CIH disc mower/conditioners

Fordfarmer

Well-known Member
Made it through another year with my worn MacDon 7000. Pretty much have to update before next hay season. No big affinity for any particular brand... MacDon has been good for me, but no dealer anywhere near any more. New Holland would probably be my first choice.
THere area several C-IH discbines (NH trademark... I know...) fairly close on craigslist, an 8309 and a pair of 8312's. Whats the good, bad, and ugly on them? Guessing they're Hesstons with CIH red paint and stickers. The rubber on steel rolls OK? My Grandpa had a couple Hesstons, I was never impressed with their idea of conditioning (non-meshing rubber/steel). These CIH rolls mesh.
Just starting to look.
 
I have had a CIH 8312 for more than 20 years. Bought at auction. Now quite worn but it still does the job. If I could find another decent one, I would buy it in a minute. Made by Hesston. Mine has the 2 rubber rolls. I replaced most of the bearings under the turtles last year.
I also have a NH 1431. Stupid design of the cutterbar. Been broken more than mowing. My mechanic referred to it as job security.
 
As you suspect the 8309 and 8312 are identical to the Hesston models 1320 and 1340, respectively, and were built in the Hesston, KS factory. All parts are interchangeable so you could get support from either a CaseIH or AGCO dealer. These were stout machines and they shared a lot of design details with the self-propelled rotary headers. Between the two the 12-ft was a lot more popular since the 9-ft 8309/1320 was competing against the lighter-duty and therefore less expensive New Idea 5209 which was also sold as the CaseIH 3309. The non-intermeshing hay conditioner rolls that Hesston used in the early days had been replaced by sometime in the mid-80s by the intermeshing style which were available with rubber-on-steel or steel-on-steel configurations. Check the rubber rolls for excessive wear as this could effect the feeding in some crops. The only difference between the rubber-on-steel and steel-on-steel set-up is the roll itself so a rubber roll can be replaced by a steel one with no other changes to the machine necessary. This conditioner design is well-proven and is still in production today with the only change being a chevron lug design instead of a single-direction spiral.
 
This is good information. Thanks.
Besides the rolls, is there anything specific I should be looking for? How much h.p. do they need? I don't need to race, but I want to move right along. I have 2 85 h.p. tractors, one with a cab, one open, both with 2 remotes and 540/1000 PTO. From there, I jump up to 170 h.p. and 1000 rpm only.
 
I usually use a 1086 (135hp). Last couple years it has been hooked to the 966 (105hp). I can notice the difference on hilly ground, and I don't set any speed records either- usually Lo 4 or Hi 1. Neighbor ran his 8312 with a JD 4030, so 85 should work.
Check turtles for teeter totter wiggle. that is how I knew to change the bearings. Power shaft needs greasing regularly, check CV joints for wear.
 
One thing to take a look at would be the amount of backlash between the discs. If you rock the end disc back and forth you shouldn't have to turn it very far before the disc on the opposite end moves. I wouldn't expect more than a degree or two of backlash between any two adjacent discs so maybe 10 degrees between one end and the other. If you can hear it run before writing the check you could listen for any obnoxious noises that could indicate issues. The cutterbars used in these mowers should be relatively quiet - you'll hear gear noise but nothing that would make a guy cringe. Also inspect the underside of the rock guards and the top of the cutterbar for any sign of oil leakage. (These cutterbars don't take much oil and too much will cause rapid overheating. There's no effective way to check the oil level so if you buy one I'd recommend draining it all out and refilling with the specified amount so you know for sure what is in there.) You'll also want to check the hay conditioner bearings since they live in a hostile environment and will go out eventually but they're not hard to replace.

As for power your 85hp tractors could handle a 9-footer but to be happy with a 12-footer you'll want your big tractor. Ten PTO horsepower per foot would keep you satisfied in most conditions. Having extra power available also allows you throttle the tractor down to reduce the disc speed which can often improve cut-off in very light crop conditions. Disc mower/conditioners will typically feed better in short crop if you can move at a decent speed, something at least 5 or 6 mph. These mowers don't really have a maximum operating speed like sickle machines do - I've cut hay at 20 mph with self-propelled windrowers using the same basic header design with excellent results. Your available power, ground conditions, and comfort level will dictate the practical upper limit.

One word of caution if you end up with a 9-footer on one of your little tractors - I'd sure recommend using the cab tractor since any disc mower is capable of spitting rocks and such out the front, even with good curtains. (That's another thing to make certain you have in place.) It's better to risk losing a window than catching something with your head.
 

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