2nd Hand Disc Mower. Choices

sea12

I need a new topper this year as my old 5ft6 o'connor semi offset topper has seen better days. I had to get new slides made for it last year as the originals had rusted away. However the new ones made are too heavy and mark the ground.

I am after reseeding some ground last autumn and dont want it ruined by marking it with this. Also it is starting to rust a bit so time to renew.

I was thinking of buying a 2nd hand disc mower with slides so I could Top and use for cutting about 20 acres for hay every year. Budget is about 2500 max.

What type would people recommend and what should I look out for as a second hand machine?

Many Thanks?

poor farmer

vicon or kuhn

david1992

claas disco or major trailed

reilig

poor farmer wrote: »

vicon or kuhn

I have a Vicon. I'd describe it as being only ok. The grass board mangled up on the very first day out. I had belt and bearing issues with it after cutting 20 acres. It was repaired under warranty - after my solicitor became involved and when they opened it up they found that when the dealer assembled it out of the crate that it came in he left out 2 vital shims in the drive which caused the belt and bearing wear. In saying that it is easy worked and it cuts clean.

I've used a Kuhn and it appears to be a very solid machine. They are however, expensive to buy secondhand and you never know what you're getting with a second hand machine.

sea12

thanks for replies,

Yea thats the thing about buying second hand but my budget is 2.5k max.
Was that a local dealer you bought from Rellig?

reilig

sea12 wrote: »

thanks for replies,

Yea thats the thing about buying second hand but my budget is 2.5k max.
Was that a local dealer you bought from Rellig?

Local dealer allright. I felt robbed. You see I hit a stone with the mower the first day that I got it and broke 2 bearings in the spinners. Dealer tried to tell me that this was the reason for the belts burning off and the problems with the bearing in the main shaft. Vicon sent their own mechanic to look at it who confirmed that the dealer had left out the shims during the assembly on day 1 and this had allowed too much play. I wanted a new mower, but because I had hit the stone, they wouldn't budge on it. :mad:

sea12

Yea thats what I am afraid of if I bought from a farmer from donedeal etc.
You never really know about a machine until you try it out.

Any tips for what I should be checking out on?

reilig

Disc mowers are generally well regarded for being able to mow a lot of acres trouble free. A good brand of disc mower could get through 15000 acres in a lifetime with only having to have general service items replaced such as belts and bearings. In comparison with a drum mower - many will give problems after cutting only 1500 acres. That's ok for a small farmer who cuts only 30 to 40 acres a year - the drum mower might rust before it breaks.

I don't know if there's any way of knowing a good disc mower. What i would look out for is wear on the bed - major stone marks and general wear on the bottom of the bed which will be a good indication of how much it has mowed. Check bearings in all the spinners as they are likely to wear - but are easy and cheap to repair. Belts and bearings around the drive shaft and pullies and fly wheels should be checked also. Check for welds - if it got abuse, it possibly cracked and had to be repaired.

Finally the general appearance of a disc mower is a good indication of how it was treated and how much it has done - covers on most mowers are light enough and will tear with any abuse.

sea12

Thanks for your help Rellig