Hay Equipment

TimCNY wrote: AC7060IL, I almost pulled the trigger on a New Idea Cutditioner for $600 but then pretty much everything I read or was told is that it would be something I'd regret buying. Growing up, at least 2 neighbors used them, it left a mess of the stubble but wow did the hay dry faster than me using a New Holland or JD haybine and then tedding. I just found out the cutditioner is still for sale, price dropped to $500; what can you tell me? I'd rather hear real testimonies than hearsay and opinions. Same goes for anyone else, and I hope this isn't hijacking the thread. Thanks!

New Idea mfg 7’ & 9’ models. My 270 is an earlier chain drive. Later 272 had belt drive - Same with 290/292s. The cutditioner has its place. I probably cut/bale 20-30 acres of grass hay a year, consisting of waterways, road right-a-ways, hedgerow/fence borders, small farmsteads, & small fields(2-3acres).
CONS are: It’s slow cutting1st gear), 540pto so yes it’s a higher fuel usage, stubble cut is higher(4-5”), has 6” cupped flails that need sharpened/edged if it gets into rocks, limbs, & dirt, flail shaft could get bent if you’re not careful(stump,concrete??)
PROS are: Chain drive clutch allows flail rotor inertia to continue to rotate when pto is shut off during tight turns, excellent suck up of downed crop or old mow and optional fluffing/Tedder of rained-on hay. Simple crank height setting(no hydraulics), excellent hay drydown, stems get rubbed (conditioned?)by flail before cutting, higher stubble allows more air flow under cut hay & might allow quicker regrowth that seem to shade out weeds, trails(55mph)behind pickup truck, and quick to grease/lube.

I’m satisfied with it. I’ve been using it for 3 years. I use a angle grinder to lightly sharpen/edge the cup flails twice a year. My 7060(160hp) is overkill, but it’s cab AC is nice when extremely hot/humid. My platform JD3010 diesel (60hp?) is best for tighter places & handles it just fine with less fuel.

allisbred wrote: You forgot to mention the good— will suck up rained on hay and make it disappear! Lol. We still have a MC version which was a heavier unit and works very well under trees trimming hedge rows. Make sure to wear glasses!

If I ever buy a flail type mower again it will definitely be an M/C brand.

Had a Cut/Ditioner for my only hay machine ONE SEASON! It left me better than it came. First anD for most it sucked fuel out of my 560 faster than any implement before or since.Second, It constantly required retorqueing of the gear box mount bolts(common in them). Third it broke one of the flail spindles(again common) and the New Idea replacement part was a joke. Machine shop welded in a new stub,chucked the whole rotor up in a BIG lathe and turned down a new spindle. It spun true then. Fourth it left the field looking like you'd cut it with an eggbeater. Fifth,first high was as fast as it would cut without running down hay. Sixth it found rocks that hadn't been seen since the glacier receded.....you all getting the idea I don't like 'em?

I have a 270 cut-ditioner. I like it for stalks, rank old grass hay made from waterways, places with rocks and other cutter bar destroying items. It is simple and rugged. usually put the XT on it and in heavy grass second Hi, stalks 3rd hi. It also will fluff up windrows that have been rained on, and once  I had some rank cereal rye that would not feed into the round baler and we ran those windrows through and baled it all and never plugged. For  $500 Id have it in my arsenal.

New Idea 270 cutditioner $500,
New Idea 404 rake $500,
Vermeer 605F $700,
So about $1700 invested.
The AC 7060 tractor was purchased 15 yrs ago, depreciated out long ago.

New Holland 912 swather   $4500   5 years ago

Kinda reminds me when I grew up and how Dad and I handled cattle. Dad wasn't big on feeding a lot of hay. You'd think I was lying if I told you. We grew quite a few acres of corn so when I got it picked in the fall we turned the cows in on the stalks and the cows would have them cleaned up by spring. In the mean time we had ear corn to grind, to feed the cows night and morning. Sounds like a lot of work doesn't it? Anyway when you called them in and they came over the hill in a dead run, bucking and jumping it made you feel good to see how well they were doing. And in the fall when we sold the calves off and they brought top dollar you felt good again. We never let the cows calve in the fall either. Dad said it was too hard on the cows to have a calf sucking in bad weather. Oh well, a different time and circumstance.      Leon

DMiller wrote: Renter round bales nearly everything, they do square bale for another neighbor that sells to Horse People as they will not generally buy rounds here as mold in center is toxic to their animals per the horse people.

Mold in the center?  That ain't supposed to happen.....Mold in the center is toxic to cows too.  Oh I know, I know, cows can take it.  They can, to a point, and are tougher than horses, but a guy shouldn't be making a practice of feeding mold to animals.  Mold in the center and you're looking at a fire risk.

Around these parts, most smaller beef operators just graze the home place while drilling in wheat/rye/oats starting late September for winter grazing and buy the hay in for winter. I reached just shy of 50 head last year and have free use of the 100 acres attached to mine for grazing March or April thru August/September depending on rains (native grasses).

At the high point we did about 20,000 bales a year with the Roto-Baler. That was an older orangetop that I rebuilt from a fencerow. Everything else was about the same vintage. We were feeding about 20 horses and selling hay.  I continued to upgrade equipment to the point that I was no longer trowing those round bale up and we had machines to do that so all I was doing was stacking. Then as my wife's and my parents passed we lost the farms to the former respective families. Now we own a place and I've sold off all the hay equipment and I rather just CASH rent the ground. No more worries of waiting to cut because of the forecast or a pop up thunderstorm after mowing down hay. If I still had animals, I'd buy hay of the quality I want and be done with it. In this area shipped in quality hay is cheaper than local of self made, when you consider all the costs. 

Started to tell ya then I got a cattle price update and got dizzy and almost fell over and was thinking about your question and could barely set up from the almost pass out. Don't want to think about it.

Charlie175 wrote: Sell the cows and just do hay!

Nah,you have to have cows to eat the junk you can't sell.