Haybine/Disc mower advice

First off, my dad and I have an International 574 Diesel tractor that's rated at 52 hp. Is that enough tractor for a disc mower or do I need to forget about that all together? I've had people tell me that the 574 is nowhere near big enough for a disc mower and others tell me that I could pull one with ease. Who should I believe? If that is enough tractor what size and brand would you recommend for someone with a tight budget?

Second, if I go with a haybine is the 574 big enough for a 9' or do I need to stick with a 7'? I've found several 9' haybines in my area but don't want to buy one only to find out that it's more than my tractor can handle.

I've saved the best question for last. I know asking which brand is best is always controversial, but I have found 2 JD Mo-Co's and one Heston that are priced right but almost everyone around here uses NH. Are the NH's that much better than the JD's and Heston's are is it just personal preferrence. There's a JD1209 located just a few miles from my house that looks to be in decent shape and the asking price is $500 so I'm leaning in that direction. Is that a good idea or do I need to keep looking.

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!

The advantage of having a disc or drum mower is you can mow in the morning with the dew on the grass. The hay will start curing about the time you can start with a haybine. A 3 point disc or drum mower with a tedder will cure hay down even as fast a disc mower conditioner for the 1/3 the cost and with less HP and fuel. If you want to use a 9' mower you have the HP to operate the disc mower caddy pictured.

We have fluid in the tires and four suitcase weights on the front of our tractor so it sounds like that will help.

Thanks again!

Clark