# What brand Mower Conditioner/Windrower do you use?



## downtownjr (Apr 8, 2008)

I figure we should cover another great piece of equipment. A know of a few other great brands, but am again limited to 10 choices. The question his week is...What brand of Mower Conditioners/Windrowers do you use?


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## 4020man (Jun 21, 2008)

We pull a Hesston. Its a nice mower conditioner. I like how there's no wobble box. Instead the sicklebar is driven off the main gearbox


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## JD4755 (Apr 17, 2008)

2 JD 4895's, 16' 896 heads


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## Feed Hay (May 30, 2008)

Case IH 8309. I got a great deal on it used and this is my first year using it.


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## greenacres (Jun 5, 2008)

Hesston 1340 with Circle C rolls


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## Lazy J (Jul 18, 2008)

We pull a NH 499 Haybine. We really like cutting 12' rather than 9'

Jim


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## OhioHay (Jun 4, 2008)

John Deere 4995 with 994 disc head


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## Hayboy1 (Jul 19, 2008)

Well my intentions were to buy a nice discbine this year that was rugged and dependable!! I looked at a Kuhn Alterna 400 (13' center pivot that folds down to 8' for road transport, think sideways travel). It was junk.... Anyways thought we got a great deal on a mower from a WONDERFUL salesman in NE PA. (Sense the sincerity???) We got screwed royally. I can't use the mower without dumping another 2k into it on top of the 2k I already put into it. It is a NH 1431 which I know is a good machine, I just happened to get the crappy one!! So now I am back to searching for a new one, but in the meantime, run two NH 489's......grrrr


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

I run a Vermeer 1030 discpro.13'4" cut, paddle conditioner.This is 4th one I've owned.Well built.I like the Quick change blades.


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## McKinney (Aug 2, 2008)

I run a NH 1475 18ft 11 years old only had to change 1 wobble box.Cut about 600 acres a year


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

New Holland 1431 center pivot disc mower with chevron rolls


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## Diamondgfarm (Feb 12, 2009)

I've had John Deere's for about 5 yrs , currently running 530


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## Wrenchbender (Dec 4, 2008)

Gehl 2412 center pivot. Looking at MacDon for the next one. WB<><.


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## stevemsinger (Jul 8, 2009)

I run a NH 617 9' disc mower. It is coming up on one year and the boy called me today to tell me that something is broke. Will know more when I get home. Until now I would say it has been good. Let's see what is actually broke before I make a decision. Hopefully it is something minor.


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

4th season on a NH 1431. Would never hook on to another side pull or sickle machine. Plan to trade for a 15' NH next spring (don't know the new numbers right off hand)


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## nwfarmer (Jun 16, 2009)

I just bought a NH 2550 with a 16 ft head. Replacing a NH 1112 with a 14 ft head. I like the 2550 but I think the 1112 cut hay better under varying conditions. If parts of the field are a little damp the 2550 tends to lay some of the alfalfa over. Surprising because with new blades it cuts grass very well and tends to push the alfalfa over. If all is dry it cuts all very well.


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## okhillbilly (Jun 18, 2009)

Stevemsinger what broke on the 617 NH ? I've got one too. Had it for 4-5 yrs with only minor problems. Most I caused. Keep an eye on the main lower gear box. After mine sets its full of water. Heard other complaints about this. Hard to hook up to a three point is my biggest issue with it. Mowed 10 acres with only 1 blade on the second pod this year. Figured it was fixing to blow up so why stop. Don't know what happend to the blade. Might of left it off when I changed a couple. Still mowing strong though. Used mine to mow alot of saplings off when we bought this place. Just went slow and sawed them down. Can't be to bad a machine thats done stuff like that.


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## stevemsinger (Jul 8, 2009)

So far we have had the hinges on the curtain break as well as the bolts that hold the curtain assembly on keep working loose. Those are minor things. The problem the other night has me a bit concerned. My son told me that the discs were not turning and that the belts were smoking. When he got off and took the guard off and started spinning things by hand, he said everything was moving. He put it back together and cut the rest of the 12 acres. He did that all before I could get there. I am concerned that something locked it up, but I don't know what it was. If it is in the drive line to the discs that could be expensive. I can't find anything where it looks like he hit anything, so I will just have to wait and see. Glad to hear yours is doing so well. Hopefully mine will as well.


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## okhillbilly (Jun 18, 2009)

I did have the curtain bolts work loose after running it with the missing blade. "Man it vibrates". I think I locked mine up once when a stick got wedged under a pod spinner.


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## Heyhay..eh (Aug 7, 2009)

My only mower is a Hesston 1150 (same as a Case IH 8350). Bought it used in 95. Currently used on two farms (we share repairs and upgrades). Has been a real trooper for us doing from 500 to 100 acres/year. No major problems but have had situations where repairs were needed, knife bearings in power drive, reel bats from rocks ... like that. It is one tough machine ... we have been on some rough and unforgiving fields with it.

Take care

Don


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## RCF (Sep 14, 2009)

We a have two triple mowers a Krone 9140 CV and a Kuhn 883 both have the merger belts on them and cut around 29 ft.


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## jeff outwest (Sep 13, 2009)

4890 John Deere have 2 890 headers on with rubber rolls the other with steel


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## ih86 (Feb 26, 2012)

I've used a variety of discbines over the years and as a case/ih guy I have to say the cutter bar on the JD moco has to be one of the most rugged bars out there. We run a sp 4995 with a 994 head and it has taken on two well casings, one of which it bent over and is still tickin. Can't stand driving it down the road though.


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## rpierce749 (Aug 14, 2012)

john deere 1470 with roller conditioners


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

1. New Holland 1499 haybine
2. Case IH 8340 on the way


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

My old standby sickle bar machine (MoCo) for fields I'm not sure about and a NH Discbine with a wide thin swather kit for the good ones (fields). Rocks, trash and rotaries don't mix well......


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## Shetland Sheepdog (Mar 31, 2011)

I run a New Holland 408 discbine backed up with a Kuhn GMD 66 disc mower backed up with a JD # 8 Sickle-bar mower! I'm definitely "small time" LOL


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

swmnhay said:


> I run a Vermeer 1030 discpro.13'4" cut, paddle conditioner.This is 4th one I've owned.Well built.I like the Quick change blades.


WOW this is a old thread.I ran the paddle conditioner for 1 yr and traded back to one with steel rollers.The paddle conditioner worked great in grass but not in alfalfa.It took at least a day longer to dry.


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## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

JD 630 and 2 JD 1360. Both have the impeller.


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## jr in va (Apr 15, 2015)

New Holland 488 and 474


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## dvcochran (Oct 1, 2017)

I started with a Krone about 25 years ago because they were a local dealer. My closest dealer now is about 65 miles away. I am on my 3rd Krone now and still use the original one from time to time. Went from 8' to 10.5 to 13. The 10.5 had gearbox trouble but the dealer/warranty handled it very well. Traded it for the 13'.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

This has to be the longest running active thread on haytalk.......I've changed mowers 4-5 times in the past few years, now I run....
Deere 630 Moco
Claas 2450? Disco
Like 'em both...


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## discbinedr (Mar 4, 2013)

Whatever ain't broke....


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## clowers (Feb 11, 2011)

Anyone running the 1210 or 1410 vermeer? Is it durable?


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## Randy Litton (Jan 21, 2018)

JD 630 Mower Conditioner

JD 525 Mower Conditioner

In Tennessee the conditioners are needed for the first and last cutting of 4 cuttings of Bermuda, because the weather is usually more likely to have shorter dry cycles during those cuttings. The Conditioner decreases drying time and combined with a tedder the dry down time is usually 4 days. We grow Vaughan's #1 which as a more solid stem, requiring a longer dry time. In June, July, and August, the temperature is high enough and humidity low enough to be able to use disc mowers.

The conditioners increase the chance of profitability by reducing chance of rain damage in Spring and Fall.


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## Mf5612 (Apr 29, 2018)

I used to have a nh 1431 discbine. great machine that we used for 10 yrs.very reliable and trouble free.we felt we should update and bought a nh 316 ,16 foot machine.we had a ton of trouble right from the get go.we traded it this year for a jd 13 foot machine. it runs smooth and w not alota horsepower.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Now on a Pottinger 351. So far so good. Great dealer support for operator (me) errors.


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