Southern Pa. | Two Hawk - 7/4/2015 21:28
Did they still run rubber crimpers in 956's? I had a 955 with rubber rolls I used in alfalfa that was the worst drying swather I've used in 20 years. Thankfully it broke one of the rolls in half a few years in and I replaced it with steel rolls that were much better, Deere offered 2 different speed up pulleys for the crimpers that also helped quite a bit, the fastest one wouldn't hold the belt but the mid speed seemed to work fine. I never could make a proper windrow with it, look at the forming shields, no width adjustment. You can either drop the swath board and lay a very wide widrow out the bottom that wont fit in a pickup or a narrow tall windrow that wont dry, all or nothing but never the right size. It would not pick up downed crop well at all. I had a bit of trouble with crimper bearings but solved that when I stopped using the junk JD chinese bearings. Check the joints between the cutter bed modules for leaks, I had to remove the entire cutter bed to replace a cracked modual and re-seal all the joints, probably had more to do with its primary operator (my lunatic 17 year old son) than any design flaw. It was pulled by a 7810 cutting half of 1100 acres 5 times a year in a big hurry and just didnt hold up well when pushed hard, I think it would work out better in a more laid back operation.
I replaced it with a Agco Challenger PTD15B that is a superior machine in every way except parts support, its hard to beat deere at that.
Don't know anything about the steel roll machines, or if the hay dries faster with them versus the rubber roll machines.I did own a rubber roll machine some years ago,and thought that it would dry hay faster than the NH 489 it replaced.Used to have a lot of alfalfa hay we mowed with it.We have mainly either straight grass or grassy alfalfa mixes now, and we run a XX6 series Moco with flails. From my experience, I would definitely recommend flails if you're mowing straight grass or grassy mixes. If you have mainly alfalfa, stay away from the flail machines. We feel the flail machines will dry grass hay faster than the rubber roll machines, don't know anything about the steel roll machines.
As far as windrow formation, I've always been able to get the swath width I wanted by simply adjusting the swath board up or down.It can be adjusted in increments to make the hay catch more or less of the window forming shields in order to vary the swath width.
The XX6 series used an improved cutter bar design compared to XXO or XX5 machines. The cutter bar is made from a different material, which allows it to be slimmer while still retaining the strength of the previous design. You can definitely cut down crop cleaner than the older design.You can also remove a single module,(or modules) without removing the cutter bar from the machine, which is impossible on the previous design.
I would definitely recommend checking the cutter bar modules closely for any cracks or leaks. Check the rolls for any damage and make sure they run true. Run it a little to stir up the cutter bar oil, and remove the sight glass/drain plug at either end of the cutter bar to check the oil for metal contamination. If you see metal,you better go look at another one, or budget for some (possibly) expensive repairs.
Good luck!
Edited by JD 9400 7/6/2015 08:17
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JD 956 conditioners, what to look for
