# hay swathers



## Jay brown (Dec 26, 2005)

next year i am seriously considering running/adding a hay swather to our plow fleet. any of you farmers see this as a bad idea? i'm considering something in the $5k-$10k range. i realize the tires will have to be siped and they probably don't come with a heater or wipers. thanks....jay


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## Catskill Plowin (Feb 3, 2004)

*It depends if you take the bus or bring your lunch*

you going to use a chevron roller or finger type for high pilling? Instead of sipping tires you should sipe mint julips, better traction. Moneys no object.
Brian


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## Jay brown (Dec 26, 2005)

Catskill Plowin;389446 said:


> you going to use a chevron roller or finger type for high pilling? Instead of sipping tires you should sipe mint julips, better traction. Moneys no object.
> Brian


don't need to worry about high piling, we come back with our telehandler and do the high piling (40')


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## Catskill Plowin (Feb 3, 2004)

Jay,
Do you plow with the telehandler? What kind is it? How much HP? How big a plow?
Brian


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## exmark1 (Nov 30, 2005)

Jay brown;389437 said:


> next year i am seriously considering running/adding a hay swather to our plow fleet. any of you farmers see this as a bad idea? i'm considering something in the $5k-$10k range. i realize the tires will have to be siped and they probably don't come with a heater or wipers. thanks....jay


Dumb question but how do you use a swather to plow snow exactly?


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## DeereFarmer (Dec 12, 2005)

exmark1;389483 said:


> Dumb question but how do you use a swather to plow snow exactly?


I was thinking the same thing. I've never heard of anyone even thinking of using one. Jay Brown might be on to something.


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## Jay brown (Dec 26, 2005)

exmark1;389483 said:


> Dumb question but how do you use a swather to plow snow exactly?


the swather i'm talking about is a self propeled unit with a cab. i just figured you could mount a plow on them, i've seen several with snow blowers......they are ZTR hydrostat and they are already plummed up front with hydrolics.... most of them are not much more $$ than a pickup and i think they will handle a very large plow if they can get traction to the tires.


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## Jay brown (Dec 26, 2005)

Catskill Plowin;389477 said:


> Jay,
> Do you plow with the telehandler? What kind is it? How much HP? How big a plow?
> Brian


i have a plow for it, a 10 meyer, but used it very little. we primarly use it with the bucket for stacking. it has a cab, heat, it's a GEHL 883, with a 4 cyl John Deere....


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## Catskill Plowin (Feb 3, 2004)

*No sno yet*

Jay,
I thought you was funin us with the hay machine. We call a 5 wheel rake here a swather.Thanks for the hi/lo come back though. Thinking about a payloader with a 15' plow or a big enough hi/lo but they are not as powerfull as a payloader.


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## DeereFarmer (Dec 12, 2005)

At first I thought you meant something like this...


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## DeereFarmer (Dec 12, 2005)

Now I understand what you mean. Us poor farmers can't afford them fancy self propelled things lol.


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## dirt digger (Feb 27, 2005)

we call em self propelled haybines..or just a haybine up here...theres one farm that has two Hesstons, everyone else just runs the pull behind the tractor type. I've seen one with a plow on it, seems to be a good idea, they can turn on a dime, the hydraulics are already there and a good bit of weight is on the front tires...maybe chains would be a good bet, but remember those things are designed for dry hay fields and not relly meant to go through mud and snow so the differentials may not be anti-slip


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## BOSS550 (Jan 19, 2007)

I'm wondering about how they would hold up to pushin'. They are certainly built to hold all the weight of the mower head but that's up--not back?? Also the final drives?? how would they take the abuse?? Heck of a good idea if it works tho... I'm certainly not knocking it.....  Somebody buy one and try it so we can all see


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## DeereFarmer (Dec 12, 2005)

Yeah I was thinking about the tranny and how it would hold up. Seems like they are ment to go forward in a straight line.


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## CAT 245ME (Sep 10, 2006)

This is something you will really need to discuss with a dealer, it might void the warranty on the machine, after all it is designed for mowing hay, not plowing snow, because its one thing pushing a harvesting head threw hay but a whole other world trying to move wet heavy snow on a slippery surface. Just something to think about.


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## Jay brown (Dec 26, 2005)

CAT 245ME;389669 said:


> This is something you will really need to discuss with a dealer, it might void the warranty on the machine, after all it is designed for mowing hay, not plowing snow, because its one thing pushing a harvesting head threw hay but a whole other world trying to move wet heavy snow on a slippery surface. Just something to think about.


Warranty?? i'm a poor roofer, i can't afford one of thoes new $80k machines. i'm thinking something along the line of under $10k (mid 1980's) maybe something with a wore out head. but i do think your right about the tranny (hydrostat) being on the weak side..


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

I thought I saw a a post with some pics a year or two ago where someone was using a swather or similar tractor for snow plowing.

I know I saw it on the net or on here some where.


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## CAT 245ME (Sep 10, 2006)

Jay brown;389730 said:


> Warranty?? i'm a poor roofer, i can't afford one of thoes new $80k machines. i'm thinking something along the line of under $10k (mid 1980's) maybe something with a wore out head. but i do think your right about the tranny (hydrostat) being on the weak side..


Oh O.K, do you know of any that are for sale?

Other than seing pictures,I have never seen a self propelled mower my self, all the farmers I know use haybines or discbines for mowing hay, if you want a good idea of the cost of a used one you could check on TractorHouse.com


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## HALH VT (Nov 14, 2003)

Another alternative would be a combine. I have no personal experience with them, but I think they are built heavier than a swather, and some of them are 4WD besides. They are designed not only to push a pretty wide cutter head under often wet and muddy conditions, but also to carry several tons of threshed grain until it can be unloaded. They would take a little more work to convert, but maybe you could also use the grain hopper as the basis for a sander. Farm Show Magazine has shown several for these converted to snowblowers and fork lifts, I don't remember offhand about plows. I think their website is www.FARMSHOW.com . A lot of interesting ideas on there and a few pretty strange ones.


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## dirt digger (Feb 27, 2005)

HALH VT;389767 said:


> Another alternative would be a combine. I have no personal experience with them, but I think they are built heavier than a swather, and some of them are 4WD besides. They are designed not only to push a pretty wide cutter head under often wet and muddy conditions, but also to carry several tons of threshed grain until it can be unloaded. They would take a little more work to convert, but maybe you could also use the grain hopper as the basis for a sander. Farm Show Magazine has shown several for these converted to snowblowers and fork lifts, I don't remember offhand about plows. I think their website is www.FARMSHOW.com . A lot of interesting ideas on there and a few pretty strange ones.


agreed you can get a decent old combine for a fair price..the biggest disadvantage to them is they are WIDE and theres a good chance you would need an overload permit from the DOT to move it...which wouldnt be bad if you only move it twice a year unless you have to hire someone to haul it...plus it would look awful funny plowing snow in a parking lot.


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## CAT 245ME (Sep 10, 2006)

dirt digger;389770 said:


> agreed you can get a decent old combine for a fair price..the biggest disadvantage to them is they are WIDE and theres a good chance you would need an overload permit from the DOT to move it...which wouldnt be bad if you only move it twice a year unless you have to hire someone to haul it...plus it would look awful funny plowing snow in a parking lot.


You got that right! I was driving down an old country road a couple years ago and as I was almost all the way around the turn I met a BIG John Deere combine coming the other way and the head was on the combine and I had too pull off the road for the farmer to get by, man it was WIDE!!!


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## Silentroo (Jun 19, 2006)

I would be concerned about it holding up to the abuse and weight.

Having driven one for years in the 80's and 90's They are made to go one direction. I would think the motor would be undersized for plowing however do know you could pick one up CHEAP at any number of auctions....


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## Jay brown (Dec 26, 2005)

HALH VT;389767 said:


> Another alternative would be a combine. I have no personal experience with them, but I think they are built heavier than a swather, and some of them are 4WD besides. They are designed not only to push a pretty wide cutter head under often wet and muddy conditions, but also to carry several tons of threshed grain until it can be unloaded. They would take a little more work to convert, but maybe you could also use the grain hopper as the basis for a sander. Farm Show Magazine has shown several for these converted to snowblowers and fork lifts, I don't remember offhand about plows. I think their website is www.FARMSHOW.com . A lot of interesting ideas on there and a few pretty strange ones.


i really like that "magazine" i have no1 2007 issue and it has an awesome JD conversion with snow blower. only bad thing about combines is that you can't see behind


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## K&L Salting (Dec 2, 2005)

*snow pusher*

We went to an auction the other day and bought a MF 750 two wheel drive combine. It is a one owner and always stored inside, could most likely go to the field and work. Paid $750.00 for the machine and $40.00 for the grain head. I am going to remove a lot of the sheet metal, this will make it so you can see and about four feet shorter. To make it heaver about 5 yards of concrete is going to be added. We are going to take the mounts off the grain head and put on a pusher. Another MF combine is coming up for sale that is four wheel drive. I have done the math and believe that both done, ready to work will be under $7500.


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## AbsoluteH&L (Jan 5, 2006)

show us some pictures when you get it done


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## Jay brown (Dec 26, 2005)

K&L Salting;389880 said:


> We went to an auction the other day and bought a MF 750 two wheel drive combine. It is a one owner and always stored inside, could most likely go to the field and work. Paid $750.00 for the machine and $40.00 for the grain head. I am going to remove a lot of the sheet metal, this will make it so you can see and about four feet shorter. To make it heaver about 5 yards of concrete is going to be added. We are going to take the mounts off the grain head and put on a pusher. Another MF combine is coming up for sale that is four wheel drive. I have done the math and believe that both done, ready to work will be under $7500.


sounds like a plan, keep us posted!!! it's crazy how 3 MF's that size could easily be as productive as a new $300k machine in the field.


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## Farm Boss (Jan 20, 2007)

We have a newer JD 4895 swather. Throw out the fact that it is new, the old ones are the same in theory. Traction would be a definate issue. These swathers don't like the mud much, so I am not sure how they would like the ice and snow. As far as the hydraulic drive, I am not too sure how this would work. I know our swather even in low range does not have a ton of low end power that might be needed for pushing. On another note, there was a guy in the FARMSHOW paper that made a snowblower out of an older JD combine, painted it all up like new, really impressive looking!! Good luck!


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