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NH 479 rebuild or replace?

J

joepa

Member
I've been pondering on this or a while. I have a Decent 479 that does a fair job. Knives are sharp, guards are a little worn. My hay is mixed grasses (brome, orchard, etc). With the way the weather has been getting the thick stuff to dry before cutting is impossible. About every 100 feet or so I have a knife plugging, leaving streaks.
Talking to others I'm thinking about putting on shorter stub guards and all new knives. Pricing at the NH dealer for new guards, knives, etc I'm going to have more invested than I paid for the machine lol
A discbine would be great but cost vs acreage is hard to justify.
Thoughts??
 
I'd seriously consider rebuilding your old machine if there are no major issues such as roll condition. Sure disc units are nice and productive but as you say they are expensive new and a gamble used when looking at the dealership. If you knew somebody that you trust who was selling their disc machine and you knew the reason then that might be a reason to go disc. I replaced a 469 that had many issues which made rebuilding impractical short of a suitable parts donor machine. I bought a pretty good Deere 1219 for 1600 dollars. As to your knife plugging worn guards can lead to that problem. Before undertaking a rebuild make sure the header is straight, the wobble assembly is tight, and the rolls are not extensively worn or have bald spots. If those three areas have issues then it might be best to move on to something else. Maybe another 479 and keep the old machine for parts. 1500 to 2000 dollars should be you a pretty good 479 whereas the same money would only buy you a worn 489 or a junker disc mower-conditioner.
 
Check your reel pitch also , might be able to slide it forward which brings it down also , I believe. New knives and guards should help and at least you know the machine. Also check the length on your reel teeth , a machine that old has seen some use .
 
All I'll toss in is that I change knives,guards and hold downs on my Hesston every two years. Works like brand new every time I do it.
 
Thanks for the input! The rolls are so so...Their are some bald spots. But they've fed well for the last 5 years that I've had it. Haven't had them plug up since I got the reel adjusted right.
The header seems to be straight, I did have to do some squaring and welding after I got it. I'm thinking someone caught the edge of the machine on a tree or something and tweaked it.
Never had any trouble with the wobble box.
OEM knives and guards still the best route to go?
 

Others have given good advice on condition of rollers and adjustments. If you decide to work on blade and guards I would do the math, i.e., I would compare the cost of a new blade assembly with the cost of new knives. This would give you a new cutter bar(if my terminology is correct)with a new bushing that would ride tighter in your new guards. Also you would have an extra blade if you don't already have one. Also, I was always a great believer in taking the side grinder and sharpening the knives occasionally.

Never had any dealings with aftermarket guards and can't advise there.

KEH
 
I had the regular guards on my JD1209 when I got it. I have heavy grass hay and always had trouble plugging. Most of the gys in my area that still use sickles use the short "non glog" guards. I also use JD adjustable tops on about every other guard. That way you can keep the knif down on the guards.
 
Here's what I learned to do with my 469: pull the knife and sharpen or replace the knife sections. At that time, make sure the square groove in the guards that the knife rides in is clear of any built up grass. This pushes the knife up and creates a gap. Also, replace the hold downs if needed. You may want to replace the small bearing in the bottom of the wobble assembly. Mine was shot and the knife motion was sloppy, which wore out the knife bushings fast and caused poor cutting too.
 

I have the same issues as the OP. When I have streaks and clogging it's almost always due to a guard tip that caught a rock or ledge of a section that loose. I tend to replace all the guards every couple years and the entire knife halfway trough the season. A new knife head bushing at $16.00 is cheap insurance. I've also found that as the haybine age the seats for the hold downs rot away. Sometimes this makes it hard to get things lined up right. A little creative work with washers can fix that.

In wet fine grass or 2nd cut the stud guards shine. But you ahve to choose where you use them. They don't handle stony or rocky ground well if you like to run the machine for a close cut. If you can run it higher, especially in first cut, you won't lose much and your cutting edges last a lot longer. They don't clog much at all, if ever. But when they get banged up, they don't cut at all.

I got a worn out 488 here that I'm redoing with stub guards. But I'm marking my ledge and stones this spring! A little flagging might save me a lot of trouble.
 
I have a NH 489 with stub guards iv had it 9 years and its
never plugged the knives. However cutting really tall reed
canary grass, it got wrapped up around the rolls! I got the
mower in West Winfield for a pretty good price. If I remember
right you were out in western NY?
 
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