Mower output 3m to 6m (front and back).

[Fraserb]

Your figures make absolutely no sense
10ac hour with one mower would equate to about 18 ac/ hour with doubles or 28ac/hour with triples allowing for an extra metre of cut,
10 ac/hour with a single is wildly optimistic in itself

Not if you've more than 100hp a metre on the 10m triples, very rarely in flat fields with light crops we can knock out a 35 acre field in just over an hour with 250hp

 

[Zippy768]

Surely it must be close to a 100% increase in output. Twice as much cut per run and half as many turns. I presume maybe a slower speed than only with one, however can cut from one side to the other and not in lands - which would save alot of time on headlands??

Edit: or is the front mower narrower than back?

 

[Fraserb]

Surely it must be close to a 100% increase in output. Twice as much cut per run and half as many turns. I presume maybe a slower speed than only with one, however can cut from one side to the other and not in lands - which would save alot of time on headlands??

Exact figures will be different for everyone but if you've enough power to run the doubles or triples at the same speed as a single then you'll get the 100% increase with less turning, I would think a lot of people will be slightly short of enough power so end up going a gear lower and get the 70-80% increase. GPS makes a big difference as well, not easy keeping mowers full when cutting off the wrong side.

 

[Fools Gold]

Not if you've more than 100hp a metre on the 10m triples, very rarely in flat fields with light crops we can knock out a 35 acre field in just over an hour with 250hp

Yes but an available hourly output over the course of a days cutting is what I was getting at

 

[Fendt516profi]

Not if you've more than 100hp a metre on the 10m triples, very rarely in flat fields with light crops we can knock out a 35 acre field in just over an hour with 250hp

Where do you get these 1000+ hp tractors?

 

[Gerbert]

Anyone went from doubles to triples?

When our front and back worn out would like to move to triples.

Yeah I did that, I wasn't precisely for capacity though. I had a pottinger novacat 305H that was far to heavy hanging on one side. After replacing a bunch of parts on the hitch of the tractor. I did another year and decided I've had enough. The pottinger wasn't bought cheap (I intended to keep it a long time) so I took quite a hit on it and as I wasn't flush with cash I bought a Lely 900 mc which needed a bed rebuild on both mowers. I bought a Lely because they are known to need little power as I only have 150 pto hp available.
Long story short, it was a great decision, balance is lovely, only need 4wd when you are going places you shouldn't really be. Capacity is close to half more I think, depends on the shape of the field. With a (mounted) rear/front combo you can just mow through the corners if you are going anti-clockwise, with triples you need to back up in every corner. Being able to mow back and forth without a three point turn is easy which does help alot.

 

[Speedstar]

Yes but an available hourly output over the course of a days cutting is what I was getting at

Going from one 3 meter mower to 2 more than double output , less turning helps out put go up a lot , Same going up to triple mowers less turning more output and add a big tractor in to the story then you a getting on

 

[ollie989898]

You will save your neck/back and the machine some grief by running wider but with a lower forward speed.

 

[Fendt516profi]

Just in the process of going from front and rear centre pivot trailed mo'co's to non conditioner triples. Bought the rears as they were in stock at the 'old price' no front available so finiding off the season with the old front moco.
Using the slightly less fuel on the triples without conditioners.

Reason for going non conditioner is that all our grass is for hay or haylage so gets tedded out straight away. Less ryegrass and more timothy being grown, so saved £8-10k on the price compared to a set with conditioners
Not cutting 1000's of acres but need to get a lot of grass down quickly each morning before we go out baling.
Meadow grass doesn't need conditioning and it thrashes out the seed later in the season which isn't ideal with a front mower, even with a reversing fan.

If anyone wants a second hand John Deere 131 front mo co mine will be for sale in September.

New Kuhn GMD3121 front mower – Alan Snow

 

[ColinV6]

Exact figures will be different for everyone but if you've enough power to run the doubles or triples at the same speed as a single then you'll get the 100% increase with less turning, I would think a lot of people will be slightly short of enough power so end up going a gear lower and get the 70-80% increase. GPS makes a big difference as well, not easy keeping mowers full when cutting off the wrong side.

At second cut this year I tried making bouts across the fields instead of working from one end, and I found it to be noticeably quicker. Probably as can run the front to the edge all of the time and don’t have to look over your shoulder and overlap.

 

[Fraserb]

At second cut this year I tried making bouts across the fields instead of working from one end, and I found it to be noticeably quicker. Probably as can run the front to the edge all of the time and don’t have to look over your shoulder and overlap.

With the triples I used to mow a row, miss a row and go on like that, meant you weren't turning as tight and was slightly quicker, that's with autosteer.

 

[Courier]

We cut 500 a year and it’s worth it. Don’t get contractor to cut any now.

We used a Mounted Kidd Clipper ( 6’ Kuhn bed with brush conditioner )to cut 600 acres in a season on 70 to 75 hp tractors

 

[Sid]

conditioner every time,full spread
save a pass with tedder
not needing to run rake on floor coz the grass is flat

But then you need the hp to front conditioners front and rear to keep the work rate per hour up.

Lower input power by dropping the conditioning increases acres covered.

It also depends what hp you also have avaliable on farm.

 

[ColinV6]

We used a Mounted Kidd Clipper ( 6’ Kuhn bed) to cut 600 acres in a season on 70 to 75 hp tractors

Blimey!! Rather you than me!! How much do you cut in one go? Must be hard getting the weather window.

 

[Cowabunga]

Farming organically here front and rear straight combination, get it down quick, straight in behind with tedder to move it all.
Every cut gets ted, wetter stuff twice.

Small rotor 9m wide teddertaking 3 rows of grass so that it's not a race.

I wouldn't go back to single mower.
Half as many turns, squared corners, less driven over and not cut.

With a spreading mower/conditioner, the first and possibly only tedding job is eliminated.

 

[Sid]

With a spreading mower/conditioner, the first and possibly only tedding job is eliminated.

But it's not FOC either.

 

[Cowabunga]

But it's not FOC either.

It saves a man and a tractor even if you have the tedder idle. In fact it is a massive time saver and gets your grass off the ground rather than flat, all fallen in one direction.

 

[Sid]

It saves a man and a tractor even if you have the tedder idle. In fact it is a massive time saver and gets your grass off the ground rather than flat, all fallen in one direction.

It can do. But if the conditioning slows you down to the point you need another tractor and mowers to achieve the work rate then the additional 200 hp is required.
Depends on size of tedder but it can be done with the scraper tractor of 25k value not 150k.

It depends on what equipment, time factor, etc.

3rd cut red clover this week,cut with straight mower ted straight behind, possible ted again with dew, then rake.

I wouldn't want to run a tined conditioner through that as I feel it would mush it too much

 

[mf7480]

It can do. But if the conditioning slows you down to the point you need another tractor and mowers to achieve the work rate then the additional 200 hp is required.
Depends on size of tedder but it can be done with the scraper tractor of 25k value not 150k.

It depends on what equipment, time factor, etc.

3rd cut red clover this week,cut with straight mower ted straight behind, possible ted again with dew, then rake.

I wouldn't want to run a tired conditioner through that as I feel it would mush it too much

I wouldn’t want to be tedding a clover ley once let alone twice?

 

[Sid]

I wouldn’t want to be tedding a clover ley once let alone twice?

Your response gave an opinion but no reason behind it?