500 Hp Custom-Built, 48-Ft. Mower Conditioner

500 Hp Custom-Built 48-Ft Mower Conditioner HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Mowers 38 “It has three 16-ft cutting and conditioning heads and a 500 hp engine ” says Keith Vogel Vogel Engineering about the company’s custom built giant mower conditioner They started designing it after building a 37 1/2-ft self-propelled 400 hp mower for commercial hay grower Brent Maust Originally Maust worked with Vogel Engineering to design a tractor-mounted system The mower conditioner units were rear-mounted and Maust had to drive the tractor in reverse when using them In addition the tractor-mounted mowers were too wide to take down the road “We convinced him to try a self-propelled unit ” says Vogel “We built a frame and used a 9L Deere diesel for the power unit We reused Maust’s three Deere 994 rotary mower conditioner heads that were still nearly new ” A Deere cab mounts on a manual turntable allowing Maust to drive forward in the field and on the road After turning the cab 180° the three mower heads are tucked into a 15-ft width behind the cab for transport It eliminated two tractors and two operators and lets him cut hay three times faster than before says Vogel It s been compared to the big Claas and Krone units However no U S manufacturer makes anything like it and we used all U S -made parts We are more economical and give you more bang for the buck than the others do With the new 48-ft mower what you get is a 13 5L Deere engine and a Deere cab The cutter heads are Case IH 163 mower conditioner heads with steel flails The cab turntable is hydraulic-powered for operator ease in reversing direction The unit’s 40 000-lb weight is about the same as the smaller Maust model The additional horsepower was needed for the bigger and heavier cutting heads with weight in other areas reduced where possible We ve been using Deere diesels in our vegetable harvesters for years explains Vogel who’s well known for the company’s self-propelled carrot cucumber celery and squash harvesters However if a customer wants a Cummins or Cat engine we ve worked with them as well Vogel suggests a list price of around $550 000 for his 48-ft mower conditioner To see the big unit in action check out the video at www farmshow com Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Vogel Engineering Inc 6688 Maple Island Rd Holton Mich 49425 ph 231 821-2125; www vogel-engineering com

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.