# 1499 haybine questions



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Took the 1499 out for a stroll today and cut about 8 acres of thick, slghtly damp grass hay.
Worked fine for a while, then got clogged. I never knew how nasty those clots could get jammed in there. Happened 3 times.
OK, now for my list of stupid questions:
1. There's a crank on the "passenger side" of the haybine head. It *seems* like the crank is used to tighten/un-tighten the top roller. I loosened it a lot. The rollers no longer jammed with grass. However, am I now not crimping my hay enough?
2. It there a secret squirrel way to reverse the rollers to clear a jamb or some other easy way other than pulling the grass out from between the rollers if it happens again? That's a tough job.
3. I have about 1/4" of steel shims to seperate the rollers. They are very close together-maybe 1/16-1/8th inch apart. Is this why they're clogging with grass hay? Owners manual wants very little space between rollers. Previous owner had 5/8" shims for alfalfa. I removed them.
4. I have to drive pretty slow. Maybe 3-4 clicks up the forward knob in low range. Is this normal?

Thanks


----------



## urednecku (Oct 18, 2010)

No professional by far, but I think the "slightly damp" part is what got ya, especially if its thick. Wet grass LOVES to stick together! As for speed, that's a combination of tractor power vs. total load. Last winter when I cut my hermothia, at times I was down in 1st gear low range. Not wet, but THICK. I'm using a Kubota M7040 (~68hp) with a JD 926 MO-CO with flail conditioner, 9'9" cut.


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

This windrower is about 75HP and has a 12' cut. At times it runs fine. I ended up cutting about 3/4 of a swath when the grass got real thick.
I'm concerned I'm not conditioning it enough. Further reading in the owners manual did verify that the crank I mentioned does tighten/loosen upper roller pressure. Gonna crank it down a little more today. I think I had it loose and wasn't crimping enough, but material didn't clog, either.


----------



## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

It's been a long time since I owned one of those, but I can remember how slow I would have to run in thick timothy or the rolls would rap. I always kept a razor knife to cut it loose. If it's too bad, you might have to crank the rolls open. Mike


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Cut about 10 more acres toady. Maybe my expectations were too high about the way this thing would cut, but honestly, it cuts pretty bad. It leaves a mohawk in the middle 1/3rd of the roller where the grass gets gathered in.
The right and left 1/3's of the cut looks fine. I don't get it. I look down at the cutter bar and it's cutting away, but when I tedded a few hours later and blew the windrows apart, there was a 1-2' wide swath of 18" tall uncut grass left in the middle of each swath!!!
WTF is going on? I drive it about 1 mph. Really couldn't go any slower. It ended up "plowing" mattress sized wads of cut grass in front of it at times. Unclogging it is a biatch!!!
I do think the grass was very heavy, but it would only cut well in very thin areas.
Any ideas?
Dull knives?


----------



## Hank- in or (Feb 12, 2009)

I had one of the 1499's years ago. From what I remember I think you have the wrong overlap sections on the sickle and possible the wrong center guard if you have a skip in the middle of the head.
Read in the book about adjusting your reel back and down and probably speed the reel up as well. Before the rotaries the 1499 was known as being a good grass machine.
Any kind of grass requires a SHARP sickle and GOOD guards.


----------



## Toyes Hill Angus (Dec 21, 2010)

I can't say for sure, but by your description makes me thinks that your guards a getting plugged up and not allowing the crop to pass inbetwwen the points of the ajoining guards. I have had this problem with every sickle machine I have ever run in fine stemmed and/or damp grass. The easies and best fix I have found for this has been stub guards, the knife protrudes 1/4" beyond the point of the guard and will not allow it to build up betwwen the points and push the crop over.


----------



## Nitram (Apr 2, 2011)

Have you checked the sections and guards in the area in question? The edges on the guards must not be rounded and the sickel sections must also be sharp I used the serated type. The one thing that your post states is its the middle third would this be the distance of your rollers ie directly infront of them? you might take note if the grass is being pulled thru or is it bunching up infront of the rollers on the platform. if so this may be from not having the rollers pulling enough material thru. or the auger not sending the material out to the rollers fast enough. Just some ideas to consider. good luck Martin


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

OK, thanks guys. Maybe some more info is needed. I have the "SCH" cutting system on this machine. Previous owner used it to do "hay in a day" and alfalfa if I remember correctly. Gaurds are pointed and long. Much longer than cutter teeth. Cutter teeth are serrated and seem pretty sharp.
The gathering reels pull the hay to the middle of the the rollers where the "bunching" problem occurs.


----------



## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

It almost sounds like the sections are not running against the bottom of the guards. If some of the guards in the center are bent and you don't have good contact with them, you will have that mohawk effect


----------



## aawhite (Jan 16, 2012)

On grass, we always ran ours with the rolls opened wider than when we cut alfalfa. You don't really need as much crimping, anyway. We always waited for the dew to dry off as well.

Could the hay be wadding up trying to go through the rolls, and knocking down uncut crop?


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Most everything I was going to mention has been already. Make sure your sections and guards are good, if you don't have the adjustable hold downs get em. Check you reel adjustment as well. May need moved down and back to help sweep the guards off better. Try speeding it up some as well, if it starts to carry an excessive amount of grass over the reel, slow it back down a bit.

I had a NH499 and after getting a discbine I'd never go back to it, but it did do a good job of mowing grass if the sickle was in good working order and the reel was adjusted right. Only difference I can tell is your is self propelled, from looking at the parts books the actual guts of the cutting heads are practically identical.


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

NDVA HAYMAN said:


> It almost sounds like the sections are not running against the bottom of the guards. If some of the guards in the center are bent and you don't have good contact with them, you will have that mohawk effect


I think that's exactly was we determined today, too. Another thing is this German made "SCH cutting system" that's installed on it leaves a lot to be desired. The gap between the cutting blade and the gaurds is too big. It's pulling grass out by the roots sometimes!! I set shoes up real high to help it cut easier, but nothing works. I think this system is either 1. set up for alfalfa or 2. totally shot. What's really weird is the blades are set up right side up/upside down one after the other on the blade support.
I decided to order and install all original HN cutting knives, guards, bolts...everything back on and restore it back to original. I talked to a guy today who also bought a haybine with SCH system on it and it caused him all kinds of trouble. He went back to NH system and he said it cuts great.
Waaay more than I want to spend, but the thing has to cut right or what's the sense in owning it. Looks like $900 by the time I'm done. UGH. Not a good day.


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

aawhite said:


> On grass, we always ran ours with the rolls opened wider than when we cut alfalfa. You don't really need as much crimping, anyway. We always waited for the dew to dry off as well.
> 
> *Could the hay be wadding up trying to go through the rolls, and knocking down uncut crop?*


That's exactly what's happening.


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

The reason they are upside, downside, upside on the SCH is when you start to get wear on the guards is you then flip your sections on the sickle 180 degrees so you get a new edge to wear on. We have the SCH on both bean heads and absolutely love em compared to stock, I've always wondered how they'd do in hay.


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

OK, that makes sense. I was like "who put these blades on this way"??

Is it plausible that there's more gap between cutter and gaurd for a crop like alfalfa than a crop like hay? i notice that the NH knife/gaurd has much tighter tolerance.


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Could be your SCH guards are wore. Like I said we absolutely love em for cutting beans that were no tilled into standing corn stalks, but like anything else they can and do wear out.


----------



## Rodney R (Jun 11, 2008)

The 1499 is horrible in wet grass. In dry grass it will mow twice as fast, same with dry alfalfa. Pressure setting (the crank) we alsways left the same, same with the roll gap - We'd be cutting both in the same day anyway, and did not have the time to add/remove shims. The center of the cutterbar will ALWAYS be trouble, and will require about twice as much attention/new parts as the rest of the cutterbar. The knives and guards, and bolts in that area always take a beating, and once they have been knicked once too often it will clog up like you say. I would suggest buying a box of each kind of blade for the center, and some spare guards of each kind. They can and will break. Also buy some extra bolts and the special center bolts. You will know when the knife is getting dull, as it won't keep the guards clean anymore - there will always be a small amount of grass in them - the knives will look fine from the top, but look at them from the bottom - once the serrations are gone, and it's just a plain ole knife blade, then it's time to re-blade the thing. Normally about 3-5 sets of blade per guard replacement. When you do a re-blade, pick out the nicest blades (the ones just replaced) and throw them in the toolbox for spares. The actual cutting takes place between the guard and the serrated section of the knife, so you have to keep the tolerance close, but not too tight.

To unplug the thing.... Have all small children hold their ears shut! Loosen the adjustment crank you refer to, noting the number of full turns you gave it loose - about 9 or 10 should do it. That will take pressure off the rolls, sometimes that isn't necessary. Grab the wad and pull. Before you clog up is the most important time!!!!! When you see a big chunk that the reel keeps poking at, but just can't get to the rolls - Pull the lever to disengage the header, and DO NOT LIFT IT UP, until it stops, then lift it, and it will pull right out. The reel on ours can be tunred backwards, and if your's can't - then you should make that adjustment to make your life easier. Also, carry a big adjustable wrech in the cab, and use it on the lower shaft on the rolls, on the 'driver side' - lift the wrech up. I also carry an old set of leather gloves to pull the knives if I have to.

Did you check the oil in the final drive on each side?

3rd or 4th notch is about normal if the conditions are not that great, less if they are horrible, but in dry material, you can easily drive twice as fast. In grass hay you should also leave the cutter bar tilted up, do not tilt the thing down, as you get into all of that 'brown' stuff, and it will cause you lot of trouble.
We've had a 1499 since '91 and it used to get used a lot, which is why I know about when they don't work, but since we got a disc machine the 1499 gets used a little each year, and only on dry material. It's also for sale if you want 2 of them!

Rodney


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Rodney R said:


> The 1499 is horrible in wet grass. In dry grass it will mow twice as fast, same with dry alfalfa. Pressure setting (the crank) we alsways left the same, same with the roll gap - We'd be cutting both in the same day anyway, and did not have the time to add/remove shims. The center of the cutterbar will ALWAYS be trouble, and will require about twice as much attention/new parts as the rest of the cutterbar. The knives and guards, and bolts in that area always take a beating, and once they have been knicked once too often it will clog up like you say. I would suggest buying a box of each kind of blade for the center, and some spare guards of each kind. They can and will break. Also buy some extra bolts and the special center bolts. You will know when the knife is getting dull, as it won't keep the guards clean anymore - there will always be a small amount of grass in them - the knives will look fine from the top, but look at them from the bottom - once the serrations are gone, and it's just a plain ole knife blade, then it's time to re-blade the thing. Normally about 3-5 sets of blade per guard replacement. When you do a re-blade, pick out the nicest blades (the ones just replaced) and throw them in the toolbox for spares. The actual cutting takes place between the guard and the serrated section of the knife, so you have to keep the tolerance close, but not too tight.
> 
> To unplug the thing.... Have all small children hold their ears shut! Loosen the adjustment crank you refer to, noting the number of full turns you gave it loose - about 9 or 10 should do it. That will take pressure off the rolls, sometimes that isn't necessary. Grab the wad and pull. Before you clog up is the most important time!!!!! When you see a big chunk that the reel keeps poking at, but just can't get to the rolls - Pull the lever to disengage the header, and DO NOT LIFT IT UP, until it stops, then lift it, and it will pull right out. The reel on ours can be tunred backwards, and if your's can't - then you should make that adjustment to make your life easier. Also, carry a big adjustable wrech in the cab, and use it on the lower shaft on the rolls, on the 'driver side' - lift the wrech up. I also carry an old set of leather gloves to pull the knives if I have to.
> 
> ...


Great advice! Thanks, Rodney. I have become an expert clog puller as I clogged the machine about 10 times. Less and less as I got the hang of it. I noticed the large square head on the bottom roller and thought it'd be nice if they included a large wrench to turn it backwards.
I probably spent too much $$, but I bought all new knives, gaurds, bolts, etc. Maybe I panicked, but I figured I need this thing to cut as best it can all season. Knives we took off were pretty well shot. I just knew when I was using it that it didn't "feel right". I knew it had to be capable of cutting better than it was cutting, even though the grass was wet/tall/thick.
Did not heck oil level in final drives. If you don't mind, could you tell me where it's checked from?
I noticed that at times, the forward/reverse lever is really hard to pull into reverse, too.
It poured last night and soaked all 10 acres of hay I cut. Welcome to summer of 2012 hay season!!


----------



## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

We had one of these and it plugged up in grass hay quite a bit as well. I would take a big wrench and use it on the "shaft" going into the rollers and make it go backwards. I think this was on the right side if I remember right. We would buy brand new sickle bars every year. This included the sections also. I don't know what this SCH thing is you are talking about is so I can't help you there. You also will need to get used to the sound of the machine and the feel of it. You will get to kind of sense somethings off right before it will plug up. That's when you stop before it plugs up. However until we could our Hesston Disc swather nothing else would cut our grass hay as good as the 1499. Regular sickle machines with augers didn't have a prayer. I also remember that even if the sun went behind clouds the 1499 wouldn't cut as well. If the grass was laying down you sometimes had to cut one way and not the other as well. Thanks to God for the invention of disc swathers.


----------



## Rodney R (Jun 11, 2008)

I even forgot about that Teslan! If the grass is blown in one direction, you have to cut it the wrong way (by the way a guy would think) - cause if the uncut grass gets to the rolls before it's cut, then the belts smoke, the knife stops, and you get to unplug the knife.

You can buy a new sickle from NH, already assembled - The flat bar where the knife blades bolt to does wear, and does need to replaced from time to time. There is a place on the machine to carry an extra knife, and that's a good idea, cause if one gets wreaked too badly, you can pull it, slide the other one in, and keep cutting. When you work with our weather sometimes you have to cut NOW or not at all.

You check the oil in each final on the 'inside' of the machine. You will notice that there is a small pipe plug at the bottom of each final - that is to drain it. A few inches away there is another identical pipe plug on the diagonal part of the final - that is where the oil gets checked - it should run out of the hole. It gets filled at the top. When you climb the ladder there is a hole in the platform, and a pipe elbow and a fitting that unscrews. An identical one is on the other side, and that's where you fill them. They are not real particular on being exactly full, if they leak they can be a little over full - all that's in there is some big sprockets and a roller chain. Not real fun when one of those breaks going down the road...... Or if a tire blows out going down the road, or when the back end comes off the ground and the sickles hit the dirt.......

The fwd/reverse handle does pull harder in reverse, especially as you get to faster speeds in reverse.

The 1499 does have it's quirks, but they were a really nice machine in the day, and depeding what a guy wants to cut, they do a really good job. That's why we kept ours.

Rodney


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Teslan said:


> We had one of these and it plugged up in grass hay quite a bit as well. I would take a big wrench and use it on the "shaft" going into the rollers and make it go backwards. I think this was on the right side if I remember right. We would buy brand new sickle bars every year. This included the sections also. I don't know what this SCH thing is you are talking about is so I can't help you there. You also will need to get used to the sound of the machine and the feel of it. You will get to kind of sense somethings off right before it will plug up. That's when you stop before it plugs up. However until we could our Hesston Disc swather nothing else would cut our grass hay as good as the 1499. Regular sickle machines with augers didn't have a prayer. I also remember that even if the sun went behind clouds the 1499 wouldn't cut as well. If the grass was laying down you sometimes had to cut one way and not the other as well. Thanks to God for the invention of disc swathers.


Yeah there a bit of regret that I couldn't afford a disc swather. The "SCH cutting system" is a different blade and gaurd sold as a replacement for the NH system.


----------

