Mowers

[Dave W]

That used to be said about the older Tarrup mowers the 306/7 models but it think it was actually when topping lads lifted them slightly on the rams, that made them tilt forward & the oil wasn't getting the spread it should, that's my theory anyway.

I'd doubt that's the case. Those gears spin so fast that the oil pretty much turns to a foam instantly and fills the entire cutterbar evenly. You could even use it vertically safely.

I've had plenty of older mowers that don't sound so clever running up in the yard but put them to work and they sing nicely

 

[Tsa115]

I’d check it is 540 our Krone mower came with a 540 sticker on it but after some investigation it’s actually 1000. It’s trailed so might be different but it’s a hell of a mower
[/QUOTE yellow gearbox was a 1000rpn and green for 540 on krone mowers According to a dealer a few years back

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

My mower's gearbox is green

 

[balerman]

The thing with disc mowers,a lot of makes have at least 2 different ranges.I know Kuhn do,a centre pivot range and a lower spec end pivot generally powered by belts with a shoe beside the first disc where the gearbox is.This can be the cause of a lot of blocking cos the shoe doesn’t like running in cut grass.The centre pivot ones are generally driven from the top down through the first disc and are much less prone to blocking (or not in the case of my Lely that is made from cheese),something to be aware of when buying.

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

The thing with disc mowers,a lot of makes have at least 2 different ranges.I know Kuhn do,a centre pivot range and a lower spec end pivot generally powered by belts with a shoe beside the first disc where the gearbox is.This can be the cause of a lot of blocking cos the shoe doesn’t like running in cut grass.The centre pivot ones are generally driven from the top down through the first disc and are much less prone to blocking (or not in the case of my Lely that is made from cheese),something to be aware of when buying.

Ours doesn't have belts but it does have the shoe beside the first disc.

 

[Jsmith2211]

Ours doesn't have belts but it does have the shoe beside the first disc.

ours is a center pivot. I'd give discs another go. If drums were better then everyone would still use them, theres a reason they dont. Sounds to me like the disc mower you have is a cheaper lower end model that isnt built to take the power you need it to be.

 

[Wellytrack]

Had a mechanic who specialised in Taarup tell me that mowers shouldn’t be driven much over their rated speed at all. He also said that 306/307 mowers were awful terrible machines. I decided to discount his advice after that.

 

[nearly there]

The thing with disc mowers,a lot of makes have at least 2 different ranges.I know Kuhn do,a centre pivot range and a lower spec end pivot generally powered by belts with a shoe beside the first disc where the gearbox is.This can be the cause of a lot of blocking cos the shoe doesn’t like running in cut grass.The centre pivot ones are generally driven from the top down through the first disc and are much less prone to blocking (or not in the case of my Lely that is made from cheese),something to be aware of when buying.

Kuhn have a new bed for the lower spec model so no shoe no blockage

 

[mf7480]

Had a mechanic who specialised in Taarup tell me that mowers shouldn’t be driven much over their rated speed at all. He also said that 306/307 mowers were awful terrible machines. I decided to discount his advice after that.

Nothing wrong with a 307! We mowed for 20 years with one of those until it went bang

 

[Wellytrack]

Nothing wrong with a 307! We mowed for 20 years with one of those until it went bang

Until recently I was doing 300 acres per year with one. I’d say between it and an FC300 they clean the ground as well as any.

 

[v8willy]

I'd doubt that's the case. Those gears spin so fast that the oil pretty much turns to a foam instantly and fills the entire cutterbar evenly. You could even use it vertically safely.

I've had plenty of older mowers that don't sound so clever running up in the yard but put them to work and they sing nicely

The grass will deaden the sound tho.

 

[livestock 1]

Had a mechanic who specialised in Taarup tell me that mowers shouldn’t be driven much over their rated speed at all. He also said that 306/307 mowers were awful terrible machines. I decided to discount his advice after that.

I had 2 of those things a 306 and a 307 you could cut some grass with those things best machine available in its day they would fair sing.
The bed design was weak though the pressed tin had a tendency to crack far too thin and stressed due to being pressed out of a flat sheet. Bearings going meant hours of work to change where as the later Kuhn or krone could be done in minutes. The difference between 15 minutes in a field and a complete strip down

 

[dowcow]

It has been said before the biggest problem with the 306 and 307 was the main gearbox was only really good for 90hp. It was fine in the 80's but when everybody started buying 100+hp tractors and found they didn't need to change down a gear anymore in a heavy crop, the gearboxes just couldn't handle it.

 

[Dave W]

It wasn't so much the hp that killed 306/7 gearboxes as bad design.
the output shaft down from the box had 2 taper bearings. Any debris in the box naturally found it's way down into them. Then the seal went and oil leaked out the bottom and you couldn't tell as grass wiped away any evidence.
Think I've sold about 20 of them over the years. All the ones I've seen with dead gearboxes had same problem. Bottom shaft got red hot and melted shaft or bearings.

The oil recurculator on later models helped things

 

[Cowabunga]

It has been said before the biggest problem with the 306 and 307 was the main gearbox was only really good for 90hp. It was fine in the 80's but when everybody started buying 100+hp tractors and found they didn't need to change down a gear anymore in a heavy crop, the gearboxes just couldn't handle it.

Common issue with 1980’s mowers maybe. The Kidd Clippers went through the main right angle gearboxes regularly. Synthetic oil helped a little, but not a lot. These were just not heavy duty enough.

 

[Bokey]

I know disc mowers are more popular than drum mowers but I really dislike my Krone disc mower. It's on its fifth season, it's unreliable and is hard to get as tidy a job as with the vicon drum mower we used to have.

Looking at alternatives, has anyone got a Weaving drum mower which I think are Samasz?

Alternatively how do people get on with Malone mowers and if so does using the topping skids replace having a topper. I'd rather have 1 machine than 2

TIA

I bought a talex 1.85 drum mower new from j bourne tractors last year £1700 I think it was. Was abit worried it'd be a piece of crap but couldn't be more happy built well cuts clean and Joe bourne is a nice guy to deal with

 

[Jsmith2211]

I bought a talex 1.85 drum mower new from j bourne tractors last year £1700 I think it was. Was abit worried it'd be a piece of crap but couldn't be more happy built well cuts clean and Joe bourne is a nice guy to deal with

surprisingly cheap, cant cost much less than that to make.

 

[Bokey]

surprisingly cheap, cant cost much less than that to make.

Ye that's what I thought bit to good to be true it replaced a 6ft disc mower an I thought I was taking a backward step going back to drum couldn't be more happy though its been on 50hp an 120hp both fine I'd buy another one

 

[Wellytrack]

The bottom pinion from gearbox went in mine, got one, got it going again. Next season the hardi coupler let go and departed from the machine very quickly. Got another made up, since got another spare one. Plus two spare gearboxes.
I had intended to keep running it on as the job it makes is still very good.

 

[livestock 1]

It has been said before the biggest problem with the 306 and 307 was the main gearbox was only really good for 90hp. It was fine in the 80's but when everybody started buying 100+hp tractors and found they didn't need to change down a gear anymore in a heavy crop, the gearboxes just couldn't handle it.

I had 2 of them and never had a gearbox go but they got hellish hot unbelievably hot when worked hard