using a pull behind mower conditioner?

[slowzuki]

The rollers are about 1000$ each or so.

Never mow regularly with the head picked up part way, the springs won't have tension to float the head and if you hit something it will put a lot of force on the guards and break them.

 

[Mickey_Fx]

Let experience be you guide but from what you said about speed, that is going awful slow. With my Heston, to match ground speed and reel speed, I was moving along about 5mph. If you're cutting 3' high grass, I'd think matching speeds would be important unless the grass is tall but not very dense. Going about 3mph with this set up would almost double the needed power. Matching speed was important enough that my mower (bought new) came with several different sproket sizes to help match the speed.

The stub guards I mentioned are the guards the sickle runs in. Like has been mentioned the reg guards look like fingers sticking out in front of the sickle. The stub guards don't project out further than the sickel sections. The ones on my machine were stamped steel Vs the cast ones that were reg guards.

 

[WTA]

I'm not understanding about the power requirements you mention. going 3 mph would almost double the needed power.

Does it make that big a difference really how fast you are going? I've got a hundred HP in the tractor and can't see straining it running hay equipment at all really. I know the old self propelled one I used before wouldn't run out of power really if I ran too fast. It just wouldn't cut. Instead it would just push the grass over and do nothing to it. It was worn out though.

 

[Renovator]

I had a 479 haybine. If you went to slow in tall grass thetop of the hay would get to the rolls be fore it was cut off causing the belts to slip. If I went faster I did not have any problem. As for the direction of cut if you knock the hay down with the tractor it is best to go the oppisit way around topick it up better .
renovator

 

[slowzuki]

The manual describes how to set reel speed but basically it is just a bit faster than your travel speed. Setting it much faster just wastes fuel and will wear out the belts and reel before their time.