Harvesting
Cutting & Cutting Components
There are different methods of harvesting hay, which are generally grouped into two categories of mowers. A mower either be equipped with a sickle cutterbar or a rotary cutterbar. There are advantages and disadvantages to both so make sure you talk with your local equipment dealer to determine which is best for your operation.
Quick Tips for Operating Your Mower:
- Make sure your tractor has more than enough weight and horse power for your mower as per your machines operators manual for safety and performance.
- ALWAYS Operate your mower at rated PTO RPMs. (Many tractors give more than rated mower PTO speed at wide-open-throttle, consult your operators manuals for guidelines)
- Make sure that your tractor draw bar and/or three point arms are set to proper specification based on the instructions in your operators manual- (Wrong drawbar length will cause driveline damage and reduced turning capability).
- See your operators manual to determine your mowers need for Turn Limiters, (for pull type mowers only). Turn limiters protect the driveline from damage in tight turning situations, but if your mower does not need turn limiters and you have them, your mower might not turn sharp enough.
- Lay out your field so that you have as many long straight rows as possible to make raking and baling more efficient.
- Mow after morning dew has evaporated to eliminate trapping extra moisture under the windrow.
Mowing Technique Tips:
- The mower-conditioner’s swing and platform lift systems are controlled by the tractor’s hydraulic systems. (Refer to your tractor operator’s manual for operation.)
When operating in a new field, cut the first round with platform swung to the right.
Travel in the opposite direction when coming back to pick up crop laid down by tractor in the opening round.
Turning In the Field
The hitch allows right-angle and point-row turns without steering the mower-conditioner. Slow down when approaching a sharp turn. A short left-hand turn followed by a sharp right-hand turn will produce best results.
Quickly turn tractor until front tires near uncut crop. Quickly turn tractor away from uncut crop until it is the correct distance from cut line to resume cutting.
Rotary Mowers
Rotary or disc type mowers use discs with knives attached that rotate at high speeds on a bar called the cutterbar. The rotating knives impact the crop at high speeds, cutting off the hay wherever the knives hit. You might think of this method as similar to the blades of your lawnmower cutting grass. Listed below are two examples of Rotary Mowers.
Why Rotary?
- Faster ground speed with a rotary vs. a sickle machine.
In fact, rotary machines depend on the forward motion of the mower to help move crop through because there is no reel to help move crop. Most people will mow between 7-10 miles an hour with their rotary machines. This is a great benefit since making hay can often times be a race against the weather.
- More productive than sickle.
Rotary mowers will allow you to cut more hay in a day because of increased ground speed plus fewer moving parts mean less time-consuming repairs. Decrease your chance of costly damage even more by purchasing a mower with Shear Hub protection. Read more.
- Less / simpler daily maintenance (cutting components).
Daily maintenance is greatly reduced, changing knives is a breeze, and inexpensive compared to repairing or replacing a sickle mower.
- More forgiving of both crop and field conditions.
Rotary machines have less fragile parts initially contacting the crop than a sickle mower, plus there are less moving parts over all, which means less to go wrong or wear out.
- Simple maintenance: no reels no hold downs, no augers, no sickles.
This is a great benefit, especially if you have other hobbies or responsibilities, less maintenance means you can be in and out of the field more quickly.
Before you begin cutting your hay, make sure that your equipment is in shape to guarantee optimal performance.
CAUTION: To avoid bodily injury, disengage PTO, shut off tractor engine and remove key before starting pre-checks. Always read your operators manual before operating or servicing any equipment. Always follow the instructions in your operators manual.
View or Order a John Deere Operators Manual
- For optimum life and performance of your hay equipment it is important to Inspect and service your machines before starting work each day
- For rotary and sickle mowers:
- Check knives: reverse or replace if knives are blunt
Checking Knives
CAUTION: Replace cracked, broken, or distorted knives immediately. Failure to do so may lead to loss of knife and bolt, or cause damage to cutterbar during operation. Always check the cutter bar knives before operating a machine. Operator safety and mowing quality depend on careful inspection of the knives. Uneven ground and knives striking against obstacles may cause cracks and distortion of knives. Replace damaged knives immediately.
Rotary Knife Maintenance
Sharp knives are necessary for a clean cut. Rotary mowers depend on the weight of the knife impacting the crop at a high speed to make the cut. The shorter your knives become with wear, the slower they will turn and the less crop they will contact per rotation. Also, dull knives will usually continue to cut crop because the disc speed is so great. However, dull knives are more likely to rip crop which can damage the overall health of the plant, potentially increasing the plants susceptibility to insect damage and slowed re-growth.
It is normal for knives to wear with use. Movement of the knives through crop, sand or soil will eventually wear your knives out. There is no timeline to go by to help judge when a knife is going to be too dull because every machine is used differently. For example, a person who mows 400 acres a year will put more crop through their machine than a person who mows 200 acres a year. However, if the person that mows 200 acres a year has sandy soil and heavier crop than the customer with 400 acres, they could very well wear out their knives more rapidly.
Checking Knife Wear
If you are running a John Deere Rotary Mower Conditioner, it is okay to flip your knives over to gain a new cutting edge, as long as they are not worn too far on one side. If your mower is from another manufacturer, check your Operators Manual to find out if you can do the same. Remember to always turn over both knives of a disk on the same location. Never straighten bent knives.
Here are some guidelines for determining wear on a John Deere Rotary Mower Conditioner Knife. If you don't own a John Deere Rotary Mower Conditioner, check your machines operators manuals for knife wear guidelines.
Sickle Mowers
Sickle type mowers cut the crop by moving sets of triangle shaped, serrated knives back and forth. The type of cut is similar to that of a scissor. As the two knife sections come together, the blades or stems of the crop are sheared, similar to cutting hair.
Sickle Maintenance
To get a quality cut from a pair of scissors, the two blades must be sharp and fit together snugly. Otherwise, the cut becomes jagged. The same is true for sickle mowers. Proper adjustments must be maintained on a regular basis to assure proper cut speed and quality.
Knife hold-downs (A) keep knife sections (B) from lifting off guards (C) while allowing knife to slide without binding.
IMPORTANT: Over tightening the hold-downs will cause rapid wear on hold-downs and knife sections. Wear is increased if operating in sandy or muddy conditions.
For proper adjustment specs see your operators manual.