NEW HOLLAND (Lancaster
Co.) Don’t gel caught unprepar
ed this spring when the haying sea
son hits high gear. By checking
and replacing key parts on your
mower-conditioner, such as knife
sections, you can improve effi
ciency and reduce downtime.
“When most mower-condition
ers come out of mothballs, they of
ten aren’t given enough attention
to do a proper job,” said Mike
Cooper, product and pricing ana
lyst, Ford New Holland Parts and
Service Operations. “Knife sec
uons are one of the most import
ant, and often overlooked, main
tenance considerations.”
With all the tough wear and tear
on knife sections, they’re the most
frequently replaced part on mower
conditioners, he adds. When se
lecting replacements, it’s import
ant to note that the cutting edge,
material, thickness, and quality all
affect knife section performance.
* Cutting edge. Three basic
cutting edge options are available
for use on mower-conditioners:
over-serrated, under-serrated and
smooth. The most widely used cut
ting edge today is the over-serrat
ed. Because it sharpens itself, this
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Select The Right Knives
cutting edge performs well in most
crop conditions and is properly
suited to abrasive soils. Under-ser
rated and smooth knives work best
in tough, stringy grass, said
Cooper.
* Material. High-quality knife
sections are made from induction
hardened spring steel and feature
double-hardened cutting edges and
back edges. For increased durabili
ty and resistance to rust during the
off-season, some farmers prefer
chrome plated knife sections.
These high-performance knives
have a mechanical chrome coating
that offers increased strength and
longer wear life. Chrome knife
sections are often preferred by cus
tom-operators, Cooper said.
♦ Thickness. Thickness of knife
sections affects mower-condition
er performance in two ways. Since
the knife sections, guards and and
knife clips are dimensioned to
within .005 to .020 of an inch, even
a minor difference m knife thick
ness can disrupt the cutting me
chanism. For mower-conditioners
that require thinner knife sections,
he recommends replacement parts
that are induction-hardened on the
back edge as well as the cutting
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edge for increased wear life.
Thicker knife sections wear longer
and are less likely to break.
However, using knife sections
that exceed recommendations will
increase the load on the kmlc
drives. Mixing knife sections o(
different thicknesses is not recom
mended, he adds.
* Quality. Cooper advises
farmers to evaluate replacement
knife sections for such quality fac
tors as thickness and hardness.
“Usually, you get what you pay for
in selecting replacement knife sec
tions. Buying cheaper, lower
quality parts doesn’t always save
you money, especially when you
consider increased downtime.
Your local Ford New Holland
equipment dealer can help you get
the right part for your machine as
well as the best value for your
money.”
Selecting the best type of knife
for the job also depends on soil and
crop conditions. Factors such as
crop density, stringiness and mois
ture all can affect cutting perfor
mance and the service life of the
knife sections.
“Most complaints about mow
er-conditioner performance can be
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overlooked maintenance considerations on mower condi
tioners. With all the wear and tear these machines encount
er, they are the most frequently replaced part.
traced back to improper mainten
ance of the cutting mechanism,”
said Cooper. By replacing worn or
bent knife sections, farmers may
avoid the hassles of reduced opera
tion speed, increased culling load
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and increased horsepower require
ments. “Most importantly, proper
pre-season maintenance saves
valuable haymaking lime,” he
said.
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Lancaster
Farming's
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