# Discbine suggestions?



## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Tried an old 1411 NH (been through the wars) but cut very well. Can't really afford it (and it's not worth what they're asking) so what make and model of discbine under 10k could be worth looking at?


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## Up North (Nov 29, 2005)

Depends on how much tractor you have to pull it.
Most 12 or 13 foot wide models really should have 100 hp or larger tractor.

The Vermeer 12' side pull with regular drawbar is a good machine.
The Case-IH 8312 center pivot 12' wide is a good machine.
Hesston in the same machine is good- Not sure of model number but 1340? comes to mind.
JD 9' side pull is decent machine as well.


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## langoley (Jan 26, 2006)

You might look at tractor house dot com . They list them all over the country at all different prices and brands.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

The 1411 is 10 foot 8 inches and a JD 6415 85 hp pulled it along without much effort. Neighbor uses a Ford 6600 on his. I am looking at a side pull 10 footer because my other two tractors are a Ford 6600 and a 6710 so hopefully they could power it up too. No real hills around here


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## Up North (Nov 29, 2005)

Both the JD and the Vermeer had 9 to 10 foot side pull models that are good reliable machines.
Some of the Case-IH side pull models were built by New Idea. Don't know if they were good quality or not.

You may want to inspect the machines to see if they have conditioning rollers or the flailing hammers. Depends on what type of hay you harvest if the type of conditioning is important to you or not.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Any thoughts on the flail conditioners? I grow mostly a mixed grass/clover or alfalfa hay. We've run NH and Hesston mo/co's side pull self propelled (which I liked) and they've always had either the Cheron rollers or the steel on rubber. Looked at an older NH 411 in very very good shape. $6500 so not too hard to buy I'm just a little concerned about parts supply as they don't use the same cutter bar any more.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

Don't know about the modern ones but we used to have an old New Idea Cut-ditioner that used flails and Dad thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. We had mostly clover/timothy at the time, don't know how it would be with alfalfa.


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## Up North (Nov 29, 2005)

Ross said:


> Any thoughts on the flail conditioners? I grow mostly a mixed grass/clover or alfalfa hay. We've run NH and Hesston mo/co's side pull self propelled (which I liked) and they've always had either the Cheron rollers or the steel on rubber. Looked at an older NH 411 in very very good shape. $6500 so not too hard to buy I'm just a little concerned about parts supply as they don't use the same cutter bar any more.


From the discbine owners I have visited with over the past few years, the consensus seems to be that if you have predominantly legumes like alfalfa or clover, the conditioning rollers are gentler on the crop and result in less leaf loss. If you have lots of grass in the mix either system works fine.
Damaged or worn out rollers are very expensive to replace.
The steel hammers offered as an option by John Deere can tear right off the machine if you hit a big enough rock or stump with them.

Kuhn disbines use a system of Nylon fingers that flail the hay for conditioning after it passes over the cutterbar. They seem to work well enough. Do not know enough about wether they will hold up as those machines age.


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## Up North (Nov 29, 2005)

sammyd said:


> Don't know about the modern ones but we used to have an old New Idea Cut-ditioner that used flails and Dad thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. We had mostly clover/timothy at the time, don't know how it would be with alfalfa.


We had one of those as well. Ran it with a Farmall M with a wide front. Looked like a turtle shell. Simple design, cut and conditioned all at once. Sure could shear off an anthill, LOL.
Always wondered why New Idea discontinued that model :shrug:


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## fordson major (Jul 12, 2003)

sammyd said:


> Don't know about the modern ones but we used to have an old New Idea Cut-ditioner that used flails and Dad thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. We had mostly clover/timothy at the time, don't know how it would be with alfalfa.


we have one of those too!! if your dad liked it he would fall in love with a disc bine! still use the old girl on brushy fields and a neighbor uses one for corn stalks, gotta watch out for rocks though!


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

I have one of those NI Cutditioners. The knives need to be sharpened twice a year or they tear at the hay. Regrowth seems very slow compared to the regular haybine's cutter bar but that might be the year (we don't use it much) Round bales are nice as the hay comes apart well when fed so there's less waste. Certainly its hard on legumes blowing the leaves off if you go too fast and the speed where you don't lose leaves is too slow really.


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## Jackpine Savage (Jul 4, 2002)

These are probably going for more than 10k yet but I sure like the Hesston 1345. A neighbor owns one, I've cut a lot of hay for him and myself with it. It's a 12' hydra swing. We normally use a 4020 on it but I've run it with a 3020 too.


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## Jennifer L. (May 10, 2002)

See if you can find a NI 5209 in your area. Case has an identical machine with a different number and paint job (gray not red, I think). The NI machine doesn't have as many moving parts to it and it weighs less than the NH. I was looking at a NH 411 earlier this year and decided my 60 hp tractor wasn't power enough for it, but it'll handle the 5209 great. My neighbor has the 5209 and I covet it. 

Jennifer


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors............ 5209 hey even judgement day is gonna need few smiles!! The weight of the 411 was one of the more impressive points; having a heavier frame didn't bother me at all. Still a local dealer has a good number of NI discbines and the IH clones. They also have a few KV disc Mo/co's. They still import them here under the Tarrup name.


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## DaleK (Sep 23, 2004)

I've seen a few Hesston 1340s/CIH 8312s for at or near $10,000, if you don't have hills at all that would be a pretty good machine at 12'. When we got ours our biggest tractor was an 83hp AC 6080, on any kind of hill at all the discbine would push the tractor sideways or sometimes jacknife it. Use it on the 7510 or the 6124 now, it'll still push them around on bigger hills.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

> Use it on the 7510 or the 6124 now, it'll still push them around on bigger hills.


 Ouch!!! I was thinking those center pivot 12 footers looked heavy but not that heavy!


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