Field Comparison: Swathers, Drum Mowers, and Disc Mowers

[@Droopybear]

Awesome demonstration. Drum mowers are great, but crop still needs to be crimped for even drying. Thanks again.

[@timkjos1495]

Thank you for this field demonstration. I have an 80 acre alfalfa/grass field here in North Dakota that lodges and goose necks. It is very difficult to cut with the traditional 9-foot sickle mower. I am looking into purchasing a 3-point disc mower, and was in search of video information that - fortunately for me - you provided. Much appreciated!

[@America-First2024]

Great comparison! We ran two sickle mowers for years. Sold both and bought one 20 year old disc mower. Still cut our fields in half of the time. Will bind up at times. Heard great things about drum mowers that address the problems with my disc mower.

[@alancummings5651]

Excellent demonstrations.

[@riverhino]

Nicely done, very helpful in demonstrating the difference between drum/disc mowers and traditional cutter bar mower.

[@Pete856]

Even drum mowers can block in heavy crops as everything needs to fit between the dums....my experience is with an old PZ 210, great mower that you can really travel fast with if conditions allow, but in heavy going it will lump the row as it has to drag the material in a long way from the edges to the center and if it's a tangled crop it's not a smooth flow. Modern disc mowers love those heavy conditions as the material just flows over the cutters without lumping.

[@bluesbrother6305]

Hell I have a 489 haybine that will cut circles around that Hesston and I cut a lot of Klien grass and native grass and its a conditioner that cuts 9 plus feet. They all have there place.

[@Classifiedreality]

Lol, you are fired!!! No driving on the winrow.........thanks for the vid, very helpful.

[@alancummings5651]

So drum mowers take less HP compared to all the others?

[@kurtanderson1463]

Great comparison. I cut mostly native grass and brome grass and have a lot of problems with lodged hay as well as rough terrain and a lot of turns. My sickle bar mower has trouble with the lodged hay and the turns. Seems to me the drum and disc mowers will do much better with that. I can see that the quality of cut and cleanliness of cut is about the same with all of them, which has made up my mind about whether to stay with the sickle bar mower or buy the newer drum mower. I "farm" small lots, some as little as an acre, and good clean cutting is important. One question: a lot of my lots are thin native grass and sometimes weeds and forbes (up to about 1/2" diameter), will the drum mower handle this? My sickle bar mower will, but sometimes has to run very slow and I've sheared pins trying to get through some stands of thistle.

[@VarnerEquipment]

These mowers will handle those thin types of grass well. We've tested them in different speeds and really in whatever speed you want to go, this mower will handle it.

[@jlkcole]

Kurt Anderson I

[@crazyhass84]

Dang! Need some wheel weights on the tractor with 9ft mower! I thought the thing was going to tip over on the turn and u r on flat ground! No way that would work in hilly areas

[@crazyhass84]

Drum are the way to go but only if u have a tedder! Windowed thick hay never drys! So 4k for mower and 4k for tedder. Still at 8k. U can get a great used disc mower conditioner for 8k! No need for tedder...

[@rocksandoil2241]

Drum mowers are most durable and less repair than disc, but slower. Sickle mowing is ideal for clover or alfalfa. Does not knock leaves off as bad. It is a choice.

[@TurdFerguson321]

Swather makes good target practice .

[@kimmitchell3516]

Why did you switch to a bigger tractor for the alfalfa mix field???

[@VarnerEquipment]

This video is three different tractors using three different mowers, each in two different field types. The smaller tractor can be seen in both fields. You can interchange the mowers with any of the three sized tractors. The large disc mower would need a higher horsepower, like the tractor shown.

[@AndraeTaron]

An excellent video!

[@1995jug]

That old swather is half as old as me, I got away from sickle mowers I gat a nh haybine been sitting for years after I bought a disc mower.

[@Amaranthian450]

Man its never a good idea to cut hay with a swather. My farm king disk mower cuts lightyears ahead of any sickle machine without the wear and tear of all them awkward bearings on a sickle

[@mindymills2182]

Amaranthian450 yes, but an old lady like me can work on my new holland 451 and I could never afford to own or maintain a disc mower. But they are tempting!

[@sheilamclaughlin963]

Apples to apples, sickle one way? Sickles will cut different by direction and lay of material, 20 yr old moco would out cut the sickle in that stuff

[@fredflinstone4830]

Not even a fair comparison an old swather against newer machinery..

[@VarnerEquipment]

Thanks for your comment, Fred. We were attempting to compare what you can get for relatively the same cost. A brand new swather would certainly do a better job, however, it will cost you ten times the amount. This gives a comparison for what you have for about the same price for those who can't afford a $50,000 swather.

[@cameronnalley3197]

Varner Equipment 50k for a new swather? LOL!!

[@4schitzangiggles]

@@cameronnalley3197my neighbor has a few north of $100,000...

[@dand8590]

well done