Rotary cutter for hay production

[Bikewanderer]

I just purchased a bush hog 126 rotary cutter for my tractor and was reading the manual. It talked a fair amount about using this for hay production, even showed a windrow attachment. I have never seen anyone do this. Everyone around here uses swathers or sickles. Why is that?

 

[RickB]

I just purchased a bush hog 126 rotary cutter for my tractor and was reading the manual. It talked a fair amount about using this for hay production, even showed a windrow attachment. I have never seen anyone do this. Everyone around here uses swathers or sickles. Why is that?

Because rotary cutters don't work well for mowing hay.

 

[tessiers]

I would think the rotary cutter would chop the grass up too much and clump the grass up and slow drying, may be all right if you ted it right after cutting, sickle would be much better at laying it out correctly. I have heard of people cutting off one side of the cutter housing to allow it to throw the grass out without chopping it so much, seams like it would not be real productive to me. I use a sickle personally, but thats what I have and I only cut 1000 bales per year.

 

[flusher]

I just purchased a bush hog 126 rotary cutter for my tractor and was reading the manual. It talked a fair amount about using this for hay production, even showed a windrow attachment. I have never seen anyone do this. Everyone around here uses swathers or sickles. Why is that?

What you're looking for is in this TBN thread from last year

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...146362-hobby-haying-pics-compact-tractor.html

Used sicklebar mowers are cheap and readily available--mine is a Massey Ferguson MF31 7-ft sicklebar that I bought at auction last year. That's why small time hay farmers use them. But old ones like mine sometimes are difficult to adjust and frequently get clogged with hay. I've rebuilt my MF31 three times so far and it still doesn't work very well. I plan to get a new drum mower for my next hay crop.

 

[MBDiagMan]

I did this in a pinch one time with an old Woods shredder. It actually worked out much better than I thought it would. That said, I was sure glad to have my swather back together before the next cutting.

It might be helpful for you to know that the field I was baling at the time was largely Bahia grass with some Rye. It was quite tall and Bahia has a consistency much tougher than most grasses. I would expect that had I been cutting my other meadow which was a great stand of Coastal at that time, it would not have worked out as well.

 

[BTI]

We have a few guys in the area that do this.
Sharpen the blades on it real sharp and run in a higher gear than normal.
You can't do this if your tractor doesn't have enough umph to run the cutter and move along at a pretty decent rate of speed.
You want to minimize the cutter blades from shredding the hay.

BTI

 

[Kessler Farms]

You're gonna leave a lot of hay on the ground. First of all, with the bushhog behind the tractor, the tractor tires run down two tracks that won't be cut well. Mowing machines (sickle, haybine, disk mower) cut off to the side while you drive over already cut hay. Second, no bushhog cuts as close or as clean as a mowing machine. Third, chopped up hay will not rake well or be picked up well by the pick-up on a roller or baler. I've used a bushhog to chop up wheat and corn stubble for baling, but some residue remains. Just my two cents.

 

[sweettractors]

Not too many years ago, several of the Brush Hog Mfgrs. made a "Hayside" cutter. It was a regular cutter with 1 side that was removable. Because of liability reasons, I think most have stopped making that model. Ken Sweet

 

[DJ54]

I have one of those older Bush-Hog brand hayside rotary cutters Ken mentions. I used it once, when my old IH 990 MoCo broke a drive belt, naturally on a Sat. afternoon, after the dealer closed.

This was mature Rye grass mixed hay, and almost as high as the 38" rear tires on my IH 656. Some was down, and twisted. Too nasty to try and mow with the sickle bar mower.

I removed the side, and put a sharp edge on the blades. I was really amazed with the job it did. It pretty well left it whole, and laid it in the prettiest little windrow.

Granted, it took longer because it is only a 5' cut, and I was running in 1rst gear @ 540 rpm. It clipped it nice and clean. Up and cutting time, beats down time..., anytime..!! It is my " Ace in the hole", if my MoCo would happen to go down, in hay not suitable to mow with the sickle bar. It sure beats plugging up, or riding over downed hay.

And the Daros hay tedder I purchased from Ken a couple years before was a lifesaver in this case also..!! A great little tedder Ken, and it's still up and running, with no problems so far..!!