drum mowers?

[px00001]

i have an antonio cararro 8400trx. it is an 80hp bidifrectional tractor, ie the operator station can be spun around so you are facing the 3pt when going forward, and the steering wheels are behind you, much like a forklift. the tractor has 540rpm pto. the tractor is made in italy, and i have seen pictures of european front mount disk mowers mounted on the 3pt. anyone here have any experience with front mount mower conditioners. i have 26 acres of timothy hay i have to mow each year and would like to get set up to mow and bale it for horse hay.

 

[nomad]

Supposing same tractor hp is enough to operate drum mower and disc mower, most important advantage of disc mower over drum mower is that disc mower has conditioner which rolls/dries the grass/alfalfa/etc much faster. But, the price of disc mower doubles when it is with a conditioner. If you don't need a conditioner (you won't need if you are not in commercial volume business), then, why pay twice for a disc mower while there is drum mower for half price.

 

[LastSTRAW]

I've been very happy with the drum mower by Zweegers. My uncle has used it for over 25 years and now I am using it. It will cut very fast and never clogs. It is great in areas where the wind or rain has beaten down the hay. It seems the faster you go the better it cuts. I mow in both 1st and 2nd high range without issue. The only challenge is taking the corners at high speed. You either have to slow down or swing wide which over time means you will have to back up to straighten things out again. You need to keep the blades sharp and the belts adjusted. The only major repair we have had was bearings in one of the drums after 20 years. I am still new at mowing. On an incline that slopes away from the tractor it works great. When it slopes towards the tractor it is hard to cut without cutting into the dirt and sod at the far end of the mower.

 

[HayDR]

I've been very happy with the drum mower by Zweegers. My uncle has used it for over 25 years and now I am using it. It will cut very fast and never clogs. It is great in areas where the wind or rain has beaten down the hay. It seems the faster you go the better it cuts. I mow in both 1st and 2nd high range without issue. The only challenge is taking the corners at high speed. You either have to slow down or swing wide which over time means you will have to back up to straighten things out again. You need to keep the blades sharp and the belts adjusted. The only major repair we have had was bearings in one of the drums after 20 years. I am still new at mowing. On an incline that slopes away from the tractor it works great. When it slopes towards the tractor it is hard to cut without cutting into the dirt and sod at the far end of the mower.

Many of the parts on the HayMAG 165 drum mowers are interchangable with the PZ165 drum mowers.