

Thanks to all for the info. Did some investigating on the unit and it seems too rough for me. Had heard that remark about the 1000 hour mark before, think that it might be a common problem.

Think I am really set on a self propelled as I am tired of looking back at the mower because I have a lot of non square small fields.

Next question: Local dealer has a sickle machine for sale with 200 hours. What is the speed difference between a disk and a sickle? I have never run a disk machine and I have read all of the discussion in the disk vs sickle thread, and it seems like a Ford vs Chevy, Democrat vs Republican type discussion that will never be settled. Just curious about the speed difference. Seems like my JD 1600 sickle likes to mow between 4-5 mph. I know disks are faster, but how much? Can I cut faster with a self propelled sickle vs a tow behind?

-Bill


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

How fast can you mow with a Discbine? How tight can you hang on to the steering wheel?

Seriously though on a good thick crop, top speed is only limited by tractor hp and by the smoothness of your field. I had a NH499 sickle mower and around 6 mph was tops in good conditions, I didn't wanna try road gear with my White 2-110 so I was in 5th over which gives me about 10-1/2 mph with my discbine. Mowed just fine at that speed.

The big difference on mowing speed between a disc or a sickle comes in to play when you have far less than ideal conditions to cut in.


----------



## Rodney R (Jun 11, 2008)

You can mow twice as fast as you normally do right now, and many folks will run faster - I have heard of 12-13mph. 8-10mph is normal. The big advantage that a disc will have (like the other post said) is when conditions are not ideal - down, tangled, wet crop. We have a 1499 and if a guy can go over 4mph that's doing good. We also have a H8060 NH and that thing will run rings around the 1499. You can really see the difference after a few hours - the disc will have covered a bunch of acres, and the 1499 will be unplugging sickles, fixing sections, or in the first field yet........ Many of our fields are only 3-5 acres (due to terrain), and the field count adds up quick with a disc.

An SP sickle might be faster than a pull type, but many of the SP machines (disc as well) run the same head as their pull type cousins, so the only real difference is in being able to turn around faster, and in avoiding obstacles that might slow a guy down. The big disadvantage to the disc machines is the cost, cause anything decent will be costly, and cheap = junk. I have seen some really good deals on SP sickle machines, but that's only going to be a small step forward for you. How many acres do you run? Even a PT disc machine will cut the hours turned around by half.

Rodney


----------



## Hayking (Jan 17, 2010)

We had a HW 365 and it was 3 years old and had 1300 hours and 13500 acres. We always ran pull type discbines before then and sickles a long time ago. the Disc machines will run circles and more circles around sickles. they will cut hay when there is a big due on. Our 365 the tractor part was still a good machine but the head was gettin pretty wore we went in and put all new shafts, skids, turtles, and lifters. we traded it for a new H 8080 this year. i do recomend buying one with axle suspension and cab suspension if you plan on running it everyday. i believe it is really hard to beat new holland swathers. the biggest thing to look for on the heads is to see how much slack there is in from one end of the head to the other.


----------

