Looking at a Kuhn FC250G

[Dill]

My father and I decided this is probably the year to finally upgrade to a disc. We have 2 New Holland 479s that we've been using, but we just picked up another 40 acres bringing this year's total to 160 acres of hay. Since this is just a part time gig for us, time is important.
Anyway after spending most of the spring going to auctions, and not finding the perfect deal, I've found a FC250G at a local dealer for 6k. I have a few questions, the machine is in decent shape another smaller operator owned it from new, but is there anything specific to look for? Also the swivel hitch concerns me. Is there anyway to tow this behind a pickup? We have 4 different areas that we do, and they are pretty spread out so I like to haul as much as possible with the truck and trailer and reduce road travel with the tractors.
Also does the swivel making backing up difficult?
We've been looking at 3pth disc mowers, but with the short windows of hay weather we have in southern NH I'd hate to extend drying time.
And just to make sure that we can run this Kuhn we have a Deere 2440, Deere 5410 and a Zetor 7745

 

[jimg]

I can give some input as I just did a similar upgrade. I started the year w/ my MF725 for the first cut and did the second w/ my neighbors 3pt disc mower. The difference in speed is HUGE. In fact I could say w/ certainty one disc mower is going to replace your 2 479s with plenty of capacity to spare. In addition the HP requirement for a disc is going to allow use of your current tractors. The speed of the disc mower put me well ahead in the drying curve. My only reservation was drying time, I felt conditioning was a must esp as it gets very humid here. To say the least I was skeptical that the disc mower would allow me to bale in the same time frame as my old mower (which conditioned). Since I can now tedder immediately after mowing (the same day with day light to spare) I was pleased to find negligible difference in drying time. Also the 3pt works well in tight fields/corners/anywhere tight vs a trailed mower and is considerably less expensive than the rig you're looking at. So, I think you'd be well served by at least looking into the 3pt mower if you haven't already.

I'm also familiar w/ NH hay as I lived there for some time and helped some of the locals. Are you planning to bale very early/late in the year? If so I think you're brave and you'll need a moco and every other advantage you can come up with.

As for the gyro hitch I think its lockable or at least doesn't preclude towing it behind a truck. I think the mower you mention is 8' and I believe it'll need about 60hp or so to run. I was looking at the 243 for a bit and know my TN would be just enough. Since using the 3pt disc I've decided I can do w/o the conditioner. I suppose the lack or presence of steep hills in the fields you mow would factor in as well.

ETA: I failed to mention that you'll need to make a hitch which accepts the arms on one side and plugs into your receiver hitch on the other. I suspect you can make it easily enough and I'd bet someone makes them off the shelf. As for backing I wouldn't think it would be any harder than other trailed mowers.

Also saw you're already looking at 3pt disc mowers. If possible you should attempt to demo one in a small field and see if it produces to a level you can live w/. If you're not trying to crowd the hay season on either end I really think the 3pt disc would work for you. Spring in NH can be really good for making hay exc for the cool night temps.

I know implement selection/availability in NH can make it difficult to try things out or even find something to buy. If you're willing you might want to look in NY, ME or even PA for a better selection. Even here in TN there were things I had to get out of state. Also time of year plays into how much is available on the used market. Waiting (if you can) until after hay season might give a wider selection.

 

[Dill]

Well as for late/early, I have some on the ground now, but I wish I had started 2 weeks ago. We'll run right into early october.
I've been looking into the 3pth mowers and your right much cheaper. One dealer is reccomending a vicon 7ft which is going 6500 brand new. Another has a 9ft Kuhn used for 3500. My concern with the 9ft is the weight on the back of the tractor. We do have some pretty steep hills to contend with.
The speed of mowing is one advantage, the other is plugging. We had a very wet august last year, basically no hay got done the whole month. So we had some incredibly thick fields to mow in Sept, and kept plugging the haybines. I was down to under 3mph mowing and having to spend 20 minutes at a whack unplugging. I told everyone it was a hybrid hay crop, first and second all in one shot.
Also how worried should I be with a disc and hitting rocks? I know where most of the rocks are in our established fields, but we also plant some millet for baleage, and as you probably know there is no way to get all the rocks out of a NH field without spending days picking them.

 

[jimg]

I think you're crowding the hay season...both extremes can be really unpredictable weather-wise. What part of the state are you in? The farms where I lived didn't start until later in June or July and then again in Aug/Sept. Low temps and lack of sunny weather (enough in a row) make it tough.

>>My concern with the 9ft is the weight on the back of the tractor. We do
>>have some pretty steep hills to contend with.
I'm not familiar w/ your tractors but my TN75 is heavy enough I think to run a 9' mower safely. I could run even bigger if I put an extra wheel weight on the off side.

>>The speed of mowing is one advantage, the other is plugging.
Oh yes! I could hardly believe I was making such fast progress and all w/o plugging.

>>We had a very wet august last year, basically no hay got done the whole
>>month.
Our spring has been non-stop rain. I was able to make hay in early May and wished I had cut it all then. Right now my fields are marginally wet. They'll need another 5 or so days to dry properly. Then I can finish the rest which is getting pretty gamey.

>>So we had some incredibly thick fields to mow in Sept, and kept plugging
>>the haybines. I was down to under 3mph mowing and having to spend 20
>>minutes at a whack unplugging. I told everyone it was a hybrid hay crop,
>>first and second all in one shot.
I've some experience w/ plugs and going slow. After using the disc I can't imagine going back to my old mower.

>>Also how worried should I be with a disc and hitting rocks?
Can't say really, no rocks or ledge here. Im told though disc mowers will throw rocks but most of the time the tires run interference.

>>and as you probably know there is no way to get all the rocks out of a
>>NH field without spending days picking them.
Right, if nothing else you'll always have a plentiful harvest of rocks.

 

[Dill]

I'm down on the seacoast in Lee, also have some fields in Epping and Newmarket. The stuff down right now is probably going to be about 10 round bales before we plow up the field to plant the millet. No sense letting 10 bales go to waste right? And yes the weather can be unpredictable, but it usually is. Most everyone mowed some 2 weeks ago when we had a stretch of 90 degree weather. I said oh no, too early and then watched 2 weeks of cold and rain come right in behind it. Heck we got a frost and I had the woodstove going.

 

[farmerjim]

i think the fc250g is a great machine, my neighbors have one and they love it. it has served them flawless over a few years. i have not had the opportunity to use it though, they did cut for me once when i had a break down, it cut very well and the conditioning part of it was way better than my old crimper, the field they cut for me was a very thick stand of timothy and should have been cut 2 weeks prior, it probably would have clogged my crimper mutliple times. the swivel hitch is something i would def go w/ as it's great for manuvering in tight conditions only draw back i see to it is the truck towing part, but i'm sure you could probably fab up something to go in the reciever on the truck, although i'm not too sure about what the tongue weight would equal. as far as tractors go i think any of your machines could run the fc w/ out too much trouble, my neighbors run theirs w/ an older ford 6700. good luck w/ your shopping as we are doing the same thing, only we're going from an old sickle bar to either a moco or disc moco.

 

[chh]

I'll chime in since you mentioned rocks. I don't know what size of rocks you are talking about but disc mowers and rocks really do not mix well. Bigger rock(fist size and over) is very hard on the blades(and probably every thing else) and it will throw some. Smaller rocks you can set it to cut a little high and miss "most" of them. Gravel can be a painful experience on an open tractor.
A 9' disc mower will need around a 70 hp tractor to run and be really stable. I have run the older 8' Vicons on around 50 hp and it was a pretty good load on the tractor.
I'm not familiar with the Kuhn model you mention, but Kuhn equipment as a rule is very good quality.

 

[jimg]

>>I'm down on the seacoast in Lee, also have some fields in Epping and
>>Newmarket.
RIght, know all of those places esp Epping.

>>The stuff down right now is probably going to be about 10 round bales
>>before we plow up the field to plant the millet. No sense letting 10 bales
>>go to waste right?
You're feeding cattle then? I know the horse hay market was very good when I lived there. Most of it came out of Canada b/c not enough was produced locally. I do a combination of the 2 here in TN.

>>And yes the weather can be unpredictable, but it usually is. Most
>>everyone mowed some 2 weeks ago when we had a stretch of 90 degree
>> weather. I said oh no, too early and then watched 2 weeks of cold and
>>rain come right in behind it. Heck we got a frost and I had the woodstove
>> going.
Yes, this is a perfect example of unpredictable weather. I think its hard to farm up in NE b/c of this and the short season.

At any rate, Id be interested to hear what you finally wind up w/.

 

[matt21]

With the tractors you have, i wouldn't be concerned at all about running a 9' 3pt mower. I run a 9' New Idea disc mower with a 43 PTO hp tractor. With weights on the front it's no problem. It struggles a bit going up hills but nothing too bad. I've had an 80 HP tractor struggle up hills