john deere impellers vs rolls

Nick m · Dec 30, 2014

I'm looking at buying a john deere 920 moco. Its in nice shape and reasonably priced. The old 1600 is about wore out. Has the impellers. I've never used one with impellers. Has anyone ever done a side by side study between the two when it comes to drying? I bale all my hay, no wet stuff. Only cover around 30 acres per year. About half is grassier, the other half is pure alfalfa. Would like some real world examples or stats, not speculation. Don't need the discbine vs sickle debate. I've used both.

MNfarmboy83 · Dec 30, 2014

We use a 9' haybine with rollers and a 10' JD 920 with impellers in the same fields. Don't have any alfalfa, but on clover and grass hay the impeller hay takes a day longer to dry. Early season always hit it with the tedder and drys nice.

Alan K · Dec 30, 2014

My cousins have a JD with the impeller. They had said the alfalfa dries half a day to day sooner than the NH with rollers that they traded in on it. Im guessing it is hard to tell some times unless a person does a study the same day with each side by side so each has the same weather to dry in.

NEIADan · Dec 30, 2014

I had the same question of a JD parts man who also raises hay what his thoughts were. He also felt the impeller system was not as effective as the rolls. He told me how his rolls were in bad shape on his MOCO and that it was a couple thousand cheaper to replace with impeller system over new rolls. Since the changeover he felt it was taking an extra day to dry. Decided I still had a better conditioner with the timed steel rolls.

tomstractorsandtoys · Dec 30, 2014

A friend bought a new Deere 930 with impellers and from standing hay to silage he liked it but could not get hay to dry very well for dry baling. He traded after one year for a 930 with rolls and is much happier. I bought a used 920 with rolls late this past summer and like it.

M Nut · Dec 30, 2014

It will work good, but it will not dry as fast as a roller machine. I have one and like it. My neighbors bought a brand new impeller machine last year and have already traded it back in for a new roller machine. They felt they couldn't wait for the extra time it took to get their hay dry. They figured they lost about a day with the impeller over the roller machine.

ptfarmer · Dec 30, 2014

Can't beat the rollers. First time I seen a impeller type I thought "you have to be kidding me".

JD Farmer · Dec 30, 2014

I bought a new impeller machine about 12 years ago and still using it. Had a NH haybine before it with rollers.
Have had trouble getting first cutting to dry down like I think it should. BUT, in second cutting grass hay, I don't think the impellers can be beat for fast dry time. Anybody else thinking this way?

Knoxcityfarmboy · Dec 30, 2014

I have a 920 impeller and also a Hesston 1345 roll conditioner and I disagree about the rolls drying faster. We use both in the same field at the same time, the 920 leaves a fluffier windrow that I think dries faster.

notjustair · Dec 30, 2014

I can get mine (impeller) to dry in the same amount of time as anyone with rollers, but I do frequently adjust the windrow depending on the field and conditions. If you have them set right it will stand up a nice fluffy row that will dry in no time. In a very thin alfalfa crop I tend to think it pulverizes it too much, but that is my only complaint. I think mine is a 920, but I may be thinking of the 922 combine header. I get all of those numbers confused. I will tell you that the machine can cut a field just as fast as you can stay in the seat and I have never plugged it or had trouble. Thousands of acres have gone through it.

JD Seller · Dec 30, 2014

Here is the long and short of it:

IF you want to set the machine and NEVER change it then buy a roll machine. With an impeller you can get as good or even better dry down but you have to adjust it for the crop volume and condition. This is for every single crop that is different. This can be just the height of the crop makes it feed different. You do not have top adjust a roll machine as much. The positive of the impeller machine is they will trough put more hay faster than a roll machine. In short hay they will "suck" it off the cutter bar better. Also rocks and other debris pass through without damage. A rock or fence post can ruin your rollers in a single incident.

Mike Aylward · Dec 31, 2014

I have a 946 John Deere impeller machine and there is absolutely no truth to the rumor that it will pulverize alfalfa unless the machine is not set right. You can set the machine to do practically nothing to alfalfa. In my area, whether you have alfalfa, grass or a mixture, nearly everyone who has gone to an impeller machine would never go back to a roll type. How you set the shield over the impellers is the key to how much conditioning you get. If you set it tight to the impellers, you get meal. If you set it far from the impellers, nothing much happens. Adjusting it in between (there are several settings for this) give you the desired amount of conditioning. You then set the tail board for desired windrow width and "fluffing". You can stand a crop almost straight up if you want to. Many times people get a mindset against them but if they actually read their book and set the machine as recommended they likely would never run anything else. Mike

DAVISFARMS · Dec 31, 2014

I have a 920 moco impeller we use it on orchard grass, fescue and alfalfa does very well and we rarely adjust it per crop..Now after all theses folks tell you how sorry they are please e-mail me I would like to have one for a spare I just cut around 300 acres of hay.

john deere impellers vs rolls

Nick m

Member

MNfarmboy83

Member

Alan K

Well-known Member

NEIADan

Member

tomstractorsandtoys

Well-known Member

M Nut

Well-known Member

ptfarmer

Well-known Member

JD Farmer

Member

Knoxcityfarmboy

Member

notjustair

Well-known Member

JD Seller

Well-known Member

Mike Aylward

Well-known Member

DAVISFARMS

Member

Similar threads