help me pick the best tedder

[davidroberts30]

I've said it before and I'll say it again

The best tedder is the widest 1 you can afford either new or 2nd hand
The wider the better as it means you can travel that bit slower while still covering ground
Smaller tedders are hammered to get the output then the quality of work suffers

 

[Martin Holden]

I've said it before and I'll say it again

The best tedder is the widest 1 you can afford either new or 2nd hand
The wider the better as it means you can travel that bit slower while still covering ground
Smaller tedders are hammered to get the output then the quality of work suffers

Good advice! going an extra 2 rotors min above what you think you need is normally a wise choice

 

[gatepost]

Krone here, does a good job over all sorts of ground.

 

[Conrod96]

2 lely 1020’s here great machines

 

[Boohoo]

Lely 460 here, was the widest we could afford and has 2 more rotors than we need...

 

[IOW91]

I've said it before and I'll say it again

The best tedder is the widest 1 you can afford either new or 2nd hand
The wider the better as it means you can travel that bit slower while still covering ground
Smaller tedders are hammered to get the output then the quality of work suffers

Agree 100%.

Having ample tedding capacity is essential, for hay making in a summer like we have just had.

This year being able to go and ted what ever was cut twice a day, during the best wilting hours in the day (as soon as the top had wilted it got flicked out again). Meant that none of our hay got rained on. It was very close a couple of times, had it not been for a big tedder, it wouldn't of got over the line and been fit to be baled and carted before the rain hit the next day.

 

[Martin Holden]

malone is not visible in our areas and does not have a dealer .. I live near the S I P factory but I am not interested in their machine because of bad experiences in the past. although the new sip products are better than in the past.. Kuhn has the largest weight of all 1450 kg and is also expensive. However, the old kuhn has served me well, I would only use it for making silage and not for hay...

If you are as you say in Slovenia, go and take a look at the latest tedders. SIP had a brand new visitor centre in Sempeter now and unless you’ve seen in detail the new offerings I would say you’ll be surprised. All depends on what old SIP model you had before. Even the middle range Robust models are way different than before.

 

[M-J-G]

Not much to go wrong with any tedder, so why would it break down?

They all need correctly set rotor speed, rotor angle, and forward speed to suit the crop. Seen plenty horrific lumps and rows made by Kuhn, KV, Krone, pottinger etc etc when the operator is nowt more than a sweaty seat jockey

I've a new type 8 rotor krone 900 Vendro that replaced a Claas 770 last summer. Krone far easier to set up and adjust, be it for tedding out fresh cut or turning near hay. Tines are now unequal length so both the same height off thy ground. Bloody simple and effective, don't understand why nobody else makes them like that! It's a heavy machine, but with the close coupled headstock and excellent damping system, a wee 100hp handles it fine even on my hills

Kuhn is heavier and needs a bigger tractor. Price tag was also heavier! Pottinger rated by a few with them round here, but there isn't a local dealer pushing them. Claas seem to have stopped improving their machines? Grass still wraps around the rotor tops, wheels are still a bugger to adjust, and straight tines keep leaving a wee bit between the rotors unless you set it up in "power harrowing" fashion

I got a new Claas last year, they have changed the tops of the rotars now ro have a larger gap and grass doesn't wrap any more.
I used to use a Kuhn with a neighbour but it thew it into lines no matter what we did.
I was tempted by a Krone but a friend has one and it seems bad for spreading evenly, particularly when going through it multiple times.

 

[DrDunc]

I got a new Claas last year, they have changed the tops of the rotars now ro have a larger gap and grass doesn't wrap any more.
I used to use a Kuhn with a neighbour but it thew it into lines no matter what we did.
I was tempted by a Krone but a friend has one and it seems bad for spreading evenly, particularly when going through it multiple times.

Good to hear Claas have at last heard their customers' complaints. It'll be long time since they first designed their wrapping rotors

This summer past was my first with the krone 900, so I'm still learning. At first I drove it like my old Claas, as the grass dried, forward speed increased slightly...... Yes indeed, the krone chucked it in rows

I discovered that I was being far too gentle. As the grass dried nearer hay, the krone rotor speed needed increased to near 500rpm, up from around 350 when it was fresh mown

It was the forward speed, though, that was the biggest revelation. First pass through was 3 to 5kph, same as the claas predecessor, but to spread evenly when dry, I was hitting 10kph and more in lighter crops. The grass was turned beautifully without rows, but at a rate I'd never thought possible with a tedder

I had begun experimenting with the very easily altered rotor angle towards the end of the summer. Flatter angle as the grass dried did improve the spread without needing to spin the rotors so fast, however I'd like to experiment more next year when there's a bit more sunshine and less threat of rain

Hope your new Claas does as well for you as my old one did for me. Mine was near 20 year old when it left, and needed two bearings, a seal, and one replacement tine in all the years it was here. Whatever the design flaws were, that's not bad!

 

[KB6930]

Good to hear Claas have at last heard their customers' complaints. It'll be long time since they first designed their wrapping rotors

This summer past was my first with the krone 900, so I'm still learning. At first I drove it like my old Claas, as the grass dried, forward speed increased slightly...... Yes indeed, the krone chucked it in rows

I discovered that I was being far too gentle. As the grass dried nearer hay, the krone rotor speed needed increased to near 500rpm, up from around 350 when it was fresh mown

It was the forward speed, though, that was the biggest revelation. First pass through was 3 to 5kph, same as the claas predecessor, but to spread evenly when dry, I was hitting 10kph and more in lighter crops. The grass was turned beautifully without rows, but at a rate I'd never thought possible with a tedder

I had begun experimenting with the very easily altered rotor angle towards the end of the summer. Flatter angle as the grass dried did improve the spread without needing to spin the rotors so fast, however I'd like to experiment more next year when there's a bit more sunshine and less threat of rain

Hope your new Claas does as well for you as my old one did for me. Mine was near 20 year old when it left, and needed two bearings, a seal, and one replacement tine in all the years it was here. Whatever the design flaws were, that's not bad!

We changed from a class 770 to a new 800 and they're still s***e!!! Krone is a far better machine but they were too dear and for all we're doing with it the claas will be fine .

 

[M-J-G]

We changed from a class 770 to a new 800 and they're still s***e!!! Krone is a far better machine but they were too dear and for all we're doing with it the claas will be fine .

Surely something a bit more expensive is worth it if it avoids something that's sh1te.

 

[KB6930]

Surely something a bit more expensive is worth it if it avoids something that's sh1te.

Trade in value would've been the biggest issue.

 

[M-J-G]

Trade in value would've been the biggest issue.

A 2nd hand quality machine beats band new rubbish surely?

 

[KB6930]

A 2nd hand quality machine beats band new rubbish surely?

Our old machine was well used 10 yes ago before we got it !!

 

[M-J-G]

Our old machine was well used 10 yes ago before we got it !!

I was more meaning that if Krone is very good but out of your budget new, why not buy a 2nd hand Krone instead of a brand new machine that is rubbish?

 

[KB6930]

I was more meaning that if Krone is very good but out of your budget new, why not buy a 2nd hand Krone instead of a brand new machine that is rubbish?

None available at the time . And as usual the new machine was supposed to be X amount better than the old one and yes it's better in some ways but no better in others

 

[M-J-G]

None available at the time . And as usual the new machine was supposed to be X amount better than the old one and yes it's better in some ways but no better in others

They're exactly the same apart from the bigger gap at the rotar and a slightly cranked tine arm, I struggle to see why anyone would expect it to be much different.

I bought one because they're almost identical to the 770 the first one of which (which without counting exactly) must have done around 15 thousand acres without anything but a set of tines and it regularly had a monkey on it as tedding is a pretty low skilled job.

I cannot fault the 770 apart from needing to fit anti-wrap brackets after buying the first one back in 2006, I added a second one in 2012 and which was fine too.
The 800 was new this year, but if it does as well as the 770s after the same acres I'll be happy enough.
The spread is well improved and there are few with a headland system as handy or effective as the hydraulic swath board.

 

[KB6930]

They're exactly the same apart from the bigger gap at the rotar and a slightly cranked tine arm, I struggle to see why anyone would expect it to be much different.

I bought one because they're almost identical to the 770 the first one of which (which without counting exactly) must have done around 15 thousand acres without anything but a set of tines and it regularly had a monkey on it as tedding is a pretty low skilled job.

I cannot fault the 770 apart from needing to fit anti-wrap brackets after buying the first one back in 2006, I added a second one in 2012 and which was fine too.
The 800 was new this year, but if it does as well as the 770s after the same acres I'll be happy enough.
The spread is well improved and there are few with a headland system as handy or effective as the hydraulic swath board.

It was sold to us that the cranked arm was gonna clean everything off the ground compared to the 770 but it doesn't end of story .

 

[daveydiesel1]

It was sold to us that the cranked arm was gonna clean everything off the ground compared to the 770 but it doesn't end of story .

The easiest way to clean the ground is hooked tines

 

[M-J-G]

It was sold to us that the cranked arm was gonna clean everything off the ground compared to the 770 but it doesn't end of story .

Bet that sales man doesn't call now if he sold you a shite sandwich having you believe it was beef