why not a 5'6'' disc mower?

locky76

I've been looking at buying a tidy 2nd hand disc mower. I was looking all along at a 7 foot one and clean ones are making around €3k however I've seen a good few 5'6'' one for around €1,200. I'm now thinking of going for the smaller one as it will have less work done as it's not feasible for contractor work, it'll be less stressed due to it's smaller size and it'll put less stress on my new(to me:D) case 1394.
A few questions though:
How many acres will a 7' cut per hour?
How many acres will a 5'6'' cut per hour?
I'll be cutting 30 acres per year so this will tell me how many extra hours I'll be up on the tractor to save my €1,800...
What makes would people recommend- I've seen a Kuhn & a vicon...
Anything to look out for in a 2nd hand one?

reilig

locky76 wrote: »

I've been looking at buying a tidy 2nd hand disc mower. I was looking all along at a 7 foot one and clean ones are making around €3k however I've seen a good few 5'6'' one for around €1,200. I'm now thinking of going for the smaller one as it will have less work done as it's not feasible for contractor work, it'll be less stressed due to it's smaller size and it'll put less stress on my new(to me:D) case 1394.
A few questions though:
How many acres will a 7' cut per hour?
How many acres will a 5'6'' cut per hour?
I'll be cutting 30 acres per year so this will tell me how many extra hours I'll be up on the tractor to save my €1,800...
What makes would people recommend- I've seen a Kuhn & a vicon...
Anything to look out for in a 2nd hand one?

For 30 acres, buy the smaller one. The extra price for the bigger one isn't justified.

Kuhn all the way!

Rovi

The 7' mower is 27% longer than the 5'6" one, so all else being equal, it'll take 27% more time to mow the same area.
You'll likely be able to go a little faster with the narrower mower, but that advantage will be compromised somewhat by the 27% extra idle time turning on headlands.
This is all very variable though, and will depend a lot on operator expertise and the practical limits on how fast you can actually go and retain control and not destroy stuff.

I'd guesstimate it'd take 20-30% longer with the smaller mower for any given crop/area.

Basically, if it takes you 10 hours to mow your 30 acres with the big mower, it'll take 12-13 with the smaller one.

locky76

Rovi wrote: »

The 7' mower is 27% longer than the 5'6" one, so all else being equal, it'll take 27% more time to mow the same area.
You'll likely be able to go a little faster with the narrower mower, but that advantage will be compromised somewhat by the 27% extra idle time turning on headlands.
This is all very variable though, and will depend a lot on operator expertise and the practical limits on how fast you can actually go and retain control and not destroy stuff.

I'd guesstimate it'd take 20-30% longer with the smaller mower for any given crop/area.

Basically, if it takes you 10 hours to mow your 30 acres with the big mower, it'll take 12-13 with the smaller one.

nice rationale Rovi, so even if it took 5 hours extra and with a 5 year write off of the mower, I.e. 25 hours extra to save €1,800 is €72 per hour... My mind is made up:D

Rovi

You could always get a Krone Big M 500 and do it in an hour or so

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2b5fBxlT9Q

jimmy G M

The thing I don't like about a 5 ft 6 mower is that the tractor wheel will be going along the track laid down by the tractor on the previous round. With a wider machine the wheel will run beside the previous track.

Might be an issue in wetter ground / when topping / considering the summers we had the last few years.

loveta

jimmy G M beat me to it you will be driving on the same ground twice with the 5'6" one and in wet times its a disaster i know i had one, bought a new kuhn in the mid 00s "gmd66 model 8' width" great job esp on wet ground. personally i would not buy a 2nd hand one you wont be long till your out the extra you save on a new one if your buying someone else s problems.Also buy a top service bed easy to work on if you hit something. If i was to go out to buy one in the morning i would buy keverneland dont think there is a better put together mower on the market

Tomjim

Does a 5"6 sward cut for silage have to be rowed up for the baler or can it be baled from the sward

Figerty

loveta wrote: »

jimmy G M beat me to it you will be driving on the same ground twice with the 5'6" one and in wet times its a disaster i know i had one, bought a new kuhn in the mid 00s "gmd66 model 8' width" great job esp on wet ground. personally i would not buy a 2nd hand one you wont be long till your out the extra you save on a new one if your buying someone else s problems.Also buy a top service bed easy to work on if you hit something. If i was to go out to buy one in the morning i would buy keverneland dont think there is a better put together mower on the market

I have a 5'6 Lely and it couldn't be used last year, but then again there was damage done by every mower last year. It's a good point about driving over your own tracks. But, that said, I hope we never see a year like last year again.

Rovi

jimmy G M wrote: »

The thing I don't like about a 5 ft 6 mower is that the tractor wheel will be going along the track laid down by the tractor on the previous round. With a wider machine the wheel will run beside the previous track.

Might be an issue in wetter ground / when topping / considering the summers we had the last few years.

Indeed, hadn't thought of that issue.

sea12

I have a Kuhn 5'6. Bought it second hand. Find it a great machine. It is slow in big fields or it seems that way. But it is still quicker than waiting for the contractor to come.

ABlur

Anyone have a Krone and would you rate it?

Tomjim

Tomjim wrote: »

Does a 5"6 sward cut for silage have to be rowed up for the baler or can it be baled from the sward

anyone know

larthehar

Tomjim wrote: »

anyone know

In any case for the sake of wilting, it needs a shake.

pajero12

Although I can't fault Rovi's logic, realistically, the larger mower will be alot quicker, we changed from a 5ft6 to a 7ft6 a few years ago, and the bigger mower at least a 3rd quicker.

And as for the baler question, as the baler pick up is wider than the swath so it won't pick up just one cleanly,and when the bale is ejected it'll catch the tractor and baler on the next swath, I have baled out of a non conditioned 7ft6 swath and it was grand, nice even flow into the baler, I'd rather bale a 7ft6 swath than one that has been run through a haybob. Left a field after the first round because a lad wouldn't rake after mowing, left the swaths on the ground as they were after the PZ, Frankly this lad wasn't worth the hassle, Took an age to get money out of him!

tabby aspreme

Have a 5'6" vicon for years, great mower, cuts three acres / hour which is a bit slow for topping but usually a day quicker than getting a contractor, I would throw 3 or 4 swards togather for baleing

Damo810

I'm guessing you'll be doing topping as well? Otherwise you could get a 5'6" drum mower brand new for the price of a second hand disc mower. Haybob could be picked up handy enough for tedding and rowing in..

Dozer1

I've been tempted the last year or 2 to upgrade the mower from 5ft6.
one question I have is how well does a haybob work when rowing ups from grass cut with a 7ft 6 mower.

Normally I cut in the afternoon/evening and row up the following day.
the haybob has no bother putting 2 5ft6 rows together but if the swarths are further apart is it a bit of a mess?

case956tom

Dozer1 wrote: »

I've been tempted the last year or 2 to upgrade the mower from 5ft6.
one question I have is how well does a haybob work when rowing ups from grass cut with a 7ft 6 mower.

Normally I cut in the afternoon/evening and row up the following day.
the haybob has no bother putting 2 5ft6 rows together but if the swarths are further apart is it a bit of a mess?

i used to have a 5'6" mower changed it to a 7', with a 3m tedder it was too narrow always left a bit of the second row behind,with a 7'6" mower it will be more likely half of the second row.i changed my tedder to a 6m machine no probs i can do the same area in about a 1/3 of the time will never go back to a 3m machine.

F.D

I would'nt look at anything smaller than an 8ft mower nowadays with the price of diesel, 60hp up wards will drive them when there is no conditioner, with it mowed out on the flat all your going to row up is the width of the haybob anyway, plus if you use it for topping your covering ground quick too

loveta

F.D wrote: »

I would'nt look at anything smaller than an 8ft mower nowadays with the price of diesel, 60hp up wards will drive them when there is no conditioner, with it mowed out on the flat all your going to row up is the width of the haybob anyway, plus if you use it for topping your covering ground quick too

Only problem with that small of tractor is the mower will pull the tractor into the uncut ground esp on hilly ground but defo for speed and tender ground 8ft is the way to go

locky76

F.D wrote: »

I would'nt look at anything smaller than an 8ft mower nowadays with the price of diesel, 60hp up wards will drive them when there is no conditioner, with it mowed out on the flat all your going to row up is the width of the haybob anyway, plus if you use it for topping your covering ground quick too

it's quicker alright but if I'm only cutting 30 acres per annum is it worth the extra €3k for a second hand one?
Also if buying 2nd hand the 8 foot is likely to have more work done/more hardship seen than a 5'6'' one...

loveta

locky76 wrote: »

it's quicker alright but if I'm only cutting 30 acres per annum is it worth the extra €3k for a second hand one?
Also if buying 2nd hand the 8 foot is likely to have more work done/more hardship seen than a 5'6'' one...

I can see where your coming from and every one knows there own financial capacity but i done what your thinking of doing in the early 00s bought a 2nd hand 5'6" disc looked clean and all the rest "broke my f@#king heart"...and my pocket never would have considered buying new but did because i was so fed up being let down by the old one, have the new one 9years and there is at least another nine in it.Now divide it say 15 into the price of a new one its not so bad and ya still will prob get a few quid for it then if it is minded.