JF Mower Conditioner Opinions

[Selectamatic]

Hello,

I'm thinking of buying a JF GMS 8ft Mower Conditioner, conditioner fitted with plastic fingers

Does anyone own one, or use one, and would like to share their opinions on them with me?

Thank you

 

[Jontym]

Bought the 10ft version last year 2008 model, looked on inter web for people's views before purchasing, couldn't find much positive! But took a punt anyhow traded in a claas disco 8ft moco I'd run for 10 years. Cut about 130 acres with it now and can't really fault it, cuts clean and fast and you can leave the swath the full width of the mower, put about a dozen new plastic conditioning fingers on when I bought it but the one previous owner certainly could not be described as mechanically sim pathetic, so all in all can't fault it certainly nicer to use than the claas, but one negative the blades are bloody expensive.

 

[Martin Holden]

Correction! the conditioner tines are polyethylene a mixture of plastic and nylon. The blades which are bolt on are arched in designed and quite different to the contemporary quick fit twisted designs. They do actually last longer for a wear point of view. They are too heavy for a quick release system

 

[Cowabunga]

Polyethylene is a fancy name for common plastic. Low density is used for bottles and plastic bags, medium density is the softer grades of 'alkathene' and could be any colour. Used for gas and water pipes and carrier bags again.
High density is often commonly called 'alkathene', especially when used for pipes. Its the slightly harder grade.

The one used on those conditioner types is probably something called 'high molecule weight' polyethylene or even ultra high weight. Its hard tough stuff and often used as low friction lining [its what lines my Kv/Kidd mixer wagon body] and indeed bearings. [again used in the non-driven ends of the augers on horizontal wagon in the form of plain unlubricated bushes]

Hope I remember that stuff reasonably accurately.

 

[Martin Holden]

Polyethylene is a fancy name for common plastic. Low density is used for bottles and plastic bags, medium density is the softer grades of 'alkathene' and could be any colour. Used for gas and water pipes and carrier bags again.
High density is often commonly called 'alkathene', especially when used for pipes. Its the slightly harder grade.

The one used on those conditioner types is probably something called 'high molecule weight' polyethylene or even ultra high weight. Its hard tough stuff and often used as low friction lining [its what lines my Kv/Kidd mixer wagon body] and indeed bearings. [again used in the non-driven ends of the augers on horizontal wagon in the form of plain unlubricated bushes]

Hope I remember that stuff reasonably accurately.

As always the font of all knowledge. Why are to a farmer and not in engineering?? Perhaps you should apply for the Top Gear post or an agricultural version of it anyway

 

[Jontym]

Sorry didn't mean the conditioning blades were expensive, though not cheap, I was referring to the knife blades. Priced them of Kramp but were no cheaper than genuine JF.

 

[Martin Holden]

I know what you meant. They have always been more expensive than the common rectangular twisted knives that most contemporary mowers (including ours) use these days

 

[farmerbill]

They are a bit tinny, but easy to drive and were quite cheap new. Ours wrote itself off when the drawbar ram centre unwound itself, it did a rolly polly!

 

[Martin Holden]

http://www.kongskilde.com/Agriculture/Grass and Complete Diet Mixers/Mowers/Disc Mowers/GMT L

The new design is a long way from the models of yesteryear!

 

[Selectamatic]

http://www.kongskilde.com/Agriculture/Grass and Complete Diet Mixers/Mowers/Disc Mowers/GMT L

The new design is a long way from the models of yesteryear!

So the GMS 2400 is not much of a machine? Best avoided?

 

[sodbuster]

I had a gms 320 for 5000 acres it was great machine didn't have many problems.

 

[Martin Holden]

So the GMS 2400 is not much of a machine? Best avoided?

The 2400 was the smallest sized one made so not an issue. We don't make that size anymore as the market has moved to fully mounted versions

 

[Selectamatic]

The 2400 was the smallest sized one made so not an issue. We don't make that size anymore as the market has moved to fully mounted versions

Ummmm... the GMS 2400 I am thinking of is a fully mounted one...

 

[Martin Holden]

Ah, now that is an old machine. It was re named GX a good 20 years ago. Are you sure it's called GMS 2400?

 

[Selectamatic]

Ah, now that is an old machine. It was re named GX a good 20 years ago. Are you sure it's called GMS 2400?

Yep, GMS 2400 S

Serial Number - 2192

What are they like Martin? Are they worth a go?

 

[Cowabunga]

As always the font of all knowledge. Why are to a farmer and not in engineering?? Perhaps you should apply for the Top Gear post or an agricultural version of it anyway

Too bloody late now!

 

[ollandroverman]

I bought a JF GMS 3200 trailed mower two years ago, and i love it!
It is great to use in the field, but due to being 3.2m wide it is really quite difficult to get around the roads and through gateways around here.
Kuhn mower bed in them as i remember, but with out the fashionable Kuhn mower prices

 

[Cowabunga]

I bought a JF GMS 3200 trailed mower two years ago, and i love it!
It is great to use in the field, but due to being 3.2m wide it is really quite difficult to get around the roads and through gateways around here.
Kuhn mower bed in them as i remember, but with out the fashionable Kuhn mower prices

Martin will confirm whether yours has a Kuhn bed. I believe that when Kongkilde took over, beds were subsequently sourced from Comer, one of Europes leading gear and gearbox manufacturers.
Both are great mower beds.

 

[Martin Holden]

Martin will confirm whether yours has a Kuhn bed. I believe that when Kongkilde took over, beds were subsequently sourced from Comer, one of Europes leading gear and gearbox manufacturers.
Both are great mower beds.

It's never too late!! Cutterbars - JF moved over to the comer base units approx 2009 before Kongskilde bought them. Up until then Kuhn bars were used. Easy to spot the difference; Kuhn bars - 4 bolts to fix the discs and 4 for the disc drive units. Comer bar uses 6

 

[ollandroverman]

It's never too late!! Cutterbars - JF moved over to the comer base units approx 2009 before Kongskilde bought them. Up until then Kuhn bars were used. Easy to spot the difference; Kuhn bars - 4 bolts to fix the discs and 4 for the disc drive units. Comer bar uses 6

Yup, mine has Kuhn bed, and the aformentioned seriously hard-wearing blades. The only down side of these is they cut into the neighbouring disk, rather than break if you mow into a stone that has no right to be in a cropping field.