Front And Rear Haybines Cut A 32-Ft. Swath

Front And Rear Haybines Cut A 32-Ft. Swath MOWERS Mowers (31H) 26-4-44 It was relatively easy to do and has saved us a lot of time and labor," say Fred and Larry Krueger, Delavan, Wis., who use their Case-IH 8950 front wheel assist tractor to tow two 16-ft. New Holland 2300 series haybines - one on front and one behind. The system lets them mow 32 ft. at a time, at speeds up to 8 mph. The Kruegers already had one hydroswing haybine. They bought another identical, slightly used model and removed the hydroswing tongue, keeping just the header. They bought a front-mount frame specially designed to mount a New Holland haybine on the back of a "turned-around" bi-directional tractor. They laid the frame on top of the weight bracket and removed the springs from the header. They remounted the springs on the frame, and also welded a cross brace on the frame for reinforcement. A pto-driven jackshaft on back of the tractor is used to chain-drive a hydraulic pump on the frame. "It lets us mow twice as fast and eliminates the need for another tractor and operator," says Fred, who says they took the machine to the field for the first time this spring. "We were able to cut 135 acres in only six hours, and we made it through my entire first cutting of 900 acres with no problems. We had been using just the pull-type haybine and were able to mow up to 150 acres per day, but we had to put in 12 to 15-hour days. Now we can mow more than 200 acres in only a 10-hour day. We custom harvest hay for a neighbor who uses a self-propelled chopper. With the two haybines we can mow 7 1/2 to 8 mph and keep ahead of the chopper. "We could have bought a New Holland bi-directional tractor to do the same job, but the big problem is that the bi-directional tractor doesn't have enough power or weight to operate two 16-ft. haybines, especially on hillsides. Our Case-IH model has about 220 hp compared to 100 hp for the bi-directional tractor, and it's also a heavier model. We use the Case-IH model in our custom manure hauling business to pull loaded semi tankers, which a bi-directional tractor wouldn't be able to do. The bi-directional tractor is equipped with a front pto that drives a front-mounted haybine. However, our Case-IH tractor doesn't have a front pto so we had to use the hydraulic pump." According to the Kruegers, it takes a tractor equipped with front wheel assist to handle two 16-ft. haybines. "I think an articulated 4-WD tractor would work even better because it has larger front wheels to handle the weight. Also, the front wheels would have more clearance over the windrow when turning. We have to put blocks in our tractor's front axle so the wheels don't turn as short and drive over the windrow. With an articulated tractor we could get the header closer to the tractor," says Fred. They paid $11,500 for the used haybine and $1,700 for the front-mount frame. "Our total cost was less than $15,000, whereas a new pull-type, 16-ft. header alone would have cost more than $18,000," notes Fred. The system uses four remote hydraulic outlets on the tractor. Total transport width is 18 ft. "We have to be careful to drive around mailboxes when I'm driving on the highway," he notes. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Fred and Larry Krueger, W7954 St. Rd. 11, Delavan, Wis. 53115 (ph 262 728-2468).

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