Disc and Drum Mowers for a CUT

[wejones]

Does anyone have any experience using one of the smaller disc or drum mowers on a 30 - 35 hp CUT? I would appreciate hearing about your experiences, good or bad. For reference I have a 2535 Century. Thanks Willie Jones

 

[HayDR]

Your Century 2535 has 31 PTO HP. The 31 PTO HP gives you limited possibilities in disc mower manufacturers. Most of the oil bath gear style disc mowers like Kuhn, Krone, Fort, etc require 40 PTO HP even for their smallest 5.5' disc mowers. Lely patented the shaft drive concept back in the 1980's. The shaft drive transmission has fewer moving parts and requires 20% less HP than the oil bath style disc mowers. Lely offers 2 models for your tractor, the 165- 5'5" cut and the 205- 6'9" cut. The Lely 205 requires 30 HP but may also require you to have some additional weight for stability, IE a loader or front weights.
CCM has 2 drum mower models suited for your tractor: T-135 & T-165. The drum mower and disc mower cut grass in the same way using a 3-4" blade moving at high speeds. The drum mower is about 1/2 the price of the disc mower, CCM drum mowers start are $2,100. The physical configuration of the CCM drum mower fits it into the compact and smaller utility segment. The drum mower is the most durable of any style hay mower.
Either mower is a good choice but price affect our choices. The drum mower is half the price of the disc mower and will give you the same capacity as the disc mower to mow any hay in any conditions. The CCM drum mower design was patented in 1969 by PZ, a Dutch company. Both technologies are proven and will provide many years of service to an operator.

 

[sweettractors]

<font color="blue"> 30 - 35 hp CUT </font>

We sell new Kioti CUT's and We suggest for that size tractor, the First Choice 6 ft double action sickle bar mower. These will give you the performance and speed and low upkeep you need and at about 1/2 the cost of a disc mower.($2395) In addition, this mower will be a lot safer to operate on your narrow wheel base tractor with total weight at under 500 lbs. Made in Italy. Parts available nationwide and marketed under several brand names. Ken Sweet

Sweet Farm Equipment LLC

 

[kensfarm]

Do you have any pictures (under the tarp) of the drum.. I have seen the disk mowers.. how different is the drum mower?

 

[HayDR]

 

[wejones]

Thanks for the information. I have one addiitonal question. Do the units you recommend rest on the ground when cutting? Will they float over uneven ground? How about cutting slopes such as along ditches and stream banks? Looking at the pictures I could not tell from the linkage if this was possible. willie jones

 

[wejones]

Mr. Sweet, I have an old 7' sickle mower that will work ok when the gress is not damp, but in heavy fescue with old growth, it just will not do the job. That is why I was checking out the disc and drum mowers. Do the newer sickle bar units cut any better than the older ones? Are there any design changes that improve the way they work? This is useful information. So you will know I have replaced all of the sections and guards on my old unit. willie jones

 

[HayDR]

The bottom saucer rests on the ground and free wheels. You can cut while holding the drum mower off the ground. The CCM drum mowers will float over uneven ground.

 

[sweettractors]

The new double action machines will not clog like the mower you had. The profile is thinner and the tolerance between the sections and rock guards is approx. .10, therefore no place to get grass between the guard and knife sections. They will not cut quite as good as a disc mower in wet condition, however, we mow regular in the rain (using a cab tractor) with no problem. Call me at 270-528-3323-mon-fri-8-5-cst and I will go into greater detail about the whys and wherefores.-- Ken Sweet

Sweet Farm Equipment LLC *Over 50 Refurbished 1, 2 and 3 bottom turning plows in stock today*