Welcome! Please use the navigational links to explore our website.
PartsASAP LogoCompany Logo Auction Link (800) 853-2651

Shop Now

   Allis Chalmers Case Farmall IH Ford 8N,9N,2N Ford
   Ferguson John Deere Massey Ferguson Minn. Moline Oliver

Combines & Harvesters Discussion Forum

Swathing oats? Need info.

Welcome Guest, Log in or Register
Author 
Tim(nj)

11-24-2004 17:32:57




Report to Moderator

This is a practice I know is common in some areas, but was never done here. Oats are direct cut in this area, and in most years it works fine. However, the past couple years I"ve had real trouble with annual grass and ragweed in the oats. Swathing would dry this stuff out before running it through the combine, giving me a grain bin full of oats and not oats mixed with green stuff, right? Swathers do not exist in this area, and neither do pickup units on dummy heads. Could I make a swather by using an old 12" Haybine with rollers removed? Would pickup guards on 6" spacing in conjunction with a pickup reel lift the swath into the regular grain platform? I could get a dummy with pickup for either the E or the K2 from Worthingtons, but trucking cost would be prohibitive, especially since I"d only need it for 20 acres of oats.

[Log in to Reply]   [No Email]
Canadian Ken

11-28-2004 17:05:45




Report to Moderator
 Re: Swathing oats? Need info. in reply to Tim(nj), 11-24-2004 17:32:57  
Tim, I'm guessing you are in New Jersey. Why don't you check in eastern Ontario or Quebec. I am pretty sure there are swathers there. They would be a lot closer than Minnesota to buy. We have swathed for years in southern Ontario, starting with a Owatonna,then MF 34, MF 36 and now a MF 785, 12 foot.
Ken



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
KIP

11-26-2004 18:59:58




Report to Moderator
 Re: Swathing oats? Need info. in reply to Tim(nj), 11-24-2004 17:32:57  
We used a Hesston 500 with the roller springs backed off. Worked good.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Dick2

11-26-2004 15:11:53




Report to Moderator
 Re: Swathing oats? Need info. in reply to Tim(nj), 11-24-2004 17:32:57  
We always swathed oats in ND with a 12ft. puu-type JD swather. You might be able to find one of those around somewhere cheap. While other people let their oats get pretty ripe before swathing, we always swathed them pretty green - anywhere from 25 - 50% ripe and let them dry and cure in the swath. Doing it that way, we always had the highest test weight oats around. I think that the Haybine would shell out too many oats, even if they were pretty green.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
JMS/MN

11-25-2004 17:14:01




Report to Moderator
 Re: Swathing oats? Need info. in reply to Tim(nj), 11-24-2004 17:32:57  
Paul is right in regard to removing the rolls. They are needed to throw the material into a swath. But...I have used my NI 5209 to cut barley. All spring pressure must be backed off and if possible to force a bit of space between the rolls, that would be good. Must maintain enough closeness to grab the material. Also cut early morning when there is dew on the crop. Will lose very little grain if you cut slightly immature, rather than dead ripe. Also, a grain binder can be used as a swather. You need to remove the bundle arm so the material is not held for tying. One bolt on the old IH machines. We used that many years at home before we bought a PT swather. 800 JD swather is a nice machine for cutting grain too.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
AllanC

11-24-2004 21:04:51




Report to Moderator
 Re: Swathing oats? Need info. in reply to Tim(nj), 11-24-2004 17:32:57  
Swathing is standard practice up here in the frozen North (Can). and I've wondered a few timed if youe idea of closely spaced puckup guards might work. Here pickups are plentiful and cheap so I don't know of anyone trying it. The haybine idea should work if you can set the chute to make a fairly narrow, thick swath.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Tex Aggie

12-10-2004 22:27:04




Report to Moderator
 Re: Swathing oats? Need info. in reply to AllanC, 11-24-2004 21:04:51  
I am in central Texas, in the largest oats producing county. It is kind of weird to think about oats here. We got an ol Monroe pick up attachment that we made onto an old header we found in a pasture in good shape for $200. It works good, but may need to be one belt wider. We use a 24' Hesston windrower. You can find windrowers pretty cheap, but for your acreage cutting it off the stalk would be easiest and cheapest. Converted haycutter wouldn't be the best alternative due to shattering, and the oats wouldn't lay right in the windrow.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
paul

11-25-2004 00:25:28




Report to Moderator
 Re: Swathing oats? Need info. in reply to AllanC, 11-24-2004 21:04:51  
I can't imagine trying to feed 20 acres of oats through a header by just 'pushing' it in. Yikes! :)

As to the haybine, if you take out the rolls, there is nothing to drive the crop through the chute any more? And if you leave the rolls in, there will be nothing to combine any more. Not sure how to make it make a swath. A draper swather will make a swath where the heads of the grain are centered & lifted up on top of the previous straw. Dries nicely, feeds well into the combine.

Most miserable stuff is if you need to siderake it or something, just will not dry well, nor feed into the pickup.

We swath most all here in southern MN, and I just can't imagine good results with either idea. I'd hold more hope for the haybine, but there would be some major issues.....

--->Paul

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Tim(nj)

11-25-2004 10:13:42




Report to Moderator
 Re: Swathing oats? Need info. in reply to paul, 11-25-2004 00:25:28  
Paul, since you"d probably know, what kind of PT swather should I look for then? On Ironsearch, everything is big, like 25+ feet. I wouldn"t think in our typical conditions I"d want to swath more than 12". The little Gleaners just couldn"t handle more than that yield-wise. Is Minnesota a place to start looking? Local machinery jockies haul from there sometimes, might be able to hitch a ride for a little swather on one of their trailers . . . .

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
paul

11-25-2004 20:35:22




Report to Moderator
 Re: Swathing oats? Need info. in reply to Tim(nj), 11-25-2004 10:13:42  
Everyone is self-propelled swathers now, rare to see a pull type any more. In my part of the state, mid- southern Minnesota.

JD 800, several models powered by Ford engines (Versitle?), Owattonna mostly with Wisconsin motors. These are in the 10 - 14' width.

I agree 10' would be good for the little combine - could get by with 12' I suppose.

--->Paul



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Tim(nj)

11-25-2004 20:50:41




Report to Moderator
 Re: Swathing oats? Need info. in reply to paul, 11-25-2004 20:35:22  
I was just on Ironsearch again and there is a dealer in Minnesota (can"t remember who right now) that has a little 3-wheel SP Owatonna with an 8 foot draper for $350. The thing looks ancient (V4 Wisconsin powered) but well-preserved. Too bad it"s not a 10, don"t think 8 foot would work well with the 10" platforms on my combines (unless I can find an 8" pickup?) Probably would cost me $1000 to get it here, though. Maybe some farm-engineered solution is in order.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
paul

11-26-2004 09:14:02




Report to Moderator
 Re: Swathing oats? Need info. in reply to Tim(nj), 11-25-2004 20:50:41  
I have an ancient 10 foot Owatonna sp swather, it came with a Wisconsin 2 cyl, dad upgraded it to a Wisconsin 4. All lever controls, no hyd. This thing is so old I can't find a serial plate, it may be about the oldest sp swather still running.... Owatanna is a little hard to find parts for the old machines these days, tho they are so simple it's only the clutch packs to worry about, otherwise get the welder & fix.... ;)

I have a 13 foot dummy head on my Gleaner F2 combine.

A little tuchy starting the field next to a corn field, but it works fine, been swathing & combining 20-30 acres of oats & wheat for decades like this.

Wouldn't mind finding a 12 foot swather tho....

--->Paul

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
JMS/MN

11-26-2004 17:22:37




Report to Moderator
 Re: Swathing oats? Need info. in reply to paul, 11-26-2004 09:14:02  
Would you be interested in a JD 800 14 foot with an extra 12 foot machine to go with it? 12 foot head is in better shape than the original 14 footer. 12 footer is a parts machine, and should have a good planetary to replace the bad one on the 14 footer.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
John Schluter

12-26-2005 22:31:35




Report to Moderator
 Re: Swather in reply to JMS/MN, 11-26-2004 17:22:37  
Did you say you have a swather for sell? How much?



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Ian Cameron 2

09-18-2005 21:04:08




Report to Moderator
 Re: Swathing oats? Need info. in reply to JMS/MN, 11-26-2004 17:22:37  
do you have one good draper from your jd 800 swather that you would like to sell me. if so please reply with a price. thanks Ian



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
paul

11-27-2004 14:13:25




Report to Moderator
 Re: Swathing oats? Need info. in reply to JMS/MN, 11-26-2004 17:22:37  
Think I saw you mention that a few weeks ago to someone else, should talk it over with you.... Forget how far away you are again.

--->Paul



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
JMS/MN

11-28-2004 12:38:52




Report to Moderator
 Re: Swathing oats? Need info. in reply to paul, 11-27-2004 14:13:25  
90 north.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
[Options]  [Printer Friendly]  [Posting Help]  [Return to Forum]   [Log in to Reply]

Hop to:


TRACTOR PARTS TRACTOR MANUALS
We sell tractor parts!  We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]

Home  |  Forums


Copyright © 1997-2023 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy

TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters

Website Accessibility Policy