Hi folks,
The below discussion about the New Idea cutditioner got me thinking about hay conditioning, and getting ready to pull my hay equipment in the shop for some serious re-work this winter. At our large farm, we bale mostly grass. Due to the very odd-shaped, rocky, and extremely hilly fields, we use a 9' sickle mower as it's nimble and easy to repair. Being mostly grass, we don't typically condition.
There are timess we grow clover, and even one field where alfalfa does well. It would be nice to condition these fields, as they always take incredibly long to dry down.
I have a New Idea 752 conditioner sitting in the back of a shed, but gave up on using it years ago. For one thing: you need to use a 7' mower if using it (not a problem, we have a few). But it's also an exercise in frustration unplugging it when it wraps. In nice, straight, grassy hay it does great, but in extremely tall, thick, lodged and tangled legumes (exactly when you need conditioning the most), you're off every 50' unplugging it.
The rolls are in decent shape, but are not intermeshing; it's a steel lower roller against a rubber upper. I'm wondering if it would do better if I fab'd two steel rolls with intermeshing bars. I did this on a Deere MoCo at our other farm years ago when the rubber peeled off, and haven't had hay wrap since. Before doing this it wrapped several times a season - especially if wasn't set right for the crop conditions.
Just pondering. A pull-type crimper that doesn't plug would be great, but I don't want to spend oodles of time making some new rolls if it's not going to be much better.
Any thoughts or hypotheses greatly appreciated.
The below discussion about the New Idea cutditioner got me thinking about hay conditioning, and getting ready to pull my hay equipment in the shop for some serious re-work this winter. At our large farm, we bale mostly grass. Due to the very odd-shaped, rocky, and extremely hilly fields, we use a 9' sickle mower as it's nimble and easy to repair. Being mostly grass, we don't typically condition.
There are timess we grow clover, and even one field where alfalfa does well. It would be nice to condition these fields, as they always take incredibly long to dry down.
I have a New Idea 752 conditioner sitting in the back of a shed, but gave up on using it years ago. For one thing: you need to use a 7' mower if using it (not a problem, we have a few). But it's also an exercise in frustration unplugging it when it wraps. In nice, straight, grassy hay it does great, but in extremely tall, thick, lodged and tangled legumes (exactly when you need conditioning the most), you're off every 50' unplugging it.
The rolls are in decent shape, but are not intermeshing; it's a steel lower roller against a rubber upper. I'm wondering if it would do better if I fab'd two steel rolls with intermeshing bars. I did this on a Deere MoCo at our other farm years ago when the rubber peeled off, and haven't had hay wrap since. Before doing this it wrapped several times a season - especially if wasn't set right for the crop conditions.
Just pondering. A pull-type crimper that doesn't plug would be great, but I don't want to spend oodles of time making some new rolls if it's not going to be much better.
Any thoughts or hypotheses greatly appreciated.