Hesston Header Heightens Drydown

Andy VanceAgribusiness, Feed, Nutrition, Production

AGCO’s Hesston line of hay equipment now features a new disc double conditioner header for faster drydown. The 9180 disc header features two sets of steel-on-steel herringbone conditioning rolls for smoother crop throughput and more thorough crimping. This system is known as the Advanced Conditioner System, or ACS. AGCO says efficent haymaking is about quality and time, and that the 9180 delivers, processing heavy crops faster and more evenly. The header also produces windrows that will dry down faster, with a more even crimping for a more palatable forage.

The 9180 Disc Head sports a 15’3″ cutter bar, with a rotary head driven from each end of the bar to equalize torque load, reducing wear and prolonging gear life.

Hesston points out that the cracking of the stems speeds drydown, and the ACS system completely cracks the stems while leaving leaves intact and attached. The herringbone design keeps the windrows consistent without bunching, while fluffing the crop to aid drying.

AgriMarketing magazine offers a more thorough review of the product here, and AGCO hosts a thorough look at the 9000 series self-propelled windrower here.