lastcowboy32
Well-known Member
I recently tuned up an old Hesston 1070 that was an auction find for a few hundred bucks. Overall, if you look at the paint, chassis, conditioning rolls, cutterbar and sections...you'd think that it hadn't mowed much hay in its lifetime.
If you look at the reel, though, you'd think otherwise. The reel is missing quite a few teeth. The bumper bar in front of the reel has a tell-tale wrinkle in it that says that it's been straightened.
I made some hay with it yesterday.
Pros?
I like the way that it pulls, the chassis is heavily built, but it's balanced on nice wide tires. I was pulling it around with a little Jinma 284 (28 horse) and mowing some six foot tall canary grass without much effort.
Damn thing seems to avoid plugging. Maybe because it has stub guards on it? I've never used them before.
I like the design and accessibility of the wobble drive. It's up out of the grass and more accessible for maintenance/repair than, say...a NH 467 or 477.
It has a lot of lift/lower travel. Very nice for when you want to lift it up to drive over previously mown hay. Even with the low tongue connection on the Jinma tractor, I was able to lift the mower above obstacles or swaths.
Cons?
Not sure if I like the reel being a chain drive. I ended up replacing the chain. The old one was worn/stretched. I also think that this could cause systemic issues over the long haul..as in..belts slip...chains break. Also, there is no "give" for the reel. Damn thing seems to eat reel teeth. It even broke a few of the ones that I replaced. Any tips on that? Maybe something is out of adjustment?
The stubble is rougher than I would like. Could that be an issue with using stub gaurds? They do seem to prevent plugging, but I don't seem to get a good overall cut, even with good/sharp sections.
If you look at the reel, though, you'd think otherwise. The reel is missing quite a few teeth. The bumper bar in front of the reel has a tell-tale wrinkle in it that says that it's been straightened.
I made some hay with it yesterday.
Pros?
I like the way that it pulls, the chassis is heavily built, but it's balanced on nice wide tires. I was pulling it around with a little Jinma 284 (28 horse) and mowing some six foot tall canary grass without much effort.
Damn thing seems to avoid plugging. Maybe because it has stub guards on it? I've never used them before.
I like the design and accessibility of the wobble drive. It's up out of the grass and more accessible for maintenance/repair than, say...a NH 467 or 477.
It has a lot of lift/lower travel. Very nice for when you want to lift it up to drive over previously mown hay. Even with the low tongue connection on the Jinma tractor, I was able to lift the mower above obstacles or swaths.
Cons?
Not sure if I like the reel being a chain drive. I ended up replacing the chain. The old one was worn/stretched. I also think that this could cause systemic issues over the long haul..as in..belts slip...chains break. Also, there is no "give" for the reel. Damn thing seems to eat reel teeth. It even broke a few of the ones that I replaced. Any tips on that? Maybe something is out of adjustment?
The stubble is rougher than I would like. Could that be an issue with using stub gaurds? They do seem to prevent plugging, but I don't seem to get a good overall cut, even with good/sharp sections.