McConnell hedge cutter size for MF399.

daveydiesel1

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Co antrim
Iv a 5155 on a 4370 and when its fully out its nearly plenty of weight. No wheel weights but would a 4370 not be slightly heavier round the back than a 399 anyway. Sure id come cut ur hedges for a reasonable fee instead of u buyin 1 😎
 

kill

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
South West
Looking ahead to next season what size/model of hedge cutter would be a good match for a Massey 399 with axle brackets and wheel weights. Would like bells and whistles. TIA
In all honesty a trimmer as near to 5 metre reach as you can get as a 399 is such a light 6 cylinder tractor ( almost doubt there’s lighter available) and axle brackets are rarely available on a trimmer of that size and don’t get carried away as the hydraulic top cover and cross shafts will crack as the backend isn’t up to big loading.
I ran a 399 on trimming for a few years around 10 years ago and it’s biggest plus point was how cheap it ran on fuel.
 

shumungus

Member
Livestock Farmer
In all honesty a trimmer as near to 5 metre reach as you can get as a 399 is such a light 6 cylinder tractor ( almost doubt there’s lighter available) and axle brackets are rarely available on a trimmer of that size and don’t get carried away as the hydraulic top cover and cross shafts will crack as the backend isn’t up to big loading.
I ran a 399 on trimming for a few years around 10 years ago and it’s biggest plus point was how cheap it ran on fuel.
The reason I want to put in on the 399 is because its so light and easy on ground. Can you not get an axle bracket kit for any of the McConnels? I already have the tractor part. Does the brackets not take the pressure off the arms and top plate?
 

kill

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
South West
The reason I want to put in on the 399 is because its so light and easy on ground. Can you not get an axle bracket kit for any of the McConnels? I already have the tractor part. Does the brackets not take the pressure off the arms and top plate?
The pressure on the arms will be taken off but you need plates from the top link pin either side to the long pin behind to reduce top link pressures but I used that at the time. 3 pl trimmers need tight stabiliser chains as slop will give shock loads and break linkages.
Going for a bigger trimmer and adding ballast will just make the tractor clumsy and heavier on the ground and more likely to sink.
I replaced the rear tyres from 16.9 r 38’s to 18.4 r 38’s and the fronts from 13.6 r 28’s to 14.9 r 28’s which helped
 

Wellytrack

Member
Iv a 5155 on a 4370 and when its fully out its nearly plenty of weight. No wheel weights but would a 4370 not be slightly heavier round the back than a 399 anyway. Sure id come cut ur hedges for a reasonable fee instead of u buyin 1 😎

Get back tay f.ook I’ll do it. And for less. And I’ll share my Tayto’s too...
 

Wellytrack

Member
So how big is a 5m trimmer in the grand scheme of things? There are no open sheughs left on the farm so nothing to really reach over. Think I would like RH cut and have the head forward too to help visibility.

5 meters is plenty big, especially for a 399 as said. 5 meters will be enough to side a hedge with two runs and still reach over the top 2 runs if its that wide.
 

Boohoo

Member
Location
Newtownabbey
The bigger and the fancier they get the more trouble they seem to give.
Most of the hedgecutting I do is with a PA48 with cable controls and all it ever needs is grease. The PA52 I occasionally use needs a joystick every year and has leaked more oil than the Torrey Canyon.
 

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