When determining which hay mower is right for you, there’s a lot to consider. The type of crops you grow on your farm or ranch will be largely influential when purchasing agricultural equipment, but field terrain and your desired drying time needs to be considered as well.

Disc mower

Vermeer disc mowers, also referred to as 3-point disc mowers, are built to help maximize performance and convenience.

With the patented Quick Hitch hookup, you can hookup your mower with one person — simply back up the tractor, hook up with the Quick Hitch and you’re ready to mow. Another feature designed to reduce mower maintenance time is the Quick-Clip blade retention system. This system allows you to move, turn and change blades in seconds.

Crop type

Disc mowers are typically best with light, grassy crops like coastal bermuda grass or bahiagrass.

These hay mowers are designed with a tapered, low-profile cutter bar that lays the crop wide and flat. This design delivers a close, clean cut to help reduce streaking and improve performance for various crops and conditions.

Desired drying time

If you want to shorten your dry-down time even more with a disc mower, you can utilize a hay tedder on your crop. Tedding your hay not only helps you shorten dry-down time between cutting and baling but also helps reduce nutritional losses.

Field terrain

If you have hilly terrain, or find yourself frequently navigating around obstacles, a disc mower may work well to help you tackle acres efficiently. Disc mowers excel when mowing narrow patches or waterways, as they are small and nimble to make tight turns.

Trailed mower

Vermeer trailed mowers are ideal for farmers and ranchers who want to maximize productivity in the field and tackle more acres per day. With a variety of models to choose from with cutting widths from 9.2 ft to 20.8 ft (3.3 m to 6.3 m), you can find the right size for your operation. Not only are there multiple sizes to choose from, but all are built with durable components to tackle challenging field terrain.

Crop type

Similar to disc mowers, this type of hay mower is ideal for lighter, grassy crops like coastal bermuda grass or bahia grass.

Desired drying time

Running a bigger and wider trailed mower will not only help you tackle more acres per day but can then begin dry down time faster and help you get to baling. The swath width is 80% of the cutter bar width for quick and even dry down, depending on crop type and conditions.

If you want to accelerate your dry-down, tedding crops will help do that when using a trailed mower.

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Field terrain

Trailed mowers stand out in fields where terrain can be bumpy and unpredictable. An exclusive rubber torsion suspension design — found on all small Vermeer trailed mowers like the TM610, TM710 and TM810 — absorbs shock loads and high impacts by reducing cutter bar weight on the ground, allowing it to float and swing up and over field obstacles. Experience added protection from unseen obstacles with wide skid shoes and a high-quality suspension system. These safeguards help protect the cutter bars and friction clutch, protecting the drive system.

For mid-sized to larger trailed mower models like the TM1210 and TM1410, a nitrogen-charged hydraulic suspension system helps make it easy to adjust for various crops and conditions. This feature helps ensure optimal suspension to minimize ground pressure and provides a consistent cut throughout the field. The system allows you to conveniently adjust and achieve the desired suspension setting without any additional tools based on varying field conditions.

Mower conditioner

For farmers and ranchers who work in humid climates, speeding up dry-down time is essential to put up crop at the ideal moisture level.

Vermeer mower conditioners feature a hydraulic pitch/tilt adjustment, allowing you to make quick adjustments to various crops and field conditions on the move.

Vermeer mower conditioners have two hitch options: the drawbar swivel hitch or 2-point Quick Hitch. Both options allow you to complete a single-person hookup with ease.

Crop type

Vermeer mower conditioners are best suited to tackle tougher crops like alfalfa, cane, triticale or sorghum sudan, however, they will also do a nice job in grassy crops as well.

When the forage is getting crimped by the steel roller or rubber roller conditioner, it is essentially breaking or splitting the crop stem. Breaking the stem creates more surface area exposed to air to allow the hay to dry quicker.

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Desired drying time

If you are looking to increase your dry down time, a mower conditioner can help your operation.

Hay conditioners increase drying time by crimping the crop with either a steel or rubber roller. Operators choose steel rollers for a more aggressive crimp and rubber rollers to help with preserving leaves on crops such as alfalfa.

Vermeer mower conditioners are equipped with wide conditioner rollers that can lay out wide swaths, which is desirable for a fast dry down.

Field terrain

Mower conditioners like the MC90 and MC150 are ideal for maneuvering around tighter fields or obstacles thanks to a swivel gearbox to make sharp turns easier.

All four Vermeer mower conditioners feature hydraulic suspension, which provides adaptive floatation of the cutter bar suitable for rugged terrain or changing field conditions. Most competitive machines require tools to adjust the floatation. Toolless hydraulic pitch/tilt adjustment allows operators to change the angle of the blades on the cutter bar to help them achieve maximized yield while minimizing damage to the field.

Unique topping stops allow you to lift the cutter bar without contacting the ground or requiring topping shoes. This is especially useful when ground pressure needs to be minimized, for example, if you encounter wet field conditions.

As you can see, there’s a lot to consider before selecting which hay mower you should be running. If you are unsure which type of mower would work best for your farm or ranch, your local Vermeer hay equipment dealer can help with that decision. Don’t forget about the innovative features that make Vermeer mowers and mower conditioners some of the most innovative agricultural equipment in the field.

To learn how hay mowers and mower conditioners can help maximize productivity on your operation, get in touch with your local Vermeer agriculture dealer.

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Equipment shown is for illustrative purposes only and may display optional accessories or components specific to their global region.
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