Anybody have a marangon mower?

deise toffee

We bought a marangon disc mower last year on the recommendation of a neighbour:rolleyes:.To say we are dissapointed with it is an understatement.I find it very awkward to attach to the tractor.The mower seems very badly made,bits falling off it, basically think its crap.Anybody have one,what ye think of it?

leg wax

i have one bought it 3years ago or so, no trouble to put it on,had a fort and a pz before that and all had to be put on the same way, what has fallen off, blades are the only thing i have nad to replace, and new belts and that was my own fault, the machine is good when the owner looks after it and i am not saying you dont but maybe you need a more robust machine for your land

vanderbadger

have an 8ft marangon mower conditioner, yes it awkward to put on but couldnt fault the build quality to be honest..its very heavy. cant say i like it much but then I dont think I would like any other mounted mower either..

PMU

put on righthand link arm first,connect ram pipe and use it to raise-lower the left link arm.have one 5 years and its perfect. I use it for topping and mowing. P

deise toffee

Thanks for the replies lads.We have a lot of hilly land ,rocky in places,had to replace the blades a few times but you would expect that.Yes its a very heavy mower ,this is the first time we used a disc mower so still getting used to it i guess.Had a basic abbey topper for years so a bit of a change with this one.It gives a nice finish to the field alright compared to the topper which is why we went for a disc mower.Still not convinced by this mower though,but 3 of you said you were happy with your marangon mowers so maybe its just me

leg wax

the one thing the agent in waterford said to me before buying it that its not a mower for stones rocks , perfect for good clean fields.

maidhc

deise toffee wrote: »

Thanks for the replies lads.We have a lot of hilly land ,rocky in places,had to replace the blades a few times but you would expect that.Yes its a very heavy mower ,this is the first time we used a disc mower so still getting used to it i guess.Had a basic abbey topper for years so a bit of a change with this one.It gives a nice finish to the field alright compared to the topper which is why we went for a disc mower.Still not convinced by this mower though,but 3 of you said you were happy with your marangon mowers so maybe its just me

A mower is a very expensive and complex machine for topping! We have a conor topper which does what it is supposed to do year in year out. The Krone MoCo (admittedly a heap of sh1te anyway) is always needing something done every few hundred acres.

Sam Kade

I also have an 8' marangon. I bought it new in 02 and have done a lot of topping and cutting with it. It would drive you mental at times. First thing that went wrong was the drive pulley came off that was after a few acres fixed under guarantee. Next thing that happened was the bar to lift the mower at headlands kept slipping off the bracket that holds it, so I put a big washer on the bolt and it bent the washer and went back to the old problem. Then the latch to hold it in transport position bent. I tried putting it on a NH 7840 once but it wouldn't match the tractor as the pto shaft was at too much of an angle when the mower was in working position. The swathing wheel came off it ages ago because the blades kept tipping off it. I have dry level land and I look after machinery.

vanderbadger

driveshaft of my one wouldnt come off the tractor the other evening..desperate job to remove it..dont know why it stuck..tractor shaft was fine..oh for a trailed mower...:rolleyes:

FixItAginTomora

We are just after buying a 210 model. Was in a shed last year and only cut 200 or so acres. I have noticed a bolt missing from where the bed is attached to the gearbox. This should be watched out for as it seems to always loosen. A disc mower is THE ONLY JOB for topping grass (especially fresh re-seeded ground and if you want grass cleaner/shorter) It is easier on the tractor also with less chance of PTO damage. I agree though, would be easier to put on if you had "hook" type lift arms. I just widen the arms, reverse in and tighten them back in.
Cut some silage with it too the last day, make sure you have it floating, low enough and well tilted down to get the cleanest/closest cut.

reilig

FixItAginTomora wrote: »

. A disc mower is THE ONLY JOB for topping grass (especially fresh re-seeded ground and if you want grass cleaner/shorter) QUOTE]

Really???

I have used both a disc mower and a topper and find the topper to be much better. It easier worked than the mower, far cheaper than the mower, has less parts (ie Blades) that need replacing and can be set at a higher height than the disc mower when mowing - this is important as you will have a faster regrowth. In dry weather, if you top grass too short (Like at the highest setting with a disc mower, it has no cover to hold moisture and you can expect an even longer regrowth period. The only time that I have seen a disc mower being better than a topper was when cutting rushes, but for topping grass, nettles, docks, thistles etc. the topper is way ahead.

maidhc

reilig wrote: »

Really???

I have used both a disc mower and a topper and find the topper to be much better. It easier worked than the mower, far cheaper than the mower, has less parts (ie Blades) that need replacing and can be set at a higher height than the disc mower when mowing - this is important as you will have a faster regrowth. In dry weather, if you top grass too short (Like at the highest setting with a disc mower, it has no cover to hold moisture and you can expect an even longer regrowth period. The only time that I have seen a disc mower being better than a topper was when cutting rushes, but for topping grass, nettles, docks, thistles etc. the topper is way ahead.

+1

Topper is a much better machine for the job. You can also cut under electic fences and hitting a stone won't do much (or any) harm.

We have a trailed topper and sometimes top 1/2 ft high.

JohnBoy

Yeah I wonder myself about the new fashion for topping with mowers.

I can understand the attraction of having your own mower for knocking a few acres of silage for bales, or maybe some hay, but I dont get the appeal of using them for topping at all.

Sam Kade

maidhc wrote: »

+1

Topper is a much better machine for the job. You can also cut under electic fences and hitting a stone won't do much (or any) harm.

We have a trailed topper and sometimes top 1/2 ft high.

But topping at 6" is only a cosmetic job it does not improve the sward for the next grazing.

FixItAginTomora

reilig wrote: »

FixItAginTomora wrote: »

. A disc mower is THE ONLY JOB for topping grass (especially fresh re-seeded ground and if you want grass cleaner/shorter) QUOTE]

Really???

I have used both a disc mower and a topper and find the topper to be much better. It easier worked than the mower, far cheaper than the mower, has less parts (ie Blades) that need replacing and can be set at a higher height than the disc mower when mowing - this is important as you will have a faster regrowth. In dry weather, if you top grass too short (Like at the highest setting with a disc mower, it has no cover to hold moisture and you can expect an even longer regrowth period. The only time that I have seen a disc mower being better than a topper was when cutting rushes, but for topping grass, nettles, docks, thistles etc. the topper is way ahead.

I agree with the dry weather part, but in some swards, topping only "bashes" the grass, a clean low cut is proven to be better for regrowth and tillering in fresh pastures (same effect as sheep!) We have both machines and find in most fields the topper causes wispy grass in regrowth. Blades should'nt need replacing if not hitting stones, but sure we're all guilty of that!
The majority of so called "experts" say low clean cuts are proven better. It can be hard to use a disc mower for the first time, but settings and "floating" gets better with practice!

reilig

FixItAginTomora wrote: »

reilig wrote: »

I agree with the dry weather part, but in some swards, topping only "bashes" the grass, a clean low cut is proven to be better for regrowth and tillering in fresh pastures (same effect as sheep!) We have both machines and find in most fields the topper causes wispy grass in regrowth. Blades should'nt need replacing if not hitting stones, but sure we're all guilty of that!
The majority of so called "experts" say low clean cuts are proven better. It can be hard to use a disc mower for the first time, but settings and "floating" gets better with practice!

To be perfectly honest, topping will only bash grass when the topper operator hasn't a clue what he or she is doing and doesn't know how to keep the blade on the topper sharp. A sharp topper blade will give a clean cut as well as having a mulshing effect. Unlike the disc mower it will not leave lines of cut grass on top of the swart which slow regrowth. A topper blade can be resharpened almost a thousand times - unlike a disc mower blade.

I too have sheep and find that when they eat grass very short there is a slow regrowth. If the grass isn't eaten too close it will regrow faster - you can make the same comparison with the topper and mower - if the grass is cut short with a disc mower, regrowth will be slow. If its cut a little bit higher like with the topper, regrowth will be much faster due to the cover effect.

dryan

I top with a disc mower. Have topped with asingle blade topper in the past.
I'm a big fan of the finish with the disc mower.

Something that i have started doing in the last few years is to top a small section of a field at a time and allow the cattle some time (a few days) to eat the cut grass.
A few days later, do another section. I think it works great.
Then again, im a part time farmer and my 'topping times' are limited to an hour or two the odd evening during the week.

Tora Bora

Does topping justify itself from cost benefit point of view. Considering cost of diesel, time, depreciation, I really wonder if the animal performance improvement if any, covers cost never mind leave a margin.
Dont have a topper and never topped grass. After a grazing I might fly around a given field once a year with a very old drum mower. Cleans off any ungrazen grass and spreads the dung pads with avengence. After that the animals can take care of the topping for themselves:pac:

maidhc

Sam Kade wrote: »

But topping at 6" is only a cosmetic job it does not improve the sward for the next grazing.

I know, it only cuts away the stalky stuff, but that is all we want.

We only have beef cattle, and to be honest beggars can't be choosers!

deise toffee

deise toffee wrote: »

We bought a marangon disc mower last year on the recommendation of a neighbour:rolleyes:.To say we are dissapointed with it is an understatement.I find it very awkward to attach to the tractor.The mower seems very badly made,bits falling off it, basically think its crap.Anybody have one,what ye think of it?

UPDATE-The frame of the mower which holds the tarpaulin cover has totally disintegrated.My brother does most of the topping on the farm,and i am shocked to see how lightweight this mower is.As i said before we had an abbey topper for 15 years which served us very well.Most of our machinery is quite old, we take care of our gear and dont abuse it.This mower though only bought NEW last year is wrecked already,surely it should be more robust than this.Do you think its the way the brother is working the mower that has caused the problems or is the mower too lightweight for our farm.Do you think we would have any comeback with the dealer or will he just laugh us out of the yard?.Bloody pissed off with this mower.:mad:

blue5000

go back to dealer and threaten to scrap it at the ploughing match.

Jaymacdee

We originally had a Marangon 5 disc mower and traded it in for a Marangon 6 disc mower, which we have had for a number of years now and find that they give a really good, clean cut. Brilliant for topping with and as PMU said, put on the right hand link first, followed by connecting the ram. Then it is much easier to get the mower on. This applies to all of the same type of mounted mowers such as Malone and fORT, ETC

Nekarsulm

Jaymacdee wrote: »

We originally had a Marangon 5 disc mower and traded it in for a Marangon 6 disc mower, which we have had for a number of years now and find that they give a really good, clean cut. Brilliant for topping with and as PMU said, put on the right hand link first, followed by connecting the ram. Then it is much easier to get the mower on. This applies to all of the same type of mounted mowers such as Malone and fORT, ETC

Its been 7 years since he bought it, hardly still going ....

Amprodude

deise toffee wrote: »

We bought a marangon disc mower last year on the recommendation of a neighbour:rolleyes:.To say we are dissapointed with it is an understatement.I find it very awkward to attach to the tractor.The mower seems very badly made,bits falling off it, basically think its crap.Anybody have one,what ye think of it?

We have one. I would agree that it's not the easiest to attach onto the tractor.

PeterCasey

deise toffee wrote: »

UPDATE-The frame of the mower which holds the tarpaulin cover has totally disintegrated.My brother does most of the topping on the farm,and i am shocked to see how lightweight this mower is.As i said before we had an abbey topper for 15 years which served us very well.Most of our machinery is quite old, we take care of our gear and dont abuse it.This mower though only bought NEW last year is wrecked already,surely it should be more robust than this.Do you think its the way the brother is working the mower that has caused the problems or is the mower too lightweight for our farm.Do you think we would have any comeback with the dealer or will he just laugh us out of the yard?.Bloody pissed off with this mower.:mad:

I got a panic phone call from a neighbor last summer he was cutting a few paddocks I was going to wrap it for him he couldn't believe this mower he bought was falling to bits in front of him. They are to light weight if you lifted it on the headland put it down the far side after a few rounds you could see it breaking up got out the garage man showed him he was told to take it back.