I can't speak for the rest but we had a 616 NH and it was a nightmare to hook up. I never could get the lift arms level. Try and find a pull type mower like the vermeer tm series. Its so nice to back up drop a pin and go. You can actually use your mowing tractor for something else.

 

Switch your tractor over to claw ends. You'll never have a problem hooking to anything again.

 

Caddy.............

 

Still can't see the difference between other brands and Krone.

Lane can't you just screw lift arms up and down as needed to line up with pins on disc mower?

 

IMHO if one ever cuts hay with a 3 pt disc mower that's attached to a caddy they'll never want to go back to straight 3 pt type. My Krone & Vermeer disc cutters are both mounted on caddies are are equally easy to attach to tractor.

 

Still can't see the difference between other brands and Krone.
Lane can't you just screw lift arms up and down as needed to line up with pins on disc mower?

Sure you can, but the lift arms will hook to the mower at different heights, so you must hook one up, get off tractor and pin it, then get back on tractor and raise (and hope you're dead in line) and get off the tractor and pin the second one. If it's not in line horizontally you have some wrenchin on the end of the mower bar to do....damn things are heavy. I always found that cussin it real good made me feel better although it didn't seem to make it any easier.....get a caddy (kmc makes a good un)

 

Here is a link to a post I made about hooking up a disc mower, in this case a NH but should work with others. I have seen and heard of many people having problems hooking up disc mowerw, but if you follow a simple procedure it can be accomplished with very little effort.

http://www.haytalk.com/forums/topic/21890-hooking-to-a-disc-mower-101/

 

If the tension springs ain't released it makes it a lot worse. I know it is hard for us to do,but,I have figured out if I take a little time and read the owners manual usually make that stuff a lot easier!!

 

IMHO if one ever cuts hay with a 3 pt disc mower that's attached to a caddy they'll never want to go back to straight 3 pt type. My Krone & Vermeer disc cutters are both mounted on caddies are are equally easy to attach to tractor.

I've never used a caddy, but I just bought my 2en Vermeer trailed mower this week.

Aint Never Going Back to 3 point !!!

IMNHO

They will hafta pry my trailed mower out of my Cold Blue Hands...

 

I'm speaking with VERY limited experience. I have a Gehl DM1162 (purported to be same as a Kuhn GMD600) that I hitch to a Kubota M5040. The Kubota lift arms have those little extendable thingys and I can hook the mower up in about less than 5-10 minutes if not in a hurry. Whenever I'm in a hurry, it takes 10-20 minutes. Unhooking takes 10 minutes or so, also.
Uncle has a Gehl DM1165 (same but bigger) that he runs on a KMC caddy because he hated hooking it up to 3pt. He can't hook up much faster than I can, but less foul words are spoken when he hooks his up than when I hook mine up.
I have also used a Vicon behind the 5040...t was also a breeze to attach. Makes me wonder if the tractor has more to do with difficulties of attachment than the different brand of mowers?

I still want to buy or build a caddy as there are other benefits...easier to make square corners while mowing, transport mower with a pickup to patches a few miles away (I run the tractor to the patch and leave it till hay is baled and transport the other piece of equipment back and forth with truck...would save round trip with tractor), can store mower vertically in barn, less weight on tractor, etc...

73, Mark

 

I have not seen a caddy in use. My question is do the offset wheels bunch hay making square corners and how well does a caddy work on steeper ground.

 

Offset caddy wheels don't bunch hay while turning square corners. If that concerns you I suggest for you to purchase a caddy with side by side wheels. .I think a cutter on a caddy on steeper terrain will operate as well as any other towed implement on steep terrain.

 

We have a NH 7230 with a pivot hitch easy to hook up to but the adapter is bolted to the draw bar pinhole. That is a pain to remove if you don't have a dedicated tractor for mowing. They also come with the standard draw bar hitch. Most NH 9' and 10' come with either hitch set-up. I see you are only buying a mower so not much help

 

I have a Kuhn 700 on a Stoney point caddy but I have not figured out the square corner deal yet. The caddy is good and bad probably more good than bad.

 

I don't concern myself with square corners because after finished cutting I make a pass up/down each corner to cut hay I missed cutting while turning corners.

 

I have a Kuhn 700 on a Stoney point caddy but I have not figured out the square corner deal yet. The caddy is good and bad probably more good than bad.

But it's much better than 3pt hookup with regards to corners....
Hard to "square" the corner in the field perfectly every time, at some point you'll get out of shape and then it just gets worse unless you "clean it up" as you go, or come back like Jim and fix it when done....a trailed mower like a MoCo will allow for squared corners with much greater ease.....

 

My Kuhn GMD240 is not bad to hook up. My old Long mower was not either. I think a lot of it is how they are parked.

 

I've got a big pry bar that I have laying by my mower. I can use it to move mower where need be. Hooking it up isn't bad when I have that.

 

I don't concern myself with square corners because after finished cutting I make a pass up/down each corner to cut hay I missed cutting while turning corners.

I don't either Jim and I cut out the corners later but I have never been able to make square corners with my caddy.

 

Buy a caddy, It will be the best purchases you will make. For one , drop in the pin, hook up the hyd lines, drive shaft and go. One of the best things is a tractor is not tied up if you need to move it and it takes alot of load off the tractor. Look at Stoney Point caddy, you can buy it directly from them. They are located in Oklahoma. I have a New Holland cutter is what I run, it was a pain to hook up.

 

I have a Kuhn 700 on a Stoney point caddy but I have not figured out the square corner deal yet. The caddy is good and bad probably more good than bad.

Love to hear the good AND the bad experiences...

later! OL J R

 

Another advantage of putting a 3 pt disc mower on caddy is disc mower can easily be transported with a pickup. When I purchased my Vermeer M7030 with caddy I towed it 50 miles back home with my GMC 1500 pickup with no problems.

 

Love to hear the good AND the bad experiences...

later! OL J R

Good :

1. Can move mower with out using tractor....Provided it is folded up.

2. Easy to hook up and go..Just pin, hook up Hyd lines and go.

3. Can be stored with bar raised so it is not setting on dirt....I don't do this but you can. I lower bar on to a couple 2X6 boards for long term storage.

4. Takes the weight off of tractor so you can use a smaller tractor.

5. Kuhn mower can be raised and transported with curtain lowered. You might want to add a valve so you can block Hyd line.

Bad:

1. Can be moved with a pickup truck....anyone can hook and go.

2. Easy to hook up and go with just a pick up truck if the bar is raised and locked...

3. The mower off tracks more on corners so it takes some getting use to.

4. The bar does not raise as high so changing or sharping blades are a little harder on an old mans back.

5. The mower is trailing farther behind so takes some getting use to when cutting and using head land feature.

6. Caddy tires can go flat.....filled mine with slim.

7. If you park with the bar lowered you will need a tractor or hyd pump to raise bar before transporting. Without caddy you need a tractor anyways.

 

Im signing on the dotted line for my new db316... I demo'd it yesterday and with the drawbar swivel hitch its a quick hookup unhook... Even to unbolt the swivel hitch from the tractor drawbar