Mowers

[Cowabunga]

Cannot believe high revs through a mower when topping would be positive... I run at a fast tickover

Depends on what you are topping. Lots of growth and a fast forward speed can result in knives flapping and wearing the bolts surprisingly quickly. If it works for you, great.
Nothing wrong with using Eco PTO setting obviously.

 

[ollie989898]

Moved another one last year.
About a 25lt drum sized bit showed above ground. (the bit the size of a small hatchback didn't show)
Weighs 5-6 tonnes.

Digger in with pecker and chip off the stuff until they are below surface?

 

[egbert]

Digger in with pecker and chip off the stuff until they are below surface?

Pecker won't touch them.
I drilled it with view to splitting, but with only 3 sets of gear in, failed- and lost one set of gear down a hole.

Got Mr blasto man to pop round and reduce it to a size the digger could roll it up out the hole, then got handler forks under it and finally shoved it aside.
Fudging thing.

 

[Skintagain]

Pecker won't touch them.
I drilled it with view to splitting, but with only 3 sets of gear in, failed- and lost one set of gear down a hole.

Got Mr blasto man to pop round and reduce it to a size the digger could roll it up out the hole, then got handler forks under it and finally shoved it aside.
Fudging thing.

I think you should buy some hay lol

 

[Triangle]

I'd recomend a kuhn disc mower. We have a FC284, this will be its fourth season. Reliable (though i've cursed it now of course) easy to change the blades on, conditioner does a good job and it leaves a good finish if the grass isnt all laid flat. The one gripe i have with it is it doesnt fold vertical, only swings round the back. Its fine, unless you have tiny lanes. We have one field i have to reverse into, as its the only way to get in with all the tail swing. Apart from that, its a very good mower. Mowing about 120ish plus about 40-50 contracting acres (maybe more in the future).

On PZ, i wouldnt say the old stuff is good quality either, maybe the mowers are different to the tedders but i have a PZ 4 rotor tedder, fanex 45something and its junk. If you dont have the sway bars on the tractor tightened down as tight as possible the thing will sway from side to side as you drive along. I think it is the design of the headland swivel wheels, but its crap.

New Kuhn folds virtical same as green painted version jd r310r

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

Are you sure it’s 540 ? Can you confirm model no. What colour is gearbox that pto shaft drives into ? This denotes the rpm required . If it’s meant to be 1000 and your using at 540 it will do as your describing leaving a poor cut and tearing up slip clutches due to torque at the lower rpm

It's a ActiveMow R200. According to the technical data operating instructions the PTO speed requirement is 540, after it burnt the first one out the mechanic said run it at 580. (He is sound, does other work for me directly). Again, in the operating instructions it says "interventions in the friction clutch will lead to loss of guarantee" and it says the friction clutch is designed to be non-adjustable.

 

[box]

It's a ActiveMow R200. According to the technical data operating instructions the PTO speed requirement is 540, after it burnt the first one out the mechanic said run it at 580. (He is sound, does other work for me directly). Again, in the operating instructions it says "interventions in the friction clutch will lead to loss of guarantee" and it says the friction clutch is designed to be non-adjustable.

What tractor?

 

[livestock 1]

It's a ActiveMow R200. According to the technical data operating instructions the PTO speed requirement is 540, after it burnt the first one out the mechanic said run it at 580. (He is sound, does other work for me directly). Again, in the operating instructions it says "interventions in the friction clutch will lead to loss of guarantee" and it says the friction clutch is designed to be non-adjustable.

I’ve had two Krone mowers bit of a love hate relationship with both of them
The current one has a conditioner and works fine apart from one lump of rented ground which it refuses to cut. The grass won’t flow through the conditioner and sort of bridges then when it does it wraps around the conditioner rotor and blocks up or burns the clutch. It also wraps or blocks between the cones and mower frame.
I’ve tried fast slow more revs less revs changed rotor speed and direction turned in or out all to no benefit. I just cut it with a different mower now

 

[Wellytrack]

I’ve had two Krone mowers bit of a love hate relationship with both of them
The current one has a conditioner and works fine apart from one lump of rented ground which it refuses to cut. The grass won’t flow through the conditioner and sort of bridges then when it does it wraps around the conditioner rotor and blocks up or burns the clutch. It also wraps or blocks between the cones and mower frame.
I’ve tried fast slow more revs less revs changed rotor speed and direction turned in or out all to no benefit. I just cut it with a different mower now

Sounds like a problem moving cut material away from the discs, can you buy flights to add to the discs? Some will, it really helps in certain conditions.

 

[livestock 1]

Sounds like a problem moving cut material away from the discs, can you buy flights to add to the discs? Some will, it really helps in certain conditions.

Mine has them on and I did weld some onto a Kuhn which helped.
What I’m getting at is it’s just one lot of ground so it’s really the type of grass more than anything else. Works perfectly on everywhere else it goes

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

What tractor?

It's been on a 120 hp Zetor and a 100hp Massey

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

Mine has them on and I did weld some onto a Kuhn which helped.
What I’m getting at is it’s just one lot of ground so it’s really the type of grass more than anything else. Works perfectly on everywhere else it goes

We're cutting some decent crops off PP so it tends to be thick and often wet in the bottom. Cutting some stood up second cut (say 5 bales to the acre) it's OK. The thing is the crops are no different from what I used to cut with the Vicon drum mower and didn't have any problems

 

[livestock 1]

We're cutting some decent crops off PP so it tends to be thick and often wet in the bottom. Cutting some stood up second cut (say 5 bales to the acre) it's OK. The thing is the crops are no different from what I used to cut with the Vicon drum mower and didn't have any problems

This grass is pasture type stuff that’s causing bother. Hearts no muck on just fert and cropped once probably late as a rule.
Sounds familiar as we now cut it with the Claas drum instead

 

[Cowabunga]

We're cutting some decent crops off PP so it tends to be thick and often wet in the bottom. Cutting some stood up second cut (say 5 bales to the acre) it's OK. The thing is the crops are no different from what I used to cut with the Vicon drum mower and didn't have any problems

It doesn’t sound like it’s a good mower. The Kidd Clipper drum mowers were dreadfully unreliable but cut much much better than the original trailed Vicon Doublet mowco. Later Vicon disc mowers were far better and I have a semi-mounted/trailed 3m one in the shed that’s done thousands of acres but has a broken bed. My current fully mounted Deere/Kuhn is also very good and cuts just as well but I’m not keen on its back folding.

 

[Cowabunga]

Oh! Too hell with the warranty. I’d be inclined to weld up the offending slip clutch. I’ve never had a slip clutch go on a mower. If in doubt consider whether they pay warranty on the repeated clutch repairs.

 

[Treg]

Pottenger disc mower here does 100 acres of silage & 40 acres of topping a year, never been over 540rpm , 16 years old never been apart .
Have read this thread with interest as was thinking of changing it this year , was thinking cheaper options but maybe better to stick with Pottenger by some of the comments.

 

[steveR]

This grass is pasture type stuff that’s causing bother. Hearts no muck on just fert and cropped once probably late as a rule.
Sounds familiar as we now cut it with the Claas drum instead

I am starting to think I'd better hold onto the old PZ drum....

I have someone wanting it for a song... so I reckon it can stay here and be a standby.

 

[livestock 1]

I am starting to think I'd better hold onto the old PZ drum....

I have someone wanting it for a song... so I reckon it can stay here and be a standby.

My pz days are over
Too many shims in those things

 

[mf7480]

Agreed, never had a slip clutch release on any of our kuhn mowers over the years. To be honest If you hit something that’s worth the slip clutch slipping for, it will have destroyed itself with its own momentum anyway so if it’s causing that much of an issue I’d get rid of it.

 

[Ben B]

Only time I have had the slip clutch go was when I hit a ball of fence wire in a paddock. Wrapped around the end drum top to bottom an inch thick.