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Implement Alley Discussion Forum

opening field with hydro swing swather

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Hayfarmer

07-01-2007 09:18:33




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My book says to open field put it directly behind tractor and make round, then swing over to cut next round. Problem is tractor tires knock down hay so there are uncut lines in back swath. How do others do this? With the mower or regular swather I always cut the 1st 3 or 4 rounds, then cut the outer swath going the other direction. Have thought baout doing the same with the hydro swing but it is hard to guage the distance.

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johns48jdb

07-02-2007 13:57:26




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 Re: opening field with hydro swing swather in reply to Hayfarmer, 07-01-2007 09:18:33  
if your going to go back and cut the outside backwards i'd be tempted to cut it last, just in case you do drive up on something like an old well casing, but i want go into that. like they've said it will be in the shade longer and is usally full of weeds so cutting it last might not let it dry fast enough. of course you can always come back and bale it last too.



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RodInNS

07-02-2007 06:15:23




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 Re: opening field with hydro swing swather in reply to Hayfarmer, 07-01-2007 09:18:33  
I follow pretty much the same reasoning as Rick does. Just keep in mind that if you must cut hay you knocked down, cut in the opposite direction to which you drove it down. Most will be picked up.

Rod



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Don-Wi

07-02-2007 05:49:21




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 Re: opening field with hydro swing swather in reply to Hayfarmer, 07-01-2007 09:18:33  
I open it like I did with our old side pull haybine, I go in with the mower to the right of the tractor and after doing the inside rounds I go back and cut the outside round. May not be the way the manuls states to do it, but it sure works for me and it picks up just about all the knocked down alfalfa.

Donovan from Wisconsin



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Bluepaint

07-01-2007 21:13:19




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 Re: opening field with hydro swing swather in reply to Hayfarmer, 07-01-2007 09:18:33  
If the mower is behind you it's not gonna cut the trails cause it's going in the same direction as the grass is laid ,
If you put it to the side when you turn back you're gonna cut against the way it's laid and cut it better .



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Fern(Mi)

07-01-2007 19:09:57




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 Re: opening field with hydro swing swather in reply to Hayfarmer, 07-01-2007 09:18:33  
Using either a Hesston moco or the roco I swing it to the hard right side of my tractor. After first round, travel reversed driving mower against the downed crop, the moco or roco then cleans up 80% of just previously driven down crop. Grass comes up easier. Using the Hesston moco the far right end furthest from swivel wigwagged bar connections to cutter bar, the cutter knives are much easier replaced for hitting unseen obstructions lying low in crop. Fernan

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NEIADan

07-01-2007 17:20:49




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 Re: opening field with hydro swing swather in reply to Hayfarmer, 07-01-2007 09:18:33  
I rent most of my hay ground and much of it is bordered by trees and surprizes. I prefer to swing the haybine to the right just enough to clear the tractor tracks. I can then pay more attention to possible fallen tree limbs and low hanging branches or obstacles. It is amazing how much you can reveal in those tractor tracks under all that hay. On the reverse cut I can then swing the haybine to guide my outer edge while straddling that first cut windrow. I am not concerned if I have a full cut since that outer backswath is ussually weedier and posibly shaded for harder drying. 8 or 9 foot is plenty out there.

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johns48jdb

07-01-2007 16:14:56




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 Re: opening field with hydro swing swather in reply to Hayfarmer, 07-01-2007 09:18:33  
i use to cut a lot of sudax hay for people and they always got mad at me because i wouldn't go back and cut the first round. why? if you go back and try to cut backwards to pick up the hay the treads knock down you'll always miss some and the in a day or two when the guy rakes it, the rake will tear up hay that is by now trying to stand up again. putting green uncured hay into the first windrow. normally when you start bailing you'll set the baler on the first windrow. if you do it with green hay in it, the first thing you'll do is lossen up on the bales. by the time you make a round or two and get off and check the bales they'll be loose because there is no green hay in the bales futher out in the field. the best thing i ever did was to tell them to not plant sudax all the way over to the edge of the field. it doesn't grow well around the edges any way. the next thing is just have them bush hog it a few days before you cut it for hay. let them find the bees nest hanging out on a limb or the metal fence post that they forgot was there.

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barnrat

07-01-2007 11:01:36




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 Re: opening field with hydro swing swather in reply to Hayfarmer, 07-01-2007 09:18:33  
I have a hydro swing disc mower and I always open up the field with the machine directly behind me. Seems to me your gonna run over hay no mater where you set the machine. Also those sickle bar machines were never very good at cutting knocked down hay. The advantage of having the machine directly behind you when opening up the field is you can follow the outside edge better. Don't hafta worry so much about getting into fence posts, downed fence wire, bushes or trees either.

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RickB

07-01-2007 09:52:55




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 Re: opening field with hydro swing swather in reply to Hayfarmer, 07-01-2007 09:18:33  
Fields I know, I mow the backswath counterclockwise first with the tractor to the left of the mower. This gives fullwidth cuts. Fields I don't know I mow the first swath clockwise with the tractor offset to the left of the mower and next to the edge. THis allows me to find most obstructions by sight or feel without putting the mower at risk. Both methods allow the mower to come back against the direction of travel on the wheeltracks in the uncut crop.

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Cliff Neubauer

07-01-2007 15:13:26




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 Re: opening field with hydro swing swather in reply to RickB, 07-01-2007 09:52:55  
With our hydro swing disc conditioner I open fields up with the mower to the side and then mow the back swath from the opposite direction. I've tried mowing with the mower directly behind the tractor and it works okay sometimes but it mows alot cleaner mowing against the way the hay was leaned over by the tractor tires.



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