who is using a DRUM mower ?

[MikeF]

Hello ALL,

I would like to hear from people that are using a DRUM mower for haying, I have a JD 4720 and am currently using a NH489 haybine, NH 56 rake, Kuhn tedder and a New Idea 4x4 bailer. I only make hay on about 6 acres right now and even on that small amount the 489 haybine is very slow, so I am considering a DRUM mower. After searching the web some it looks like only a few foreign companies make them and then lots of companies badge them ???? the DRUM's are much cheaper than the disc mowers I was considering and I am on a strict budget but I dont want to wind up with a POS either. Thanks for the help.

Mike

 

[rankrank1]

Hello ALL,

.... I only make hay on about 6 acres right now and even on that small amount the 489 haybine is very slow, so I am considering a DRUM mower....

Must be something wrong with your NH 489. I mow the 5.5 acres or so that I hay with a 9' Hesston 1120 moco (equivalent of a haybine) in about 50 minutes using antiquated tractors that lack hydraulics so I am fighting a manual ratchet cylinder as an additional timing handi-cap. If you can not easily travel 4.0 to 4.5 mph with that haybine then something is very wrong. You can cover quite a bit of ground at 4.5 mph and taking a 9' cut. Heck my lowly Farmall h does pretty decent with my moco in 3rd gear which is 4.3 mph. Typically 6 mph is about the practical limit for max haybine travel speed.

I do not think a drum mower is going to be any faster. Yeah you can tavel faster but you will be taking smaller cut like 5'. More importantly you will lose conditioning so slower dry down times to boot.

With only 6 acres, I would fix the haybine.

 

[stuckmotor]

What's the main reason the Haybine is so slow? My old John Deere mower/conditioner used to be slow, mainly because it was old and I had to stop and repair it on the cheap.

 

[MikeF]

I have not been able to locate the reason for the slowness as I had a 7' NH years ago and dont think it was this slow either. However Since the field is small I have been able to keep up with the ferterlizer, lime and overseeding with orchard grass. That along with the way the sprign growing has been, I am now dealing with 3-4" tall grass and the haybine does not seem to deal with that well. Another reason for looking at the DRUM/Disc mowers is I would be able to get it under cover when not in use, leaving equipment outside drives me crazy. I plan to mow later today if the weather holds I will see if I can figure out why I cant go faster but I think it is just to much hay. Also I understand the conditioner helps but with just grass hay I figureed I could just tedder it more and still dry well as IMO the SUN does the best drying. My concern is not getting a piece of junk and I just have not seen anyone other that those selling equipment saying how good they are.......


Mike

 

[RedNeckRacin]

the conditioner actually crimps the hay stalks and lets the moisture escape from more places. General rule I have heard is an additional 12-36 hours drying time from the time the hay was cut using a conditioner vs not. What ground speed are you mowing at? Are your knives all in good shape? Is your reel turning fast enough? Is the tension on your conditioning rollers set correctly? Are you running the machine at 540 rpm? just some quick thoughts that popped into my head.

 

[Tx Jim]

Must be something wrong with your NH 489. I mow the 5.5 acres or so that I hay with a 9' Hesston 1120 moco (equivalent of a haybine) in about 50 minutes Heck my lowly Farmall h does pretty decent with my moco in 3rd gear which is 4.3 mph.

I think your math is incorrect. 3.9 acres per hr will be closer to what your H & 1120 can cut @ 4.3.mph. Old timers formula that's very accurate is mph X width of cut divided by 10 = acres per hr.

 

[MikeF]

yes I understand the purpose of the conditioner, just not sold on the big benefit with orchard grass as it is not as stalky as other crops. Mowing 3-4' tall hay @ 1 mph @ 540rpm. the conditioner rolls are set right and the knife is sharp. The Reel speed seems slow but I cant find any info on how to speed the reel up. Also lets not forget about storage I really dont like leaving equipment out and I have no room to store it. I do find it interesting that know one that owns and uses a drum mower has given me there input, im thinking not many are using these lol

 

[Tx Jim]

I never used a drum mower but have cut with a disc mower. They both cut fine if blades are sharp. What I've read about drum mower is they're normally low maintenance and require less hp per ft of cut than a disc cutter.

 

[flusher]

Hello ALL,

I would like to hear from people that are using a DRUM mower for haying, I have a JD 4720 and am currently using a NH489 haybine, NH 56 rake, Kuhn tedder and a New Idea 4x4 bailer. I only make hay on about 6 acres right now and even on that small amount the 489 haybine is very slow, so I am considering a DRUM mower. After searching the web some it looks like only a few foreign companies make them and then lots of companies badge them ???? the DRUM's are much cheaper than the disc mowers I was considering and I am on a strict budget but I dont want to wind up with a POS either. Thanks for the help.

Mike

Drum mower with 5-ft wide cut is about $3K--half of the cost of an equivalent disc mower. Drum mowers are less complex than disc mowers and have quick blade change capability. Dealers say they don't jam and can mow as fast as your tractor can move across the hayfield. Drum mowers do tend to windrow the cuttings somewhat, which may or may not be what you want disc mowers and sicklebars lay the cuttings flat and even). I've been looking at getting a drum mower for some time now but haven't bought one yet. Good luck

 

[countryguy1225]

Well good day to everyone! I saw this post and just had to jump in. I just purchased the Galfre fr/g 130 from GoodwinConcepts. He has numerous videos and notes that Travel speed is very high if you wish. Like 5 acres an hour or something like that.
Pat (owner operator) was a great help with my 2 dozen+ questions. Give him a call.
I am in the same boat MikeF. Limited funds. I stopped using the 1957 McCormic sickle mower because it was just too slow. And I have a 1967 nh baler. I did not want a 7' haybine in the 30-40 years old range for my budget dollars!
As for conditioning there is a option on the Galfre you can check out. Called black hole? Anyway, I just put,one together this week and tested it out. WOW does this thing sound cool! And it cuts so so close to the ground! I do grass blend bales and love this thing thus far. And brand new for the price of a very old haybine from the 60's. will put up pics later. Cg.