Reese drum Mower

a few days ago I posted asking about disc mowers. After some research, I think a drum mower would fit my operation much better. After all my research searching blogs, I have not found 1 bad review on a drum mower I have looked (online only) at the Haymaxx as well as the Reese. I personally like the Reese much better. I was a bit hesitant of a drum mower due to the limited width options, I am cutting with a 9' haybine with a 460d Farmall, (45 horsepower) currently. After talking with drum mower dealers, they recommended a 6' 3" machine. That seems a bit narrow. I understand you can mow faster with a drum mower, but some of my fields won't allow the 40% faster to make up for the narrower cut. Reese offers a 8' model that appeals to me, however they recommend a 65 hp tractor for that width. I am wondering what your thoughts and experiences are on the Reese mowers, and what do you think about running an 8' model behind my 460d?

I am pretty sold on buying one of these, just unsure on the model. I can't believe that there are not more of these out there being used. Discbine speed at a 1/4 the cost. Most my hay is grassy, so no conditioner shouldn't effect me much.

They probably reccomend the 65 HP tractor because of the weight of the mower and the stability, turning corners etc. I have used several drum mowers and disc mowers and I currently own one of each, a 9' JF drum mower and a 10' 6'' Fort disc mower, the drum mowers work real good, are very simple and cheap to repair if something goes wrong but you have to be real careful on rough ground. The drums will hang in washes and dips and if you are moving along pretty good you can easily rip a drum off the mower, in fairly smooth ground you can run wide open without a worry. The only advantage I can think of for a disc mower over a drum mower is that the disc mower is built to slide over any terain with ease.

get the 8 foot model the 460 will handle it. like you said you can only go so fast in rough ground anyway. I found I was in the same gear as the 9' haybine but opened up the throttle more, as the next gear was to fast to stay in the seat.I was using a50hp tractor. the same as an LS 5030c.shorter wheelbase than the 460.

LAA you must not have the optional stone Guards?
there should be a shear pin so if you hit something the mower swings back. I cant imagine ripping a drum right off? not with the stone guards anyway.
get the stone guards and optional tailwheel. I have run this one through some pretty good dips and gulleys and had no problems yet anyway. We set it by the book and the stoneguards act as shoes.

I have never owned a reese, I have owned a haymaxx and the JF I have now, the Haymaxx had the quick release but one of the boys still managed to tear a drum off a time or two. I think it also had to do with the adjustment on the center link of the three point hitch had the mower dipped a little in the front, no question it happened because of running too fast in rough ground it was not the design of the mower at fault.

I ran this disk mower for a neighbor. He traded the Drum for the Disk after to years because of rough ground and the irrigation tracks.

When the drum mower first appeared here in The UK all the sickle mowers seem to have been thrown onto the junk pile almost overnight! There is just no comparison between these and a sickle, almost unblockable, no sickle sections to sharpen or points to straighten/ replace, no ledger plates to wear. Having said that the disc mower is now king over here, but the drum mower is much better than a sickle.

I"m using a unit similar to the haymaxx on a MF180.
Mine is the 190 model(approx 7 feet). Power wise, they don"t need that much HP. However, they are a bit heavy, and a larger tractor is preferable, especially in the transport mode. I"m happy with mine. Used it yesterday. Just walked through areas where I have fought my way through with a sickle bar. I"d go for the larger unit. And yes you can run very fast - faster than I want to ride.

I have 2 Reese drum mowers, a 2070 fold back and a 2400hl, lift model. The 2070 is 6'10" cut, and the 2400 is an 8 ft cut. I run them with a JD5420, 65Hp tractor, and they cruise along in very heavy orchard and timothy. Both of mine have the spreader attchment and it spreads out the windrow behind the mower. They rarely bog down, I mow in 5th or 6th gear, but I avoid bouncing due to a bad back.

The little 2070w manual fold is so simple and so easy to use. It is heavy when folded back for transport, but the big 2400 is real heavy on the side when folded up for transport.

I do not think they cut quite as neatly as a disc mower, but I am making hay, not lawn. I had a disc mower and spent too much time worrying about it disintegrating on me.

I am a Reese fan. Not sure why they are not more popular here, but farmers tend to follow the local trends in equipment.

I don't think your 460D is going to run that 8' drum mower.

Does your 460 have fast hitch? If so, what are you going to use to convert to 3-point? I bought a 6' drum mower some years back and before my 3-point tractor was delivered I put it on my 460 with fast hitch - that's A LOT of of weight hanging off the back of a 460, especially with conversion arms in between! My front end was bobbing off the ground when I'd pick up the mower. You'll need weight on the front of the 460.

Trying to make your 45 hp 460 run a 65 hp rated 8 footer??? It would probably do it, but you'd be running wide open. That's a 20 hp deficit!

Really, just get the 6'3" cut. You will be AMAZED at how much faster you can go. Goodbye, sickle bars, hope to never see you again. Even on a haybine - what a drag. With a drum mower you can go as fast as YOU can stand it. They are simple, RUGGED machines. I love mine. Get the 6'3" cut, you'll be happy, and so will your tractor.

Thanks for your real world experience on this set up. The biggest reason for me leaning toward the 8 foot machine is productivity. I understand that I can drive as fast as I want while cutting hay with a drum mower, but I'm not sure my hayfields and meadows will allow for a lot more speed than I am going now with my 9' haybine. The 6'9" drum mower is 25% smaller in cut per pass. My first 25% in ground speed only allows me to break even in cutting time. I need to gain at least 50% in cut time to justify the expense over my current haybine. If I go with the 8' model, I won't need such an increase in speed to gain productivity.

I am concerned a bit about the weight hanging on and behind the tractor. I've removed the fluid out of my 460d tires and have done all I can to lighten the tractor to allow it to float over the fields during wet conditions. If I hang a 1250+ machine off of the back plus add weight so the tractor carries it well, then I'm back to rutting up my fields. So kind of a catch 22. I never thought of the conversion arms putting the weight even farther back there but it certainly will. I travel 9 miles to my farthest fields, I don't wanna be bouncing for 9 miles because I wanted to keep my tractor light and be overly productive.

I think I realize the 6'9" is best, but I don't wanna spend $5,000+ and be dissappointed that I bought too small of machine. I'd rather end up having to use a larger tractor if needed but still have an obvious increase in acres cut per hour.

I'm still mulling it over. If I end up unhappy about my size selection, I'm not sure that I would be able to sell it. Drum mowers just have not caught on over here. Seems everyone just has to have a darn discbine. If I do pick the correct size, I think I would have a huge smile every time I see someone with a discbine.

I wish there was a way to have a test run, but the dealer is several states away. I guess I just need to keep thinking on it, opinions still welcome.

A few suggestions. There may be a few drum mowers sitting in sheds, not for sale. I put a "wanted Reese Drum Mower" ad on CL and had a mower bought for a fraction of the cost new, in less than a week. If one goes thru an auction you may get a deal, most farmners don't bid.
Scour the auctiona and for sale ads on the internet. You may get a pleasant surprise.

I've been operating a Haymax 165, for several years, now, on a D-12 AC tractor. I have front wheel weights, and about 220 lbs of front weights, too. I also have a counterweight on the left side rear wheel, too. The mower's manual says it needs 27 HP to run it, so you could do a simple ratio, to figure the HP you'll need for an 8' unit.( mine is 5'6" wide)

I operate it on steep hills, bumpy ground, waterways. I've been very pleased with quality of cut, speed of operation, dealer parts support, bought it from Hay Dr (Carter equipment, TN) Blades are about a dollar a piece, at least last time I bought them. Only thing it will need soon is another skirt. One word of caution, if you hear a rock rattling around in the blades, duck and cover, don't look back at the machine, or it will golf a rock right at your face!

Drum mowers do a great job. You may also need a tedder because the mown hay gets concentrated in a thick pile.

Would a mower caddy help with a drum mower? I have no idea, never even seen a drum mower in person.

I use one with my disc mower, takes all the weight from the back of the tractor, basically makes it a pull type.

Course it would add another $3000 to the price tag.....

Fred

I have concerns that your 460 will handle the 2400. I have a 2400 and use it on a 2440 JD (60hp) and an Oliver 1650 (67hp). It is a very heavy machine, and all that my tractors want to carry around, in fact, the end of the cutter bar barely clears the ground when I have it lifted with the 3 point. Not saying it won't do it, but it's going to be a strain on your tractor.

Check out the one for sale on Auctiontime.com, or tractorhouse. For sale in Texas.