New Disc Mower Advice

GardenMan1981

Hi Folks,
Thought I'd ask regarding new disc mowers as I'm thinking about replacing an old Lely disc mower (Optimo 165, 5' Disc Mower) we use to cut paddocks and a small number of meadows for bales.

I'm currently considering in the following order :

1# Marangon
2# Malone
3# Krone
4# Khun
5# Lely

Does anyone have any experience with my top two choices (Marangon,Malone) .

Looking forward to your views.

studdlymurphy

Have the 2m 6.5ft krone from start of this season had a 5.5ft drum mower before that. If i was doing it again id go for the 8ft. Its a well built machine and very well engineered. Shop around the price differences are crazy

Reggie.

studdlymurphy wrote: »

Have the 2m 6.5ft krone from start of this season had a 5.5ft drum mower before that. If i was doing it again id go for the 8ft. Its a well built machine and very well engineered. Shop around the price differences are crazy

Yeah I know a fella that bought a major 8ft mower at start of the year. It gave trouble so he returned it and bought a krone activmow 8ft instead. It was about €1500 dearer but he claims there is no comparison. Krone was miles ahead.

Major and Malone would be identical mowers

Reggie.

GardenMan1981 wrote: »

Hi Folks,
Thought I'd ask regarding new disc mowers as I'm thinking about replacing an old Lely disc mower (Optimo 165, 5' Disc Mower) we use to cut paddocks and a small number of meadows for bales.

I'm currently considering in the following order :

1# Marangon
2# Malone
3# Krone
4# Khun
5# Lely

Does anyone have any experience with my top two choices (Marangon,Malone) .

Looking forward to your views.

Marangon mowers are cheap. Heard from operators that they are good and bad. Hard one to judge

Lely mowers are no longer produced since agco took them over. Just so your aware

I think someone here once mentioned there is an issue with the new Kuhn beds. In order to cut cleanly it has to be angled down very steep. Could be a bad job if ya hit anything

GardenMan1981

Thanks for all the good advice. Purchased an 8ft Kuhn today and I'm very happy with it.
Very well engineered machine.

jimmy G M

GardenMan1981 wrote: »

Thanks for all the good advice. Purchased an 8ft Kuhn today and I'm very happy with it.
Very well engineered machine.

Good call. Krone or Kuhn would be m preference as well. New or second hand?

I'm in the market for a disc mower as well, however may well leave it till next year at this stage.

Reggie.

GardenMan1981 wrote: »

Thanks for all the good advice. Purchased an 8ft Kuhn today and I'm very happy with it.
Very well engineered machine.

Didn't take ya long

studdlymurphy

Well wear!

Who2

I’ve a maragon. Pure scrap I’d never buy one again.

Dakota Dan

Who2 wrote: »

I’ve a maragon. Pure scrap I’d never buy one again.

I can second that. Bought from new and started giving trouble from day 1, ended up in the scrap heap. Op you were lucky you bought a Kuhn.

Robson99

Have a Malone here and cant really fault it. Has skids for topping as well.
Only negative that the heel can drag grass at corners but other than than no problems

Reggie.

Robson99 wrote: »

Have a Malone here and cant really fault it. Has skids for topping as well.
Only negative that the heel can drag grass at corners but other than than no problems

I think they all do that in fairness

Robson99

Reggie. wrote: »

I think they all do that in fairness

Dont think the krone are as bad at it

Reggie.

Robson99 wrote: »

Dont think the kroner are as bad at it

No but I think in heavy crops it catches at the disc nearest the gearbox

farawaygrass

Bit of topic maybe but still mower related. How to get manage taking a turn while cutting around the field the first few times? I seem to loose the shape of the corner and have a heel sticking out so to speak. Haven’t mastered it yet

Dakota Dan

farawaygrass wrote: »

Bit of topic maybe but still mower related. How to get manage taking a turn while cutting around the field the first few times? I seem to loose the shape of the corner and have a heel sticking out so to speak. Haven’t mastered it yet

Are you talking about a mounted or trailed mower? With a mounted mower you have to reverse at the corners after the first round.

Reggie.

farawaygrass wrote: »

Bit of topic maybe but still mower related. How to get manage taking a turn while cutting around the field the first few times? I seem to loose the shape of the corner and have a heel sticking out so to speak. Haven’t mastered it yet

You mean the curve will turn into a point

rushvalley

farawaygrass wrote: »

Bit of topic maybe but still mower related. How to get manage taking a turn while cutting around the field the first few times? I seem to loose the shape of the corner and have a heel sticking out so to speak. Haven’t mastered it yet

Cut across the corner at an angle to take the point out of it until you make it nice and round again. (Imagine cutting the corner of a sheet of paper off with a scissors)

To stop the corner turning into a point again you have to turn in tight and just barely drive over the uncut grass with the wheel of the tractor and then let the tractor drift out wide so that you are cutting straight across the corner instead of around in a sort of semi- circle

Hope you understand that, its easier show how its done than explain it

farawaygrass

rushvalley wrote: »

Cut across the corner at an angle to take the point out of it until you make it nice and round again. (Imagine cutting the corner of a sheet of paper off with a scissors)

To stop the corner turning into a point again you have to turn in tight and just barely drive over the uncut grass with the wheel of the tractor and then let the tractor drift out wide so that you are cutting straight across the corner instead of around in a sort of semi- circle

Hope you understand that, its easier show how its done than explain it

Ya I’m on about mounted Dakota dan. Ya someone else told me that today reggie. Rushvalley, I kinda get ya, but could you do 5 of 6 rounds of a field without it turning into a point?

rushvalley

farawaygrass wrote: »

Ya I’m on about mounted Dakota dan. Ya someone else told me that today reggie. Rushvalley, I kinda get ya, but could you do 5 of 6 rounds of a field without it turning into a point?

Could do a whole field without pointing it if you mind the corners right but yeah should be able to do 5 or 6 no bother

Say my name

These mowers are reviewed in Profi magazine this month.
https://www.farmgear.co.nz/maxam/
Field test was done and it got the crop into the mid 40's dry matter compared to the traditional mower conditioners in the low 30's.

Seemingly available in the U.K. now.

Reggie.

Say my name wrote: »

These mowers are reviewed in Profi magazine this month.
https://www.farmgear.co.nz/maxam/
Field test was done and it got the crop into the mid 40's dry matter compared to the traditional mower conditioners in the low 30's.

Seemingly available in the U.K. now.

Couldn't see it replacing the conditioner mower tho

farawaygrass

rushvalley wrote: »

Cut across the corner at an angle to take the point out of it until you make it nice and round again. (Imagine cutting the corner of a sheet of paper off with a scissors)

To stop the corner turning into a point again you have to turn in tight and just barely drive over the uncut grass with the wheel of the tractor and then let the tractor drift out wide so that you are cutting straight across the corner instead of around in a sort of semi- circle

Hope you understand that, its easier show how its done than explain it

Are you talking about the back wheel of the tractor?

Say my name

Reggie. wrote: »

Couldn't see it replacing the conditioner mower tho

It's a farmers machine no doubt not a contractors.
It'd come into it's own in a wet year with small cutting windows. That and the topping.
Or glas for spreading back out seed from a standing crop.

kevthegaff

Let's say I buy a 10 ft lune with no conditioner, can I not cut my 1st cut with it?

Reggie.

kevthegaff wrote: »

Let's say I buy a 10 ft lune with no conditioner, can I not cut my 21st cut with it?

21st cut

kevthegaff

Probably about right as I'm farming 10 yrs!

studdlymurphy

kevthegaff wrote:

Let's say I buy a 10 ft lune with no conditioner, can I not cut my 1st cut with it?

How do you mean? As it would be too heavy a crop? You would be fine id say what tractor running it how many horses?