Hesston puts new disc headers out front

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AGCO’s Hesston by Massey Ferguson header line is getting an upgrade with a new 9300 series of RazorBar rotary disc headers for its WR9900 self-propelled windrowers.

The 9300 Series Razorbars are “built to optimize crop throughput and quality, helping operators cut and condition more acres in a day,” the company said in a release.

The new design “is all about moving the crop through the mower conditioner as fast as possible into a perfect windrow behind the machine,” Matt LeCroy, hay and forage product marketing manager for Agco, said in the release. “Research shows that the wider and flatter the windrow, the faster the drydown.”

The MF9300 Series replaces the MF9200 Series and includes the 16-foot MF9316S (single conditioner) and MF9316D (double conditioner) models as well as the 13-foot MF9313S and MF9313D.

All will feature the low-profile RazorBar rotary disc cutterbars “for a closer and cleaner cut,” the company said, while the “D” models offer an optional TwinMax double conditioner for “more thorough, uniform conditioning that speeds crop drydown and reduces nutritional losses.”

New design elements on the MF9316S and MF9316D rotary disc headers include new belt-drive stub augers at the ends of the header to improve crop feeding into the conditioner rolls, the company said. Fully enclosed crop conveyers (cages) outside the augers are meant to prevent crop wrapping and buildup.

“Moving the crop quickly from the outside discs to the conditioner means a cleaner cut, less chance for double cutting, better windrow formation and less opportunity for leaf damage,” the company said. Also, operators can get to the drive belts for the new auger headers through a new side panel.

“The new drive-belt system uses a self-adjusting spring tensioner allowing operators to “more easily set and maintain optimum belt tension.”

“These new disc headers help producers optimize the quality of their hay at harvest. The higher the quality, the better the feed value and efficiency for livestock producers and the higher the price at market,” LeCroy said.