cutting hay

[ROYCEWILLARDOKLAHOMA]

I have a Kubota MX 5100, 4whd hydro-stat, I have approximately when none of its leased out about 300 acres with 2/3 of that in hay meadows. I need some advise on a disc mower. I would like something on a Dolly or caddi. And I need some info and advise from some of you guys. like size, brand ect. I would like to buy the rite one the first time. I may also hire myself out to help friends cut and rake. whats my best choice? I have considered swathers , and haybines. I believe my tractor is right at 50 hp with 46 in the pto. whats the largest cutter I can safely use without harming my tractor? And does it allow me a slightly larger mower if its on a dolly? I would like to go Krone, or Kuhn.

 

[tthopskin@yahoo.ca]

not up on the dice bind my father tried a loaner and cut 100 ac in one day work good . it was new but with ta acid from the hay it looked 10 years old . good luck

 

[ROYCEWILLARDOKLAHOMA]

not up on the dice bind my father tried a loaner and cut 100 ac in one day work good . it was new but with ta acid from the hay it looked 10 years old . good luck

You lost me man on the dice bind, and acid hay.

 

[Tx Jim]

Depending on what you're wanting to cut I think your borderline on a 9' disc mower. I think a 8' would be better. With the added ease of attaching to tractor,less strain on tractor when in transport position and following ground /cornering better I would recommend a caddy. You mentioned 2 good brands of disc mowers in Krone & Kuhn. I run a Vermeer on a caddy and it cuts well plus I like the ability to quick-change the blades without the need of a wrench. For raking I have a H&S hi-cap which has the rake wheels close to the raked hay instead of behind the frame. If necessary I can rake 3 or 2 or even 1 nine ft cut swaths just by moving the the hyd control lever on the tractor. H&S rakes are high priced but mine is about to start it's 11th year and has raked 1000's of acres. This is speaking from someone that has been in the custom hay baling business since '87.

 

[ROYCEWILLARDOKLAHOMA]

wow, thankya sir

 

[cowski]

for a 8 foot mower i myself would not want a caddy.i sure like a krone, but a cheaper brand that is good would be one with the heavy comer cutter bar.i think some tonutti's have it.

 

[ROYCEWILLARDOKLAHOMA]

for a 8 foot mower i myself would not want a caddy.i sure like a krone, but a cheaper brand that is good would be one with the heavy comer cutter bar.i think some tonutti's have it.

I hear you, I just dont like all the strain and wear and tear of the bar going up and down , and my tractor is smaller one. Yet the kubotas are so user friendly and have so many accommodations and adjustments on the lift, I sure hate to tear all that up. I like how I can just back up to any implement and hook up without ever climbing back on tractor to back up a little bit more or anything. The lifting arms adjust out and in, and side to side. And with the hydrostat I can back it up or pull it forward an inch or so while standing on the ground. I dont know how durable all that technology is though lol. One poster on here mentioned a drum mower, ever used one of those?

 

[AKfish]

If you use a caddy - you can likely get by with a 8' mower. But, I think you're really on the edge horsepower-wise with that size cutter.. especially if you get into some pretty heavy alfalfa. IMO - I'd downsize to a 7' cutter and you'll be able to mow in another 1-2 higher gears!

I'm on my 2nd Kuhn mower (sold the 1st to get a bigger one) and have nothing but good things to say about 'em.

AKfish

 

[Tx Jim]

for a 8 foot mower i myself would not want a caddy.i sure like a krone, but a cheaper brand that is good would be one with the heavy comer cutter bar.i think some tonutti's have it.

Have you ever cut with a 3pt disc mower on a caddy?? The caddy makes it so much easier to attach cutter to tractor. Another nice thing about a cutter on a caddy is one can transport them with a pickup if it's required.

 

[Tx Jim]

But, I think you're really on the edge horsepower-wise with that size cutter..
AKfish

I've used a Kubota M4900 to pull my 9' cutter on a caddy. No Alfalfa in the Texas desert but lots of Coastal. The 45 pto hp tractor would pull the cutter at 4.5-5 mph. I didn't desire to go faster because of Fireant & Gopher mounds.

 

[ROYCEWILLARDOKLAHOMA]

Have you ever cut with a 3pt disc mower on a caddy?? The caddy makes it so much easier to attach cutter to tractor. Another nice thing about a cutter on a caddy is one can transport them with a pickup if it's required.

Thats awesome to be able to pull it behind a truck. What if I went with the larger drum mower, And could still get in to that with a caddy? And really make life easy on my tractor. I wonder whats the largest drum mower? Ill go check that out. If any of you see one online post me a link please.

 

[Tx Jim]

The drum mowers that I've seen won't fit on a caddy. When I purchased my used Vermeer 7030/caddy I towed it 60 miles home with my 1/2 ton PU.

 

[ROYCEWILLARDOKLAHOMA]

The drum mowers that I've seen won't fit on a caddy. When I purchased my used Vermeer 7030/caddy I towed it 60 miles home with my 1/2 ton PU.[/QUOT

Thats odd, So the drum mowers that you seen were not a 3 point hook up? same as disc mower? or sickle mower? I thought they all were 3 point hook up? And the back of the caddy is 3 point hookup? Ill do some checking.

 

[ROYCEWILLARDOKLAHOMA]

I can get a 6.6 foot Krone straight from the factory for 9 grand. At my Kubota Dealer? Or I could buy a Vicon and get a 10 foot same price

 

[Tx Jim]

Yes disc & drum mowers both have 3 pt attaching points. The literature for drum mowers depicts them swinging around directly behind tractor instead of raising in the air at a 90 degree angle similar to a disk mower. I impersonally haven't seen a drum mower down here in Tx.

 

[flusher]

Thats awesome to be able to pull it behind a truck. What if I went with the larger drum mower, And could still get in to that with a caddy? And really make life easy on my tractor. I wonder whats the largest drum mower? Ill go check that out. If any of you see one online post me a link please.

Kuhn makes drum mowers--PZ models that were initially developed in Europe (Holland IIRC). These mowers come in various sizes, cut really fast (4-ft wide models can reach 5-6 acres per hour depending on terrain, crop density, etc). They do tend to windrow somewhat so if you're looking for a flat cut, then a disc mower or sicklebar is what you want.

Modular design - KUHN.com [en]

300 acres? If you're mowing that much acreage, I'd look for a used self-propelled swather. My neighbor has a Hesston swather with a 13-ft wide head. He mows 10 acres in 45 minutes or so. He got it at auction for about $3K.



Good luck.

 

[D7E]

Yes disc & drum mowers both have 3 pt attaching points. The literature for drum mowers depicts them swinging around directly behind tractor instead of raising in the air at a 90 degree angle similar to a disk mower. I impersonally haven't seen a drum mower down here in Tx.

The PZ mowers we have owned swing around behind only for transport you lift then out of work using the 3PT instead of a hyd cyl raising the cutter bed on a disc mower . I've never seen a caddy but is this why they wont fit ?

 

[cowski]

Have you ever cut with a 3pt disc mower on a caddy?? The caddy makes it so much easier to attach cutter to tractor. Another nice thing about a cutter on a caddy is one can transport them with a pickup if it's required.

i have never used a caddy but i have owned several pull conditioners.i would much rather use 3 pt cutters .for your kubota tractor to handle the cutter easier be sure to set the tires all the way out front and back,use front weights and rear wheel weights.makes a big difference.

 

[foreman Etexas]

I can get a 6.6 foot Krone straight from the factory for 9 grand. At my Kubota Dealer? Or I could buy a Vicon and get a 10 foot same price

I run a 8ft vicon,used a kubota 5040(on 3pt)loader on of course,I believe would be a great match on a caddy for the mx5100. The three blades req.less hp and my 46pto hp never had any trouble.

 

[Tx Jim]

cut really fast (4-ft wide models can reach 5-6 acres per hour depending on terrain, crop density, etc). They do tend to windrow somewhat so if you're looking for a flat cut, then a disc mower or sicklebar is what you want.

Do you realize how fast a tractor would have to go to cut 5 acres per hour with a 4 ft cutter?? 12+ MPH which is way to fast for my Fireant/gopher mound infested ground but you ground is probably smoother.