Kverneland butterfly combination

[philib]

Anyone running a Kverneland 5087
Think off going from a front rear set up to triple setup
Always have run Kverneland mowers from 306 to center pull to doubles
Like to drop my grass fast ted and bang it in
People’s experiences with triplets the good and bad please

 

[shumungus]

First question, what Hp have you available?

 

[philib]

205 at the shaft

 

[shumungus]

I know its all dependant on crops and hills and there will be someone on here who runs a set of triples on a 35x but in real life 205 is going to get its arse warmed with nothing in reserve on a good Irish crop of grass.

 

[vinnie123]

Conditioners or not?

 

[shumungus]

5087 have nylon finger conditioners, even the website recommends 225hp.

 

[james ds]

I was at a demo of the kv triples and I thought it was very hard to drive , but maybe the conditioner was set tight , 265 hp was under pressure . I run a class on the back with a pottinger on the front and have no problem driving it with 210 hp

 

[Jim B]

Nylon finger conditioners don’t do a lot; might as well have plain mowers which are easier to drive and less hp requirement. Do you ted straight after you’ve cut?

 

[grass man]

Nylon conditioners r not that hard to drive and those mowers r not that heavy. You have doubles, would you consider going back to a single? Have you ever heard of anyone going from tripples back to doubles? There's your answer. Plenty working with that kind of horsepower and doing fine. Might have to slow down a little but probably will be cutting cleaner and following contours better

 

[Galcam]

Grassman He has a front mounted and rear trailed setup. He wants to know the pros and cons of going triples? Did I read the post incorrectly?

 

[deleted user 837354]

I don't know many people running KV mowers, much less KV triples but I did know a chap, many years ago now, who ran a set on a 3185 Fastrac and got on ok. In heavy crops you won't be running a high forward speeds but going steadier you still cover the ground anyway and it's probably kinder on kit to drive a bit steadier anyway.

One contractor here runs the triples on a 939 and I bet in places it makes full use of it too. Even a Cougar can be just 'adequate' on engine power in some of the crops around here.

 

[Martin Holden]

Nylon finger conditioners don’t do a lot; might as well have plain mowers which are easier to drive and less hp requirement. Do you ted straight after you’ve cut?

That’s not true my friend. Plastic y tines do as good a job as steel in crimping the stems. It’s just that the word steel sounds harder than plastic hence the notion you suggest. Free swinging steel tines take more power - I suspect this is what @james ds was seeing when he saw the demo. The Pottinger fingers are more rigid mounted.

 

[grass man]

Grassman He has a front mounted and rear trailed setup. He wants to know the pros and cons of going triples? Did I read the post incorrectly?

Maybe I have mis understood but he said he has used trailed kv/taarnp machines but currently doubles. I took this to be mounted. Anyhow I can't see any disadvantage with tripples except the price. Weight of them won't be an issue and it is evenly distributed on both sides the tractor. Plenty of 5090s with belts have been worked with 200 hp tractors and they have steel conditioners and must weigh double a 5087. Don't think philib will have any regrets buying one.

 

[Tullyvernon]

I was at a demo of the kv triples and I thought it was very hard to drive , but maybe the conditioner was set tight , 265 hp was under pressure . I run a class on the back with a pottinger on the front and have no problem driving it with 210 hp

I know previous models were very HP hungry 10hp/foot was recommended, I believe this model has been made to be more in line with lighter mowers like Claas etc.

 

[C&Cows]

Out of interest how many acres are you cutting to justify triples??

 

[philib]

Thanks for feed back on this
Didn’t get a chance to think about it since
Gave last night getting mates son who dropped fasttrac and broughan into ditch on a bend avoiding a car !!!!
3 hrs two loaders later out she popped
With front and rear cutting 6.2 m
Triple will be 8.7
2.5 m more each pass
If I lose a few km I should still increase area covered per hr and be much easier on the kit
That’s the way I am thinking

 

[michael N123]

We had a Kv 10ftt mower and plastic condition

Worst mower I’ve ever used.. every bump or mole hill thick lump of grass Would snap the knife holders would drag grass and try to burn the belts out unless your going perfectly straight The stupid electric system to keep it level would turn the mower instantly into a plough if it went wrong oh and the plastic conditioner snapped and needed a new one after 100 acres
(Edited) also remember the gearbox snapped it’s holding bolts off one day and the main body needed welding to

Got a Fella/Massey one now shaft driven 10x better made and to use than the KV

 

[Galcam]

MichaelN123 how long ago and how old was the mower? I ask because I’ve had 5 kV trailed mowers and I can honestly say they have been faultless. Here they dominate the market to the point that of the contractors in my area are all KV, gone from JD, Kuhn and Krone. The only incident I had was the light little chain( u use it to hold the lid of the mower while changing flails) was left hanging loosely and caught the oil breather cap on the gearbox under the headstock and ripped it off. Lesson learned to tie the chain up or remove it as I never use it.

 

[michael N123]

Would of been new 7 years ago only kept it 3-4

 

[shumungus]

Hp aside @philib a set of triples is much nicer balanced on your tractor and not as prone to crabbing going across hills and you are correct about being able to go a bit slower will give the units more time to follow ground contours etc as any mowers I think its very important to keep them running at high shaft speed so as to let the conditioners do their job and not let them pull the tractor revs down. As far as timeliness of mowing is concerned triples is pretty much as good as it gets in a farmer scenario although when the sun is shining at 2 o'clock in the afternoon you could never have them big enough. Another thing that hasn't been mentioned is weight when lifted it takes a good tire in a wet year to carry them on the end rigs, I know there is less runs but you don't want to be in halfway up the sidewall.