Mowing with front and rear mounted mowers

ColinV6

Member
Couple of quick questions for the seasoned pro's out there, don't laugh.... Usually mow with our trailed Krone 3200cv.

Have a demo set of pottinger mowers coming out next week, just so I don't look like a total newbie I assume I still go round the headland first time with the rear mower to the fence? Advantage of this will be your not running over the second row as with trailed rear.

Secondly, on a T7 sidewinder, I presume I just run front and rear mowers in float?

Is it worth setting up headland management on mowers?

Any other tips and advice welcome.
Thanks
 

KB6930

Member
Location
Borders
Yes run them in float and I doubt headland management will work 100% unless you're working in an exactly square field mind I'm just going off what a mate of mine that does a lot of mowing tells me he says it works to a certain extent but not in every situation.
 

ColinV6

Member
Thanks, I was assuming the rear mower to the fences for that reason, might do more damage to the front mower. Mind you it's just our own stuff we will be cutting so there shouldn't be debris but you never know what Joe public has fly tipped over the hedge from the road :(

So float, flick them up at the end, turn and back into float. Easy peasy!

Looking forwards to using them, definately feel one single mower just doesn't get the job done fast enough anymore.
 

jackstor

Member
Location
Carlisle
Couple of quick questions for the seasoned pro's out there, don't laugh.... Usually mow with our trailed Krone 3200cv.

Have a demo set of pottinger mowers coming out next week, just so I don't look like a total newbie I assume I still go round the headland first time with the rear mower to the fence? Advantage of this will be your not running over the second row as with trailed rear.

Secondly, on a T7 sidewinder, I presume I just run front and rear mowers in float?

Is it worth setting up headland management on mowers?

Any other tips and advice welcome.
Thanks

I'm guessing your mowing your own fields, so you'll know if there's any stones/foreign objects in the dykebacks, so I would go first time round with front mower in hedge, it's a lot easier to see and a mounted back mower is a lot different to drive round the headland than a trailed one, you don't want to prang a demo one!!
You can't mow around curves/corners with front and backs, you'll leave an uncut strip. If I've got a bendy dykeback, I usually just drive as straight as I can first time around, leaving uncut bits along hedge and then mow them out when I come to them while doing the middle.
Mowing the middle I usually start at one side and work across, but it might be easier for you to make breaks until you get used to using the mowers.
If the pottingers are like a kuhn, the front links need to be at a set height for mowing, then you'll use the ram on mower to lift and lower it, using the float.
Cutting height is set by the length of the tractor top links. I wouldn't bother with headland management.
 

KB6930

Member
Location
Borders
I'm guessing your mowing your own fields, so you'll know if there's any stones/foreign objects in the dykebacks, so I would go first time round with front mower in hedge, it's a lot easier to see and a mounted back mower is a lot different to drive round the headland than a trailed one, you don't want to prang a demo one!!
You can't mow around curves/corners with front and backs, you'll leave an uncut strip. If I've got a bendy dykeback, I usually just drive as straight as I can first time around, leaving uncut bits along hedge and then mow them out when I come to them while doing the middle.
Mowing the middle I usually start at one side and work across, but it might be easier for you to make breaks until you get used to using the mowers.
If the pottingers are like a kuhn, the front links need to be at a set height for mowing, then you'll use the ram on mower to lift and lower it, using the float.
Cutting height is set by the length of the tractor top links. I wouldn't bother with headland management.
Definitely agree about the mounted being a lot different next to a fence after using trailed for years my mounted took a bit of getting used to around fences and poles but wouldn't go back now(y)
 

Fraserb

Member
Location
Scottish Borders
As others have said when you're in ground you know run with front mower next to fence, on my first pass round I just drive round corners as tight as I can, this leaves moon shaped bits missed in the corners, the next 3 times round I lift out reverse round and away again, on my 5th and last time round I do a loop round into the corner and drop the rear mower to cut the bit missed on first pass. I have my hms setup, it works fine on square headlands but just lift with spools when in short work.
 

ColinV6

Member
I'm guessing your mowing your own fields, so you'll know if there's any stones/foreign objects in the dykebacks, so I would go first time round with front mower in hedge, it's a lot easier to see and a mounted back mower is a lot different to drive round the headland than a trailed one, you don't want to prang a demo one!!
You can't mow around curves/corners with front and backs, you'll leave an uncut strip. If I've got a bendy dykeback, I usually just drive as straight as I can first time around, leaving uncut bits along hedge and then mow them out when I come to them while doing the middle.
Mowing the middle I usually start at one side and work across, but it might be easier for you to make breaks until you get used to using the mowers.
If the pottingers are like a kuhn, the front links need to be at a set height for mowing, then you'll use the ram on mower to lift and lower it, using the float.
Cutting height is set by the length of the tractor top links. I wouldn't bother with headland management.

Excellent advice, many thanks. :)

Interesting to see you can't go round corners or bendy bits?
I've seen a few YouTube videos where people seem to take curvy bits easily, should the rear mower not overlap the front one slightly?

I'm hoping the guy who drops the demo off (it's coming on a complete unit with another T7.210) will be able to show me most bits, I just like to swat up a bit first :D
 

Fraserb

Member
Location
Scottish Borders
Excellent advice, many thanks. :)

Interesting to see you can't go round corners or bendy bits?
I've seen a few YouTube videos where people seem to take curvy bits easily, should the rear mower not overlap the front one slightly?

I'm hoping the guy who drops the demo off (it's coming on a complete unit with another T7.210) will be able to show me most bits, I just like to swat up a bit first :D

We used to have a deere front and back, it could get round reasonable curves on the headland
 

ColinV6

Member
As others have said when you're in ground you know run with front mower next to fence, on my first pass round I just drive round corners as tight as I can, this leaves moon shaped bits missed in the corners, the next 3 times round I lift out reverse round and away again, on my 5th and last time round I do a loop round into the corner and drop the rear mower to cut the bit missed on first pass. I have my hms setup, it works fine on square headlands but just lift with spools when in short work.

So even going rear mower to the hedge will you still miss bits on the first run on the corners?
I'm sure all this will make itsself clear just be having fun experimenting with different techniques.
 

Fraserb

Member
Location
Scottish Borders
So even going rear mower to the hedge will you still miss bits on the first run on the corners?
I'm sure all this will make itsself clear just be having fun experimenting with different techniques.

If You run rear mower to hedge you won't miss bits in the corners, I tried it that way and couldn't get on as well as front mower to hedge, need to remember at 2nd cut i've a mower out each side now.
 

Serup

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Denmark
We cut around 150 acres, 3 cuts.

Currently a contractor comes in to help and makes our single mower look stupid.

This year i have 130 acres and we cut 5 times. Next year it will be about 175 acres x 5 cuts. When the weather is against me, i hire a contractor with a triple mower. I feel ridiculous next time when we do it ourselves. But a bigger one is a lot of money.
 

Spencer

Member
Location
North West
If You run rear mower to hedge you won't miss bits in the corners, I tried it that way and couldn't get on as well as front mower to hedge, need to remember at 2nd cut i've a mower out each side now.
Another thing to watch for:

Moved on to triples from front and rears a few years ago and was cutting some fields close to town around midnight. As always on first run, keep a close eye on inside mower next to wall. As I was cutting along roadside I could see a man standing under a street light watching me, when I got closer he started waving his arms, the closer I got the more frantic he was getting.. As it was a Saturday night thought he must be drunk or something.. He was at the corner of the field so I got level with him as I turned, (he was going mental at this point), as I turned I glanced to my inside mower just in time to see a tent about 10 foot in front of inside mower!!!!!!! Emergency stop initiated, heart pumping out of my chest, I sat there for a moment thinking holy sh!t. At that point a head popped out of the tent and a terrier jumped out, couldn't believe it. Bearing in mind tractor was a full chat and mowers screaming he casually climbed out picked up his pop up tent and he and dog jumped over the wall and staggered down street... Proper wake up call and watch both mowers religiously now at night..:watching:
 

Mouser

Member
Location
near Belfast
So even going rear mower to the hedge will you still miss bits on the first run on the corners?
I'm sure all this will make itsself clear just be having fun experimenting with different techniques.
We always run rear mower to hedge, even on your own ground there will be foreign objects lurking (branches can do a lot of damage, rubbish bags, glass bottles, that bit of wire you promised yourself you would lift before silage time) these will be through front mower and under tractor before you know it!

Turning left won't miss any on headlands but will drive over a bit with left hand wheel so best to cut opposite direction next time round.
We do once anticlockwise then 3 or 4 clockwise depending on field size, then stripes.
If you have a lot of curvy headland you can increase overlap using stabilisers on tractor. Always thought a hydraulic stabiliser would be great for double mowers so would work similar to sideshift on kuhn triples.
My only warning is make sure you can afford them cos you won't want to go back!
 

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