# NH 499 pros and cons?



## downtownjr (Apr 8, 2008)

I was talking to a friend tonight on the phone, he does not have the internet, who was asking about pros and cons on a NH 499 haybine. I have never used that model myself so I told him I would ask. He is thinking about trading his Case IH 8340 for it. If you have ever seen the old haybine you would know a trade in is needed. He was really curious about the rola-reel and dual sickles...maintenance nightmare or work well? He likes the idea of a center-pivot. He has around 80 acres of alfalfa and alfalfa-grass mix to cut. Any input is appreciated. TIA.


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## man of steel (Feb 1, 2010)

I personally think it's the best haybine ever made to rake/bale after. I never had any problems with the center area where the two knives came together but some guys complained a lot about that.

I've hated my discbine since I got it for the way it lays out hay in the swath and really want to go back to a wide sickle mower again


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## Hedge tree (Jul 18, 2008)

The 499 has been made for quite a few years....without changes to speak of. I used one I bought used for about 7 years...without any problems. This spring I traded a NH 116 and the older 499 for a brand new 499. Same machine. Gear boxes do the driving and one small chain. The rolo-reel is a hay eating device and the 12' machine has about a 10' conditioner, so a wide, even swath can be delivered. There is no auger to plug and the reel is belt driven and will slip if plugged badly. I am currently cutting brome grass that is 3' tall and it just chugs through it, even some that has lodged.

As far as a less modern sickle machine goes, they are about as good as you can find and are still made, which should say something. New guards and sharp sections are always important with this type of machine. There are some special center sections and serrated bolts, but they come in a kit and you should be able to have the correct ones. If installed correctly with the proper guards in the overlap area, they are essentially trouble free...or at least have been for me.

I would not be afraid of a 499 unless it were junk. Parts are readily available, but not frequently needed in my opinion.


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## Haymike56 (May 3, 2010)

I had a 499 prior to my disc bines and it was a great machine. The center piviot allows you to "steer " it around obsticles and corners. It also allows you to start on one side of the fiels and go back and forth across the field with out going around and around.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I had one for about 5 years, great machine, only ever let me down twice. One time a yoke broke on the drive between the roller and sickle drive, the other time I had a spring break on the tensioner for the reel chain. A tarp strap took care of that until I got to the dealer. Keep sharp sections and good guards in it and add the adjustable hold downs if it doesn't already have them and it will produce a very nice cut.

Only one problem with it that I fought, if you had a wet or late spring (like this one) and if the hay gets tall enough and goes down, you'll play hell trying to get it mowed. With the hydraulic drive it can stall if the hay is tall enough and leaning into the mower. What happens is the rollers grab the crop and trys to literally pull it out of the ground before the sickle can cut it off. When this happens the manual says to reduce roll pressure until it quits doing it, our dealer said to drive faster, neither was a satisfactory solution. Long as your friend can always cut in a timely manner, he shouldn't have a problem.


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## rank (Apr 15, 2009)

they must not have been too bad. We had two of them when I was a kid. Cut alot of hay with them I remember that. I remember having to cut down hay against the grain. They were quite the thing in their day.


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## Rodney R (Jun 11, 2008)

We have a 1499 that we decdied not to trade in, for some reason. That is just a self propelled version of the 499. In stead of running with hydraulics, the motor runs some belts and that runs the head..... I tried to cut some alfalfa the other day with it..... I tried. I made a few passes at .0001 mph, and finally called my dad in the discbine to cut the field. Just like mlappin said - if the hay is tall, and then goes down, it'll almost never cut it - the rolls grab the hay first - before the sickle gets to it.  I think it's much worse in grass hay. I can normally cut alfalfa better than the disc machine, but much slower.

If your buddy cuts with any amount of dew on the hay, he'll need to put a grease zerk at every joint on the rollareel - we had at least 1-2 bearings per year go out on that thing, till we did that, and that dropped it to 1 bearing per 6-7 years - I just push the water out of the bearings with the grease.

The sickle area is OK. Most of the later sickle machine were a 2 piece deal. If he doesn't have any rocks, he'll be fine. I've had the 2 sickles jammed together. The other day I had to use a giant post bar to unjam them. One of the special bolt had come out, and allowed an overlap piece to shift/jam. About 75% of his trouble will be in or near the center. otherwise you just have normal broken sickles.

In their day they were a real good machine, hence the reason that NH kept builing them long after everything else from that era was cancelled. I always liked the way they laid down the hay after it was cut, and they did a good job of cutting. We used to cover about 3-400 acres with ours 2-3 times per year.

Rodney


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