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drum (disc?) mower??

A

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member
Hey folks,
about 4 weeks away from hay and doing my first this year alone. Have never used the side sickle mower on my tractor except once with sucky results. Just found a disc mower that is sized to my tractor (4.5ft vs 5.5ft) for 500 bucks. Doesn't look bad in pics and supposed to have mowed about 3 acres a year thru it's life. Don't really want to give up the bucks, but if it will be a benefit, I'll be all over it.
Here's the mower (in German, but the pics are good). Should I just stick with the sickle or would this serve me better and keep the sickle as a backup?

Thanks, Dave
 
Your link or picture didn't come through.

I grew up with sickle bar mowers, and hated 'em. Bought a Taarup used, in 1976, and would never use a sickle mower again. 500 is a good deal for a working disc mower- grab it.

I suppose you could keep the sickle for "back up", but if it were me, I'd take it "back up" to the scrap dealer to send to China. I sure hated those things.
 
I agree with Mike; unless it's nostaglia or strictly a hobby, I don't know why anyone would fool with a sickle mower. In the early 70s, we were running an IH, a Massey and occasionally a JD (which I had stretched to 8ft)...all sickle, plus a JD mower conditioner. Bought a new Taarup disc mower and NEVER hooked to the sickle bar mowers again, 'though we continued to use the mower conditioner for Sudex.
 
Sorry :roll:

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170491058849&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Dave
 
Dave2,

I don't know anything about disc or drum mowers. I'm still one of those crazies that uses a Ford 501 sickle bar mower.

However, it appears to me from the picture that the mower is a drum mower, not a disc mower. My neighbor has a drum mower. She's not much of a mechanic, so her opinion probably doesn't amount to much, but she has complained to me on a couple of occasions that the drum doesn't follow the ground very well where she has some small "bumps" and "depressions" in her hay field.

If that is indeed a drum mower, some of the other guys on here with more experience can give you better insight about them.

Good luck,

Tom in TN
 
I have a JD 350 pitmanless sickle mower - and I have gotten it so it works pretty good now, BUT I think the bigger concern is when and how much time do u have to mow?

I work a few days a week 60 miles from the hayfield, and pretty much any sickle mower (unless it is really really really good) will have tough time with wet crops, (let alone down or tangled crops)

I have a 9' bar and can travel right along now, but I only mow when the stuff is dry. In fact, if the hay is real tall and thick, some days the bottom never dries for days in low spots and from dew.

SO, all I am trying to say, it would be nice to have a mower where when I wanted to mow, I could mow. For example, if I see a good haying window come up weather wise, and it would be nice to mow it now, if it is too wet, or if I have to goto work for most of tomorrow, I am a couple days later.

There is a big mechanical difference in a drum versus a disc mower (drum much simpler with a big belt drive) but either one will outdo the average sickle mower in all but the best conditions.
 
I have a JD 350 pitmanless sickle mower - and I have gotten it so it works pretty good now, BUT I think the bigger concern is when and how much time do u have to mow?

I work a few days a week 60 miles from the hayfield, and pretty much any sickle mower (unless it is really really really good) will have tough time with wet crops, (let alone down or tangled crops)

I have a 9' bar and can travel right along now, but I only mow when the stuff is dry. In fact, if the hay is real tall and thick, some days the bottom never dries for days in low spots and from dew.

SO, all I am trying to say, it would be nice to have a mower where when I wanted to mow, I could mow. For example, if I see a good haying window come up weather wise, and it would be nice to mow it now, if it is too wet, or if I have to goto work for most of tomorrow, I am a couple days later.

There is a big mechanical difference in a drum versus a disc mower (drum much simpler with a big belt drive) but either one will outdo the average sickle mower in all but the best conditions.
 
It is a drum mower- two large "drums" hang from above, generally belt driven, as opposed to a disc type, where 4-7 smaller discs with knives sit on top of a bar containing the gears that drive them. Disc is generally considered better, but zillions of guys use the drum type, and it will be far better than sickle bar mower. I hope some drum guys will chime in on the positioning issue- I assume you have to use the draft control on your 3 point, but having never used one, I can't say for sure.
 
Drum mowers do a good job and do not plug, you can run about as fast as you want, they are ultra simple to work on and hold up well if you keep the gear case full of lubricant, I like picker grease or EP2. On rough ground you have to be careful not to snag a drum in a low spot or ditch crossing because it can bust the housing, go slow through rough areas or pick the mower up. I would reccomend you pull the cover off the gear case and check for water in the lubricant, check the condition of the bearings and bevel gears, and refill with a lubricant of your choice before using, also get a 3 inch collar welded in the gear case cover before bolting back down so as to have an easily removable plug to check the level. Make sure the gear case vent is clear.
 
LAA,

I think that is an important point about going slowly in rough ground when using a drum mower.

Don't you let the drum mower all the way down on the 3-point and let the drums slide along on the ground? That's what I understood was the procedure, but I'm not sure.

Do you let the mower all the way down?

Thanks for the info.

Tom in TN - who would really like to upgrade from his sickle bar mower.
 
The last sickle bar mower that I had was in 1980. I bought a Taarup 4 disc mower that was indestructible. I"ve literally cut off fence posts when I got too close. I"ve got a Krone 9" disc now and it"s a good mower. I would hate to go back to a sickle mower now.
 
You are looking at a drum mower. I would jump on it in a heart beat. It appears to be in good shape. You will be able to mower much faster and through wet hay. If I remember right most of Germany is further north than most of the mid-west. So you have wet conditions a lot of the time. You will soon make the purchase price back in saved time.
 
Dave that looks exactly like a Fahr that a fiend that I partnered with in haying bought and we used for a few years. It worked very well. we had it on a David Brown 885 and weight wise it was all the DB wanted. You could run right along in any conditions and if you broke or bent a knife changing with the special tool was easy and quick. Gear box was indestructible. the only problem was that the hinge point between the hitch part and the arm had been cobb welded under the cover before we got it, and when it broke again it was a bear to get it fixed. better take the cover off and check that.
 
Tom in Tn, yes you do let the mower all the way down and it skids along the ground on the bottom ''saucer'' plates which free wheel spin as you go along. Carter and Carter machinery in Johnson City Tn. carry a line of dependable, affordable drum mowers, they are on the internet.
 
(quoted from post at 18:24:44 05/26/10) Dave that looks exactly like a Fahr
Click to expand...

Guess it's much the same. I guess Deutz/Fahr let this company (Fricke)build some of their models under their name.

Par for my luck, while I was asking questions and getting opinions before jumping in, someone bid on this one and knocked out the buy now option :roll:

Have to wait and bid on it. Other options are a foot wider.

Dave
 
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