Unmowable Grass!

Muck Spreader

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Limousin
Last field to cut this year, five acres of a second year cocksfoot ley that has been left too late. It's so thick and heavy the can't get though it at all. The mower just wraps grass around the end tophat till it jams on the swath disk and burns the pto clutch. Even mowing with the mower suspended makes little difference. Never had a field like it before.
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My cousin had one like it years ago, always mowed no problem and all of a sudden his krone wouldn't do it,so wanted me to do it with our Lely. Could be driving along no problem and then stall the tractor with no warning. Took all afternoon to cut three acres
 

Mur Huwcun

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North West Wales
You need a mower conditioner for the job if it’s not. Way over twenty years ago we were offered a fair few acers of rushes in a wet land to cut and bale next door. It had not been cut for years and was not far off three to four foot with canes growing in it. Disc mowers could do nothing with it, I was only about 14-15 at the time and dad dug out a Sperry New Holland moco with a vicon bed we had from the nettles. Some blades, oil, pto shaft repair and a bit of weld and we were off!! Took all day to cut about 7 acers with the 5’6” cut mower with a Ford 6610 sweating on the front!!

The sound of the canes, rushes and bracken going through was deafening and by the end the poor moco was shining inside. We baled it over a week later and had a serious amount of round bales. Cut and baled it many times after but never managed to cut as much so it must if been a very dry summer. We’ve not been there now for must be 12 years so would guess there’s another bumper crop but ai’m sure even 6 months of heat wave woukd never dry the area out now.
 

Henarar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset
Last field to cut this year, five acres of a second year cocksfoot ley that has been left too late. It's so thick and heavy the can't get though it at all. The mower just wraps grass around the end tophat till it jams on the swath disk and burns the pto clutch. Even mowing with the mower suspended makes little difference. Never had a field like it before. View attachment 979597View attachment 979598
Could you take the top hat off ?
 
I had to finish a field uphill this year , because it wouldn't go through the mower going downhill.
I had a 6 acre last year of Timothy and fescues
Had 2 cuts of silage off ,didnt cut 3rd cut in july,thought I'd leave it for some green hay
I failed to cut it in august with front or rear mowco
Neighbour failed with plain disc mower
In the end cut it short ways up hill with his dads plain krone mower
 

dowcow

Member
Location
Lancashire
To everyone saying to use a drum mower, I had a JF drum mower once that couldn't get through a delayed heavy cut. Had to mow it the other way across the field.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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