Mower Conditioners/Windrowers Dismantled Machines in Ireland

Windrowers - An Overview

They are usually used in areas where direct combine harvesting is impossible or during especially rainy periods. They are also used when the grain has ripened unevenly. Because the cut grain dries out to become suitable for threshing, the harvest can be brought forward by up to ten days compared to when using a combine harvester. This reduces the amount of grain lost significantly.

The standard design of a windrower is made up of a cutter bar (either powered by an engine or driven via a shaft from a tractor), a reel which sweeps the cut grain over to a platform and a conveyor belt (usually made of canvas) which moves the grain over to the side and drops it into a windrow where it will dry. The grain will all be arranged in the same direction ready to be threshed.

As well as cutting grain, windrowers can also be used for other crops such as potatoes and other vegetables. In the UK, windrowers are used extensively in harvesting oil seed rape.

The main question to ask yourself when buying a windrower is this: Do I need tractor-drawn or self-propelling? Generally speaking, self-propelled models are more expensive than tractor-drawn versions, but they do have several advantages. Firstly, self-propelling windrowers tend to deal with uneven terrain better than tractor-drawn ones because of their separately oscillating right- and left-hand axles and air suspension, although not all models will have this feature. Secondly, because they tend to be a much smoother ride than tractors, they're less tiring to use. Thirdly, they protect your tractor from the wear and tear caused by pulling a windrower over rough fields and lastly, self-propelled windrowers are usually more efficient than tractor-drawn ones and so reduce the amount of time spent harvesting.

Tractor-drawn windrowers are typically much less expensive than self-propelling models and tend to be simpler devices that are easy to move from tractor to tractor.

Mower Conditioners - An Overview

The original standalone conditioner was used to crush and crimp hay stalks, exposing a greater surface area and allowing them to dry more quickly. This is especially important for first-cut hay, where the crop has thicker stalks and would otherwise take longer to dry.

These conditioners were simple affairs, with a pair of grooved rollers which the hay is forced between. This causes the hay stalks to split, giving that greater surface area for better drying times. This standalone conditioner is now more or less obsolete, having been incorporated into the more modern mower-conditioner as we know it today.

The mower part of these combined machines comes in three main types. These are disc mowers, drum mowers and sickle bar mowers. Disc mowers feature a number of hubs on the cutting width, each with a rotating disc with knives. Drum mowers have two or three plates of about 36” diameter which spin and cut as they traverse the ground. The sickle bar type of mower has an advantage over these two in the reduced horsepower it requires to operate. It also has disadvantages, however, in that it has more moving parts and requires more maintenance. Disc mowers are simpler, but the construction of early models means that if one part breaks, the whole unit is affected. This has been addressed in more modern examples. Drum mowers have a more component-based construction and can be cheaper to fix.

The conditioner part of the machine also comes in three main types. These are flail conditioners, rubber-roller conditioners and steel-roller conditioners. Both roller type conditioners are similar to the original standalone machines insofar as they consist of two opposing rollers with an interlocking chevron pattern to crush the hay. This raised chevron pattern is either rubber or steel and both models have a steel shaft. The flail conditioner has a pattern of steel V-shaped spines on the shaft which beat the hay against the top of the machine. The flail conditioner also has the advantage of reducing drying time by removing the waxy surface on the hay.

The first MoCo was the Haybine, which married a sickle bar mower to a hay conditioner. These are now produced by New Holland and are branded as the Discbine, as they now use disc mowers. Now, however, many of the big manufacturers, such as John Deere and Kuhn, offer a range of mower-conditioners. Aside from the actual mowing and conditioning technologies deployed, there are a number of other factors to consider in choosing the right MoCo. Mower-conditioners can be mounted on the tractor. They come as either front or rear single- or double-mounted units and can actually be used in combination with each other to provide the maximum working area. Mower-conditioners can also be trailed and come as side pull or rear centre pivot pull configurations.

The technology involved in mower-conditioners is reasonably basic and the machines tend to be robust. Having decided on the technology that best suits your land and the size of MoCo or combination of machines, it is a matter of looking at service intervals, reliability records and residual values. With some sensible choices, there is little to get in the way of enjoying long and reliable service from a used mower-conditioner.