Hay Tedder MF676 DN

[Kryten]

Morning All, after some help - just had delivered a new MF 676 tedder but no handbook. I've looked online expecting to find a pdf but none is forthcoming. I've looked on the Fella site as well but all I can find are promo vids. The dealer is on it but that could take a week (or more).

Question - you can angle the whole thing for the first time round the field but the ground wheels on the rotors don't move and the rig is crabbing sideways. Is this normal?

Cheers

 

[cows sh#t me to tears]

Different tedder I know. But I dont bother stuffing around doing anything like that. I just drive tractor faster and cut engine revs right down to keep it off our banks and fences. Works for me.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Morning All, after some help - just had delivered a new MF 676 tedder but no handbook. I've looked online expecting to find a pdf but none is forthcoming. I've looked on the Fella site as well but all I can find are promo vids. The dealer is on it but that could take a week (or more).

Question - you can angle the whole thing for the first time round the field but the ground wheels on the rotors don't move and the rig is crabbing sideways. Is this normal?

Cheers

Don't know about your model, but many makes use the system as shown in video below. I presume this is what you mean by crabbing, and it does work quite well.
Shown in the video from around 18/20 seconds.

 

[Sid]

Under Health and safety law its illegal not to supply a manual

If you had an accident supplier would be liable!

 

[Werzle]

Under Health and safety law its illegal not to supply a manual

If you had an accident supplier would be liable!

Doesnt help the op when he wants to get on though

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Morning All, after some help - just had delivered a new MF 676 tedder but no handbook. I've looked online expecting to find a pdf but none is forthcoming. I've looked on the Fella site as well but all I can find are promo vids. The dealer is on it but that could take a week (or more).

Question - you can angle the whole thing for the first time round the field but the ground wheels on the rotors don't move and the rig is crabbing sideways. Is this normal?

Cheers

Phone the rep , he should come out and set it up for you

 

[Sid]

Doesnt help the op when he wants to get on though

I had same issue with an AGCO machine as well despite asking on numerous occasions for a manual.

Wasn't dealers fault it was the AGCO hadn't supplied one.

Phone call to AGCO finance stating that payments were going to be withheld until manual was received lead to one being delivered.

 

[Sid]

Phone the rep , he should come out and set it up for you

That's a joke surely?

Some reps wouldn't know how to use a wheelbarrow let alone set up a machine!

 

[Kryten]

Don't know about your model, but many makes use the system as shown in video below. I presume this is what you mean by crabbing, and it does work quite well.
Shown in the video from around 18/20 seconds.

The crabbing is fine but the wheels don't castor so they are making the machine pull. This video looks like the crab is hydraulic where ours only has one offset position. I'll work something out - the manual has actually arrived today but is no help whatsover regarding this lol

Thanks for all the comments

 

[Cowabunga]

Unless you are making hay and need to tedd the hedge boundary several times, I would and do never bother offsetting the tedder to throw into the field. If doing silage it is not essential to tedd every last blade of grass, so I just lower the revs slightly and, if necessary, leave a foot or so of grass untended. Actually my mower throws out from the hedge so for silage I do not need to miss any grass and the rake gathers it all when ready.

The PTO speed needed for this tedder is 400rpm, not 540. If you use 540 you will fatigue and break times much sooner and more readily than otherwise.
Not sure off-hand where your wheel height should be set but not to raise the machine too much in grass or the angle of the time rotors will be such that you will miss picking up grass at the periphery of each rotor. Good for straw on a stubble but not for short stubble grass. So start with the wheels set in the middle holes to start with, which is probably where they were set at delivery anyway.
Set the top link so the tines skirt the ground but do not dig in during work. You will probably find that the top link will seem relatively long.

Be aware that it is possible that when folded in transport position and set on the ground for parking, that the rotors or their guards may, depending on tractor used, come into contact with an open rear window.

Also beware that when attaching or dismounting the tedder from the tractor that if the top link is disconnected with the machine's stand still lifted off the ground, there is a possibility that the machine could overbalance on its wheels and topple over backwards. It could also tilt forward suddenly as the lower links are disconnected, with a possibility of harming any person standing between the machine and tractor.

All of which is really no more than common sense and self-preservation. Safety First. Its no worse than any rival machine I'm sure. Just be careful out there. It's a jungle.

 

[Kryten]

Unless you are making hay and need to tedd the hedge boundary several times, I would and do never bother offsetting the tedder to throw into the field. If doing silage it is not essential to tedd every last blade of grass, so I just lower the revs slightly and, if necessary, leave a foot or so of grass untended. Actually my mower throws out from the hedge so for silage I do not need to miss any grass and the rake gathers it all when ready.

The PTO speed needed for this tedder is 400rpm, not 540. If you use 540 you will fatigue and break times much sooner and more readily than otherwise.
Not sure off-hand where your wheel height should be set but not to raise the machine too much in grass or the angle of the time rotors will be such that you will miss picking up grass at the periphery of each rotor. Good for straw on a stubble but not for short stubble grass. So start with the wheels set in the middle holes to start with, which is probably where they were set at delivery anyway.
Set the top link so the tines skirt the ground but do not dig in during work. You will probably find that the top link will seem relatively long.

Be aware that it is possible that when folded in transport position and set on the ground for parking, that the rotors or their guards may, depending on tractor used, come into contact with an open rear window.

Also beware that when attaching or dismounting the tedder from the tractor that if the top link is disconnected with the machine's stand still lifted off the ground, there is a possibility that the machine could overbalance on its wheels and topple over backwards. It could also tilt forward suddenly as the lower links are disconnected, with a possibility of harming any person standing between the machine and tractor.

All of which is really no more than common sense and self-preservation. Safety First. Its no worse than any rival machine I'm sure. Just be careful out there. It's a jungle.

Thanks Cowabunga, sage advice for all. Thankfully it's not my first rodeo - we have a tedder now that was second hand in my grandfather's day (I'm in my 50s) and I wanted something that was a bit stronger and folded itself so Dad can use it without help. Looks like it's going to be entertaining!

 

[essexpete]

To add to Cowbunga's comments the offset wheel thing is also a ball ache on corners and can make fouling the rear wheel likely. Your's is a new machine mine is old but I would not drive too quickly on first pass particularly on first pass with a thick crop. I have never thought it to be very robust. When turning short and lifting you may find it beneficial to tweak the folding ram to slightly lift the out sections. Early passes I don't bother lifting but work in small lands. If the design is the same as the old Fella the tines are not handed and I have always found the inner tine breaks first. Last year I started lopping of about 20mm on the insiside when fitting a new tine. I have also used hay Bob tines in an emergency and they appear to work despite being slightly thinner. My machine has some original tines still going strong after 18 years but the modern after market appear to be made of crap steel.

 

[cows sh#t me to tears]

Also try leaving one row around outside and tedding rest as usual. When done come back( and as I also mentioned at the start of the thread. ) and slow the pto right down and increase your ground speed. Spreads the row out without throwing it into a fence and it's only one row not flogged properly. That's what I do as opposed to offsetting.