I was thinking about hay equipment again and I thought I would update this post. I learned alot about this machine and thought that I would share this knowledge with others.
I got the NI Cut/ditioner up and running to make hay this past summer. Just added new bearings for the anti-scalp roller and a belt. Total cost less than $250. I freed the blades with LOTS of lubricant and even more banging of a ballpaen hammer. Also resharpened the flail blades. I decided not to repair/replace the rock guard after consulting with my uncle on the subject. I seems to operate low enough to the ground to prevent personal injury. Still considering adding a piece of belting to prevent projectiles.
The unit cut hay like a champ and really did a fine job conditioning the hay. I was able to cut in the afternoon of day 1, rake the morning of day 2 and bail later that afternoon. Made nice soft hay and the horses love it. Even the later stuff that was a bit stalky while standing is now very palletable.
My baler broke down during first cutting and I had about 100 bales get rained on in a windrow. I simply ran over that hay again with the Cut/ditioner with the windrow adjustment all the way out and it did a real good job spreading out the hay and getting it fluffed. Bale that hay the following day. It was a little discolored from being wet, but still good hay.
Also, I worked two fields for mulch hay that hadn't been worked in years. I hit a ~3 inch diameter tree branch HARD with the cut/ditioner. Actually jammed up between the rotor and the hood. Dinged up the corner of one of the blades, which I resharpened easily. The inertia of the blades keeps this device turning a long time. I would have hated to see that happen to a MOCO or mower conditioner. That would have cost some bucks!
My JD was easily able to handle the unit. Never even bogged down. I was able to mow at ~ 4 mph in heavy timothy (~110-150 bales/acre), which is about as fast as I dared travel due to the rough ground (had the unit airbourne at least 4-5 times /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif).
Overall, I am very pleased with the machine. I certainly think that it is a keeper! For what I am doing, the machine works perfectly.
I got the NI Cut/ditioner up and running to make hay this past summer. Just added new bearings for the anti-scalp roller and a belt. Total cost less than $250. I freed the blades with LOTS of lubricant and even more banging of a ballpaen hammer. Also resharpened the flail blades. I decided not to repair/replace the rock guard after consulting with my uncle on the subject. I seems to operate low enough to the ground to prevent personal injury. Still considering adding a piece of belting to prevent projectiles.
The unit cut hay like a champ and really did a fine job conditioning the hay. I was able to cut in the afternoon of day 1, rake the morning of day 2 and bail later that afternoon. Made nice soft hay and the horses love it. Even the later stuff that was a bit stalky while standing is now very palletable.
My baler broke down during first cutting and I had about 100 bales get rained on in a windrow. I simply ran over that hay again with the Cut/ditioner with the windrow adjustment all the way out and it did a real good job spreading out the hay and getting it fluffed. Bale that hay the following day. It was a little discolored from being wet, but still good hay.
Also, I worked two fields for mulch hay that hadn't been worked in years. I hit a ~3 inch diameter tree branch HARD with the cut/ditioner. Actually jammed up between the rotor and the hood. Dinged up the corner of one of the blades, which I resharpened easily. The inertia of the blades keeps this device turning a long time. I would have hated to see that happen to a MOCO or mower conditioner. That would have cost some bucks!
My JD was easily able to handle the unit. Never even bogged down. I was able to mow at ~ 4 mph in heavy timothy (~110-150 bales/acre), which is about as fast as I dared travel due to the rough ground (had the unit airbourne at least 4-5 times /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif).
Overall, I am very pleased with the machine. I certainly think that it is a keeper! For what I am doing, the machine works perfectly.
