a rotary cutter question for ya

We just got an old JD 307 rotary cutter. From the serial number looks like the second one made. Now, we are gettin this ready for cutting and while reading through the manual a question came to mind. In the manual it has pictures of an optional windrower attachment. It also mentions leaving the side open (without the windrower)so that the cut material would cure better, etc. Now, my question. Can this thing be used to cut hay? Will it destroy the hay or just cut it a little more fine. If it could be used, it seems to me that it might greatly lower my hay curing time (I cut with a sickle mower). If any of you know about this or have any experience with it let me know. We're really fightin the weather now and as soon as some dry spells set in we've got hay to cut so this idea may be needed if it will work. Thanks a lot folks. God bless

--old fashioned farmer

I'm not a big time operator. I bale about 20 - 25 acres of hay each year using my sickle bar mower and square baler. I feed my hay in the winter when my grass pastures are weak. My hay is all fescue or fescue/clover mix. Last year I bush hogged and baled about 3 or 4 acres of fescue. It dried quickly and compacted nicely in good tight bales. However, my cows hated it and my horses absolutely would not eat it. They ate leaves, weeds, and some old round hay that I thought I had hauled far enough away that they wouldn't bother with. I think that it probably had to do with the texture of the hay. It was very finely chopped in relation to my hay that was mowed with the sickle bar.

I don't know. Maybe I just have fussy livestock, but I guarantee that I will never bale bush hoggged hay again.

Please be nice. I'm very easily hurt.

Tom in TN

I have tried sickle mowers on several occasions and all results were the same: they suck!

I took my latest sickle to the sale barn and currently use a 6' rotary cutter that has the reinforcing steel on top giving a slick underside so hay is not trapped. Additionally I cut out the back of the thing so the hay exits flat(not windrowed). Cuts cleaner by getting the hay away from the blade faster, and scatters better for a faster cure.

I run as fast as I can (groundspeed) with the slowest blade speed that will cut nicely. The hay comes out chopped up somewhat but skattered, not clumps like when it falls off a sickle. It rakes and bales about as effeciently as the sickle. You can tedder if you want, but it's not as critical to a fast curing time as it is on a sickle where there are long stems and clumps on top of clumps.

Besides your cutter is right behind you and you don't have that "thing" sticking out to the side that hangs up on everything. Yeah my tire rolls over the grass before it's cut but looking behind the cut you'd never know it.

Now on 5' sudan, I use a mower conditioner (swather) and have used it on grass hay. It's just overkill and I save the wear and tear for sudan.

One more point: No cutter blade "sections" to replace or to rust up, or to get CLOGGED UP BY CRAWDAD MUD TOWERS.

Best,

Mark