This rotary disk mower is suspended by chains from the back of a tractor that tows the mower and supplies power for the rotating disks (see NAL #4830) through a power take off (PTO).  After the rapidly rotating disks cut the forage, the forage falls in a swath behind the mower.  When the forage has dried, the swath is raked (eg, NAL #3469) into a windrow to facilitate pickup by a chopper or baler.  The leaves may be overly dry by the time the stems have dried sufficiently for baling hay, leading to lost leaf nutrients during windrowing and baling.  To minimize these losses, some mowers are combined with conditioners that crush the stems of the hay, reduce drying time, and reduce the risk of rain damage before the forage can be chopped or baled.  Some mowers funnel the forage into a windrow to facilitate pickup for baling or chopping, although this prolongs drying time because the depth of the forage is greater in a windrow than in a swath. Several rotary disk mowers are illustrated in NAL #4830 through #4836.

Disk mower

Credit: New Holland

Digital Credit: New Holland

Publisher: None

Rights: No rights reserved - image is in the public domain

Description: This rotary disk mower is suspended by chains from the back of a tractor that tows the mower and supplies power for the rotating disks (see NAL #4830) through a power take off (PTO). After the rapidly rotating disks cut the forage, the forage falls in a swath behind the mower. When the forage has dried, the swath is raked (eg, NAL #3469) into a windrow to facilitate pickup by a chopper or baler. The leaves may be overly dry by the time the stems have dried sufficiently for baling hay, leading to lost leaf nutrients during windrowing and baling. To minimize these losses, some mowers are combined with conditioners that crush the stems of the hay, reduce drying time, and reduce the risk of rain damage before the forage can be chopped or baled. Some mowers funnel the forage into a windrow to facilitate pickup for baling or chopping, although this prolongs drying time because the depth of the forage is greater in a windrow than in a swath. Several rotary disk mowers are illustrated in NAL #4830 through #4836.

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