new topper

hendo12

thinking of buying a new fully offset 3pt link 8ft topper and was looking at Abbey and Major can someone please advise me which is better

JCB1

I cant advise you on which one is better but we have had a Major one for ten years with no problems.

13spanner

+1 for Major. We had one a while back, did the job grand.

6480

would you not be better to buy a disc mower that would shave off dirt better and mow for hay if needed

nashmach

Have a look at Fleming as well if you are going for a topper.

Marooned75

depends on ground your going over, use a fleming here me self dont know about a disc mower

DaNiEl1994

dont rule out conor either no problems with ours

Cran

Have had both, found both very good. Have had very few problems with either but maybe slightly less with the abbey, but would have no problem buying either.

milkprofit

hendo12 wrote: »

thinking of buying a new fully offset 3pt link 8ft topper and was looking at Abbey and Major can someone please advise me which is better

That will require a big tractor

pajero12

milkprofit wrote: »

That will require a big tractor

No it won't? Toppers aren't hard ran!

hendo12

Thanks to all that have responded. I don't like either of the people that are near me with Conor machinery and there aren't any Fleming dealers near me either. Our land isn't brilliant for a disc mower and they are too expensive for me. There are dealers for both Major and Abbey very close to me for parts. I have a MF 4255 so no problem with hp

nashmach

milkprofit wrote: »

That will require a big tractor

No it won't - we had our 8ft fully offset on a Ford 4610 and had no issues - just had to be careful not to lift too much on headlands.

Baldandold

Abbey all the way

hughjohn

I have run Abbey and Major both 9 ft trailed models. For me the Major did make a cleaner cut. Abbey sometimes left stems pass between rotors even after fitting new blades.

Damo810

We've ran a Major 601 here for the last 7 years or so and not a bother. Used on hilly and flat land and handled both fine. All major around here (there main office is in the town) and not heard of any problems..

maidhc

They are all the same. They all look the same with the same crappy steel with the same crappy comer gearboxes that will shatter if you are not careful.

I have a Connor one. Bought new in 1995. Resheeting some of it at the moment despite always being housed and kept clean and oiled. I know 18 years isn't bad either and once tidied up it will do another 10. Mechanically it is fine, but it has never hit any stones much.

The last thing I would use for topping is mower. It cuts too low, and is too expensive and complex a bit of kit for hacking close to ditches and so on.

iverjohnston

There are both shaft driven and belt driven abbey toppers. I have a shaft driven one. Bought about 95 I think. The most important thing I think, is that you use it only as a topper, and not for cutting rushes, very heavly matted old growth, briars around the back of the ditch, thorny bushes spreading out from the ditch, on very uneven ground, or God forbid, let the outer end skid drop into a wheel rut. You will twist UJ yolks for sport. Then again the circlip holding the side plate in the gearbxces might decide to pop out, The rubber shock absorber in the drive line will get twisted to bits, or the driveshaft to the tractor will split. Now all that sounds like I was using it for earthmoving purposes, but I wasnt. They are great for topping, especially after every grazing of a paddock. The thing is, you get an 8 /9foot topper, then you hook it to a 100hp tractor that can handle it. Then it is very difficult to drive nice and slowly around the field!

DaNiEl1994

iverjohnston wrote: »

There are both shaft driven and belt driven abbey toppers. I have a shaft driven one. Bought about 95 I think. The most important thing I think, is that you use it only as a topper, and not for cutting rushes, very heavly matted old growth, briars around the back of the ditch, thorny bushes spreading out from the ditch, on very uneven ground, or God forbid, let the outer end skid drop into a wheel rut. You will twist UJ yolks for sport. Then again the circlip holding the side plate in the gearbxces might decide to pop out, The rubber shock absorber in the drive line will get twisted to bits, or the driveshaft to the tractor will split. Now all that sounds like I was using it for earthmoving purposes, but I wasnt. They are great for topping, especially after every grazing of a paddock. The thing is, you get an 8 /9foot topper, then you hook it to a 100hp tractor that can handle it. Then it is very difficult to drive nice and slowly around the field!

jaysus i dont think we've ever really used it for topping to be honest!

Everything you've listed not to do i think we have done once in a while ha thank fook! for shear bolts (topper is tipping away grand though)

beef burger

we have an abbey 8 ft fully offset topper great job for anything to do with rushes but not for grass as its to high. the tractor is hard ran on diesel for the day i found tho but still a great job on the rush.

ABlur

DaNiEl1994 wrote: »

jaysus i dont think we've ever really used it for topping to be honest!

Everything you've listed not to do i think we have done once in a while ha thank fook! for shear bolts (topper is tipping away grand though)

Daniel, how in the name of God do you change the shearbolts on it without shearing your fingers off!???

DaNiEl1994

ABlur wrote: »

Daniel, how in the name of God do you change the shearbolts on it without shearing your fingers off!???

its easy the shear bolt is located on the start of the driveshaft where it connects to the PTO one nut, one bolt, vice grips and a spanner its and easy job done in 30 seconds.

why are the different in other toppers?

ABlur

DaNiEl1994 wrote: »

its easy the shear bolt is located on the start of the driveshaft where it connects to the PTO one nut, one bolt, vice grips and a spanner its and easy job done in 30 seconds.

why are the different in other toppers?

I have an abbey with a big plastic cover over the shaft where the shearbolt goes, short of taking off the shaft its impossible to change without skinning fingers!