Swather/conditioner

   / Swather/conditioner #1  

powerscol

Veteran Member
Joined
May 25, 2010
Messages
2,323
Location
SW Colorado
Tractor
CT 235
Seeing a few swather/conditioners on the market. Can anyone tell me what the smallest model made was and the HP needed to run it. Or second choice would be a stand alone conditioner. Looking to cut some alfalfa, and I know I need to condition it to get proper drying.

Thoughts?
 
   / Swather/conditioner #2  
In my neck of the woods, the New Holland 400 series mower conditionsers [469, 479, 488, 489, 499] (hay combines ==> haybines) are very popular. Also plentiful in the used maeket with parts available from TSC. The smallest I'm aware of is a 469 at 6' cut. I have a 479 (9' cut) and have run this machine with a 22 hp Yanmar without any problms (including hydraulic header lift and tongue swing. There are some self-propelled versions (1495) of this basic system, too.

Others may protest, but experience is a hard teacher.
 
   / Swather/conditioner #3  
Smallest I've seen is the NH 7 footers as listed above.

You still using that Bobcat tractor? I'd for sure try one out before buying. Swathers are VERY heavy. They don't require much horsepower to run, but the weight may present a serious problem for your tractor especially if you have any hills to deal with.
 
   / Swather/conditioner
  • Thread Starter
#4  
No hills, but my tractor did pull my PJ brand 23'GN around with 100 bales on it without issue. Just had to go slow (used the 3 pt to move it around the field as I gathered with my grapple)

I appreciate the help - gives me other options to look at this fall and winter.
 
   / Swather/conditioner
  • Thread Starter
#5  
OK big question. Hopefully folks will read my post on what my sickle mower did to me, so here is the question.

If I get a small haybine (469, or similar to the current 472 model that uses the sickle cutting bar) will I have the same issue? Does the rake up front solve this? Otherwise I will be looking into a drum mower and tedder. Also how hungry are they on HP. The current model says 30, I am at 26.5 but can slow down.
 
   / Swather/conditioner #6  
Those small haybines tend to be in pretty good shape - since they were probably used on small fields instead of for hundreds of acres. I went to a sale in February this year to try to buy a NH 474 (7 foot machine) I looked it over and figured I'd go $3000 or a little more. Well, it was the last item to sell and sold for $4600! Live and learn I guess.
 
   / Swather/conditioner #7  
I picked up a 472 NH this spring at an auction and my B26 Kubota pulls it fine in medium range as fast as it will go. My land is fairly flat and this little tractor is very handy on small fields. Even as wet as it was this year it didn't plug. 100% better than an old sicklebar mower.
 

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   / Swather/conditioner #8  
You shouldn't have any power issues, and the reel keeps the sickle from clogging. I had an impossible time finding a 7' haybine when I was using my smaller 30HP kubota for hay. I ended up buying a drum mower and now with a bigger tractor I have moved onto a 9' swather which cuts faster and better than the sickle and/or the drum mower.
 
 
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