NEMO | oldtiger - 6/21/2025 18:35
Been running disc conditioner for 35 years. Would be hard pressed to find a sickle machine in north MO...and that's saying something because a whole lot of us are really backwards...especially folks in Macon county
30 years ago the 499 was the cats meow. Couple guys at the local cafe would bragg about them matched with a Vermeer twin rake to make perfect bales. The only problem would be if you had down hay and one half of the windrow wouldn't be as thick and heavy from mowing different directions, so it was hard to get an even bale. Compared to the old JD1209 the 499 Hydra swing was supposed to be the way to go, but we didn't put up enough hay at the time to justify one. But oh how I sure wished to have one back then along with a twin rake.
I was just reminiscing today while raking hay about the good ole days and how I dreamed of having a hydra swing mower so we wouldn't have a bunch of triangle pieces to deal with from not laying off the land straight. Getting already mowed hay while trying to mow standing hay with a 1209 sickle mower was the biggest pain in the butt at the time.
The swing cylinder is leaking/pouring oil out when you try to pivot the disc moco, so I was ironically raking triangles that my son mowed a couple days ago!
30 years ago I hated triangles, but today I really could care less. AC was working just fine and that's all that really mattered!!! Lol
So we really are backwards this week, laying off headlands and going in a race track circle pattern with a hydra swing disc moco while waiting on a seal kit and time to fix it!!!
As to the original poster and his 499, I would vote to scrap it also and buy some sort of disc mower. The timed saved in actually mowing and getting something done in a timely fashion will make up for the cost of purchase.
Edited by cows-n-crops 6/21/2025 22:14
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New holland 499 question.
