New Holland 488 Mo/Co Swathing Grain

connor9988 · Feb 27, 2021

We have a NH 488 and the manual makes it sound like we could open the rollers enough to swath rye and barley without crushing it and use the pickup head on our A6 combine to harvest it.

If this is true I would need to free up the roller adjusting levers but it would be something interesting to try.

Thoughts?

lugnuts2030 · Feb 27, 2021

Been there and have done that with a NH and a Hesston. Works good. Just spread the rolls wide apart.

Doug Wi · Feb 27, 2021

have been doing it with a 479 for many years. helps if you cut when the dew is still on.

rusty6 · Feb 27, 2021

I've only cut hay with my 479. Those cranks on the back don't change the clearance of the rollers. They only put more spring tension on the rollers. To get more space there are shims to put in place and increase the gap. I think I've removed a lot of my spacers because the rubber rollers are so worn that they don't crush the hay much.

Doug Wi · Feb 27, 2021

I have the rolls blocked open about a half inch. But better yet mine is one of those that have lost most of the rubber off one roll. I think the cranks only adjust the pressure on the rolls. Maybe they could be backed off enough so there is no pressure on the rolls . ?

connor9988 · Feb 27, 2021

Thanks for the insight everyone!

Bruce from Can. · Feb 28, 2021

It will work best if the grain isnt dead ripe. The dryer the grain, obviously the more that will thresh of on the reel even before it gets to the rollers.

SVcummins · Feb 28, 2021

Slow your reel speed down

JimB2 · Feb 28, 2021

My brother has been doing it with oats for years with a NH 479, jambs a piece of 2x4 block in each end of the rollers to keep them apart, then same as Doug Wi, cut early in the morning when the dew is on the grain.

connor9988 · Feb 28, 2021

When you say each end do you mean where the roller spacers normally hold them open? How do you force the rollers apart in the first place?
How much gap can be achieved?

Thanks.

lugnuts2030 · Feb 28, 2021

On a NH haybine it is very easy to spread rolls. Just use the crank that adjusts roll pressure and back it off Completely and rolls will spread apart to make it a swather. I was told about that from a good old NH mechanic years ago. Worked good for me many tears. He said many don't know it but a Haybine is a swather, just crank rolls open all the way.

connor9988 · Feb 28, 2021

Sounds good. I will take a look at it after the snow melts.

Thank you everyone!

rusty6 · Feb 28, 2021

(quoted from post at 11:46:43 02/28/21) On a NH haybine it is very easy to spread rolls. Just use the crank that adjusts roll pressure and back it off .

That does not spread the rollers apart on my 479. It only lowers the tension on the springs. To spread them you have to install shims at each end. Unless the rollers are old and worn out like mine and I had to take shims out to get the rollers closer together.

New Holland 488 Mo/Co Swathing Grain

connor9988

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lugnuts2030

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Doug Wi

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rusty6

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Doug Wi

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connor9988

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Bruce from Can.

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SVcummins

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JimB2

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connor9988

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lugnuts2030

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