The cutterbar is driven by a hydraulic motor on each side of the header.  Using two hydraulic motors equalizes the torque load across the entire cutterbar, for longer life.  Some competitors use a single drive motor on one side of the header therefore torque loads are greater on one side of the cutterbar, causing increased component wear and possibly leading to cutterbed failure over time.

The cutterbed bearings are sealed allowing a smaller volume of oil to be used in the cutterbed.  Sealed bearings have a longer service life as any contamination in the bed will not cause   bearing failure.  Longer bearing life makes for a long-life cutterbed, for less machine downtime.  The oil for the bed lubrication is mainly to coat the gear teeth, so the quantity of lubrication required for the bed can be reduced.  This saves time and money when servicing the machine.

A one piece cradle carries all the cutterbed gears eliminating the need for seals and preventing premature wear. The cutterbed is solid so it does not flex, twist, or sag; this keeps the gears running true for reduced wear. For servicing all drive and idler gears can be removed from the top of the cutterbed without loosing oil or replacing seals.

The steel-on-steel conditioner rolls have a hydraulic tension system to maintain consistent conditioning. The hydraulic tension system (available on the 15’3” disc header only) is an efficient and easy method to apply pressure to the conditioning rolls.  The operator can quickly adjust the conditioning roll pressure without the use of tools and know how much force is being applied.  A gauge and valve on the left side of the header makes tension changes simple. A nitrogen charged accumulator allows the rolls to separate letting slugs pass through without plugging.

Advanced Conditioner Disc Header

The Model 9185 features a standard Advanced Conditioner System which has two sets of conditioner rolls, four rolls total to “double condition” the hay. The advanced conditioner system allows hay to dry faster so it can be raked and baled sooner.  Front intermeshing steel on steel rolls are followed by a rear set of intermeshing steel on steel rolls. Having two sets of rolls allows the crop to have twice as many crimps along the length of the stem to create more openings for moisture to escape decreasing drying time. All four rolls feature a herringbone tread pattern which improves windrow formation especially in light crop conditions.

 

The advanced conditioner system uses hydraulic roll tension with an accumulator to keep pressure on the rolls and allow them to separate to prevent plugging.  Both front and rear rolls run on the same hydraulic circuit on the advanced conditioner disc head. All four rolls are intermeshing steel rolls so no pressure difference is required between them.  Setting the tension is done using one valve and gauge for all four rolls. A nitrogen charged accumulator is built into the system to let slugs pass through the rolls without plugging the head.