Trailer or mounted rear mowers?

[geoffscott]

Looking at a new mower... got too much to do for the old hack next season... have been looking at some NZ made ones which do a crap job but are suited to the roughest work ever imaginable ( maxam - either 2.5 or 3.3 meter drum mowers ) or going to a european mower...

Trailed mowers appeal to me for some reason. They put less strain on the tractor.. but how do they perform year after year?

Might be going to put on a front mounted too.. but that will be in the future, when I get more than 140hp to drive it.

What are your views?

 

[Renze]

Disc mowers require less power than drum mowers.

Yes, mounted mowers put a lot of stress on the lifting system, i have heard of a Zetor 6340 breaking the main lift shaft (the one that connects both upper arms next to the lift cover) because of the torsion from the offset mounted mower.

The more when used in hills i could imagine that a trailed mower could ? be more stabile and put less stress on the tractor. But we dont have any hills around here so you should ask the English fellows around here.

 

[markku]

I did break the main axle, and one lower arm and 2 lifting rods with my Jf mower

 

[geoffscott]

the local JD dealer claims no 6000 series or newer JD has ever broken the 3pt linkage... hmmmmm...

 

[treaney]

We all know of people who can break iron - the one tool mechanic - the lump (2.5kg / 5 lb hammer) person!

Tom

 

[geoffscott]

hehe.. yeah... only 2.5Kg? I would be after something heavier.. After all, I am 6'8"...


Drum mowers seam more robust to me... might go for the Maxam... their so simple... one drum is slightly higher than the other to avoid timing clash issues, their driven by one big solid belt... They have a rudamentary conditioner ( called a "wilter" which scatters the grass nicely although does not crimp it particularly well..


And their about 1/3 the cost of a new 3.3meter euro mower

 

[markku]

And there is a steretype of finnish man, called "Jussi". This man can break everything. It is more efficent than 5 kg hammer. And they can even........................

Wait a minute!



That sounds like me :-x

Well that jf mower was quite a heavy. I had left tyre filled with water and I used 2 x extra weight kit on left wheel. That is why Im talking for trailed machines

 

[Renze]

Hmm... over here it's called rouwdouwer.... Also i know some persons like that...:-x ...worldwide common name for this type of person is "farmer" ... ha ha

Anyways, having wheel weights and water filled tires at teh same time, is quite extreme...


Kiwifarmer, if you would go contracting in Holland, with a mower with different cutting heights per drum, they would laugh at you... ???

 

[treaney]

Well hello little guy,

Only 6'8"...I am 6'10" and like the man from Brussels (i.e. full of muscles).

Tom

 

[geoffscott]

Kiwifarmer, if you would go contracting in Holland, with a mower with different cutting heights per drum, they would laugh at you... ???

they might laugh at me, but I know of one guy here in NZ who has cut 10,000ha with one, and only ever changed the blades and kept it greased, running it at up to 25Kmh over rough ground. They definatly are not the most clean cutting mower - they make no claims to that, but cutting that sort of area, at that speed ( its on a MF399 with a turbo ) and not really caring about how rough it is as long as his head is not hitting the roof, well, it shows just how tough the things are.

I still would _like_ a nice european bar or drum mower though.. Such a nice cut, much better engineered, and lower power requirments... but Im worried that in 3 years Im going to be replacing it with something else again anyway.

 

[geoffscott]

Well hello little guy,

Only 6'8"...I am 6'10" and like the man from Brussels (i.e. full of muscles).

Tom

the man from brussels was only 6'4"!!!!

I am 148Kg... played rep level rugby and also a couple of AB's B games at world cups.

Im just too slack when it come to training to be better

 

[Renze]

Ha ha... most farm internet communities know the "colour wars" between owners of red and green tractors that identify themself with the brand they buy.... On this board, it seems that there are other means of self-identification ???

Anyways, me and my oldest brother are both 1.95 to 2 meter tall and about 75 to 80 kg, so we were once known by the nick of "long intestines"


Anyways, the mowers:

Agrostroj Pelhrimov claims to have the best obststacle safety devices, and all elements can be replaced individually in case of deformation.
http://www.agrostroj.cz/english/zemedel-rot3.html
I have seena video on a dealers day, they hit a concrete post at 10 km/h and the mower survived....

 

[geoffscott]

Well I cant argue about red or green ( or orangeish either for that matter ) as I have MF, JD and Zetor and the others just aint worth owning

the concrete post... was that standing or lying? if its standing, then shit!... if its lying down, I have hit a total of 3 when mowing on farms I have never been on, and the only mower which was rendered unusuable by that was a Tarrup CM212. the other 2, a UFO and a MAXAM ( both made here in NZ, both belt drive and very similar in many ways ) survived - the maxam just needed the blades to be touched up with a file. The UFO needed all new blades...

And dont tell me I am rough. If you ask the farmer if the paddock is clean, then it has a concrete post in it, it really pisses me off!

 

[markku]

Only way keep those "suprices" out from field is do like i do nowdays. I had to begin charge full price of all damages what comes out if there is stones, concrete, stumps, wood, iron or something else at the field. When customers once pay totally repair for my mower, next time the field is clear of all rubbish.

And if the sield is like a mountain i will use send a bill of hours i used instead bales i made or hectares i mowed. Next time they seed new grass they will use harrow between plough and seeding.......

I dont know how your competitors do, but here nobody dont want break their expensive machines nowdays.

 

[geoffscott]

Well I am not really a contractor, I just do a little bit on the side for a few of the local farmers.

I charge by the hour - this past season with a 2.8 meter mo/co I was charging NZ$120 / hour. So the steep hills cost more. And produce less silage. But they still seam to like cutting them!

Breakages are charged to the customer by most contractors if its their fault, such as unmarked obsticles. If its my fault, then I pay. But for really good clients, the contractors tend to wear the damages.

 

[Renze]

Kiwifarmer, i believe it was more like a stone, about 20 cm above surface and 50 cm in diameter... The obstacle safety device worked very nice.

 

[geoffscott]

ok.. thats going to test the mower pretty well eh!

now I just have to find out if there are any in NZ and if so, how much!?!

 

[nwsutton]

For what my opion is worth I would go for trailer if going so large.
I've not used either myself but i help out as a mechanic for the contractor who owns our house and the mounted mower gave more trouble than any other implament last year with no end of bent and bashed guide boards etc then in the end the main arm of the mower broke off its mounting luggs and twisted itself all up. If you use it in a hilly area like where i am the guy who normaly uses it did tell me that you need a heavy tractor to avoid being tipped when turning on a side slope.
Just for the record they use J Deeres for their contracting, even running 24/7 in the summer, just changing drivers and they have next to no trouble with them. they have 7x 6920's and 1 7810 which they use for the mower.

 

[geoffscott]

My main concern with trailed is both the cost and the stability on hills... or more so, the ability to stay where their supposed to be, as on damp clover, I have seen them well out of line!

That being said maybe I should not be taking the tractor there either!