JD #32 conditioner question

WellWorn

Member
I saw one for sale t'other day but it seems the owner wasn't home at the time, so couldn't get answers. It wears some newer paint along with a sticker that says "1000 rpm pto only". Thing is, it has a 540 spline connector. Hmm.

I get it that it should be run fast, and the tractor in a low gear, but isn't this machine a bit old for a fast pto? Or did the owner put a 540 connector on it because it's all the tractor he has?

Anyone out there who can straighten out the confusion as to what RPM pto this requires?

Thanks,
Well Worn
 
Most of those John Deere conditioners came with a 1000 shaft but ran at 540. They were designed to hook up behind the 37, 38 and 39 sickle mowers that were equipped with a 1000 splined shaft sticking out the back of the mowers main drive pulley.I have a 38 and a 39 mower and a friend has a 37.... and they all have the same 1000 shaft out the back, but the end that hooks to the tractor on the mower is 540 on all of them. I would try yours on 540 and see how it works, but I bet it would be just fine.
 
Well, everyone is right. I went back and looked it over again.

On the right side of the gear box, right on the casting is:
540 ---> (arrow toward tractor)

On the back side of the gear box, right on the casting, upside down, is:
1000 ---> (toward roll drive sprocket)

Yup, to change input speeds, you unbolt and flip the gear box. Seems it's designed to run at 770 rpm on the output of the gearbox, whichever input you have available.

It looked to be ok, fresh grease on every fitting I saw and the price seemed right, so it came home. It didn't have swathing boards, but that didn't seem to be a big deal. I even ran a pass around the field of hay I cut yesterday, but got it wound up, and then I realized that the drive (left) side lower roll bearing was shot. Still a pretty good deal.

Now if someone can tell me what causes them to 'wrap'?
 
I never had a Deere, but the NH I had just wrapped and wrapped and wrapped. Never could get it to go more than 100 feet with out wrapping or busting a shear bolt. Junked it.
 
Bret, a neighbor has a New Idea conditioner, and it seems to work fine for them. An elder cousin had an orange one, possibly A-C, that had a long pipe wrench that rode on it all season. He wouldn't let any of us "kids" (not even my older cousins) run the conditioner because it was tempermental, so I don't know how often the pipe wrench got used. I helped him replace roll bearings on it probably 35 years ago - he and it are long gone.

The stuff I tried to condition yesterday ranges from 2' to 6' tall (lower, wetter end of the field is short), and the stuff wound first seemed pretty fine. Does grass texture or length have anything to do with it? On a second pass I upped the ground speed a bit, but also didn't have the bad bearing side low enough to pick up grass, and it seemed to be better.

I'm all for using the scientific method, but I'd rather not have to "discover the wheel" about how these things work best when there is a good probability someone here has put several thousand acres over the course of years through one of these things
 
Amazing how the universe works.

I left the last post, went back to the forum, and this thread was right below my question(s): http://forums.yesterdaystractors.com/viewtopic.php?t=1142479

Seems an appropriate (higher) ground speed is one of the keys.

:D
 
We've got a new idea crimper that we use from time to time to save hay that was cut with our haybine. We'll run it after a rain or if it just isn't drying down, like some guys run a tedder .

For that purpose, it hardly ever seems to clog. Works good to fluff the hay up too. Only used as a last ditch effort on really bad wet years

Donovan from Wisconsin
 
(quoted from post at 13:07:12 06/23/14) I have the operator"s manual scanned in pdf format
if you need it.
Pete, that would be greatly appreciated if you could and would. g(dot)farmer(dot)edu(at)g mail will get it here.
 

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