956 Mower-Conditioner | 900 Series Mower-Conditioners

Features

Key Features

Modular-design cutterbar

Modular cutterbar

John Deere's patented design cutterbar is made from individual, diagonal-cut modules.

Serviceability is easy. Modules can be removed individually while leaving the cutterbar attached to the frame.

Made of high-strength nodular-iron castings, each module consists of two idler gears and one drive gear. The large-diameter idler gears transmit power from module to module. The idler gears turn at a relatively slow speed for added durability.

The smaller-diameter pinion drive gear is used only to power the cutting disk. Power is not transmitted from one cutting disk to another except through the large-diameter idler gears.

The modules are interchangeable. Disk rotation is determined by the position of the quill (A). There is a rubber oil seal between each cutting module.

Windrow formation

Roll conditioner swathboard lever
Impeller conditioner swathboard lever

An easy-to-adjust lever (arrow) is used to position the swathboard.

Swathboard controls the crop flow into the windrow-forming shields.

The windrow width is adjustable from 40 in. to 100 in., depending on crop conditions, when equipped with a roll conditioner or an impeller conditioner.

Impeller conditioner

Impeller

An impeller conditioner is available for the 946 and 956 Mower-Conditioners. Proper conditioning in a wide range of crops can be achieved when the conditioner is properly adjusted.

The impeller conditioner works well in legumes, especially alfalfa and most all-grass crops. Impeller conditioners are not recommended for thick-stemmed or cane-type crops over 5-ft tall.

How an impeller conditioner works:

1. As hay is cut by rotating knives, tines pick up the plants and carry them through the machine:

72 V-shaped tines
Free-swinging tines are used to reduce damage if rocks or other solid objects are struck

2. As plant passes through, it rubs against the conditioning hood (A) and other plants.

Scrubbing action removes the waxy surface from the stem of the plant
Allows faster evaporation of moisture
Conditioner hood opening is adjustable to accommodate various crop volumes

Impeller hood adjustment

A simple lever adjustment (arrow) controls the spacing between the tines and the conditioning hood.
The closer the hood is to the tines, the more aggressive the conditioning is.
Adjustment slots give an easy reference point to control the degree of conditioning.

Drive and driven sheaves

3. The speed at which the tines rotate will also affect the degree of conditioning. Two impeller speeds can be achieved by interchanging the drive sheave (A) and the driven sheave (B).

With sheaves in the position shown, the impeller turns at 871 rpm, which is ideal for most crop conditions
Interchanging the sheaves will slow the impeller speed to 620 rpm

Urethane roll conditioner

Urethane rolls

The 946 and 956 Mower-Conditioners are also available with large, 10-in. diameter, 106-in. long molded urethane conditioner rolls.

The urethane roll conditioner works well in legumes, especially alfalfa, and most all-grass crops. In general, roll conditioners are better suited for thick-stemmed, cane-type crops, and taller grasses over 5-ft tall.

Molded urethane rolls are formed by ''cool'' molding process that does not distort or warp the steel core of the roll.

This process ensures the rolls are straight and cylindrical, so they can be accurately spaced close together for uniform conditioning along the length of the roll.

The intermittent recessed cleat design gives more crimping edges for greater pressure per square inch, which results in superior conditioning and faster crop drying.

Rotary disk cutterbar

Rotary cutterbar

The rotary cutterbar is designed and built by John Deere. Large oval disks with free-swinging knives are used to cut the crop.

All cutting disks are the same and are computer-designed for improved wear and cutting performance.

Cutting disks are made of high-strength austempered steel to ensure the steel is thoroughly and evenly tempered for good wear characteristics.

The disks rotate to give a knife-tip speed of 191 mph for clean cutting.

The knives are free-swinging to reduce damage if a solid object is struck, and they are reversible to double the useful life.

The knives are removed at the front of the cutterbar for convenience.

Wear caps

Made of austempered heat-treated ductile steel for excellent wear characteristics, wear caps are installed on each end of the cutting disks (except on the end disks where crop accelerators are used) to increase the wear life of the cutting disks and knife-bolt nuts.

Wear caps are open on the end to prevent debris from packing in close to the nut, making hardware and knives easier to change.

Steel roll conditioners

Close-up of V-10 steel conditioning rolls

The V-10 steel conditioner rolls feature 10 angled flutes arranged in a chevron, or V-pattern along the length of the steel core.

Steel rolls offer improved wear life over urethane rolls, particularly in adverse crop conditions.

Advantages of the V-10 conditioner roll over the previous straight flute design are as follows:

More crimping edges for improved conditioning
Improved feeding
Improved windrow formation

Tri-Lobe steel conditioning rolls
Close-up of Tri-Lobe steel conditioning rolls

Tri-Lobe steel conditioning rolls have three intermeshing chevron lobes to crush the length of the stem for improved conditioning and faster drydown. The rolls are manufactured using a patented process.

The steel material increases wear life, especially in abrasive crops or soil conditions. Durability is a distinct advantage compared to other crusher-style rolls made of rubber or urethane. The chevron design of the rolls gives positive feeding and improved crop flow.

These rolls are well suited for use in alfalfa, where reduced curing time results in less bleaching of the crop. In heavy, thick-stemmed crops, such as sudan or sudex, the steel construction of the rolls does a very good job of breaking up the nodes on the stems to improve drydown.

Replaceable end shafts

The shafts on the Tri-Lobe rolls are steel forgings that are then machined. These precision parts have minimal run-out, which means the rolls themselves rotate precisely around their axis. This precision enables the rolls to be adjusted to a minimum clearance for consistent conditioning along the length of the rolls.

The machined, forged roll ends are bolted into the core of the Tri-Lobe steel roll. In the event a roll end is damaged, the entire roll does not need to be replaced. Each shaft can be replaced individually, resulting in lower repair costs.

For serviceability, each roll end has two threaded holes, so that bolts can be used to pull the shafts from the steel core of the roll.

Excellent maneuverability

Rockshaft swivel hitch

The swivel hitch gives the 946 and 956 Mower-Conditioners excellent maneuverability.

NOTE: Requires a 1000-rpm PTO (1-3/8-in.) and a 2250-psi hydraulic system with dual selective control valve (SCV).

NOTE: The PTO can be converted to a 1-3/4-in. driveline by installing yoke (AE56235) and cross bearing assembly (AC15878). Order through Parts.

The rockshaft swivel hitch attaches to the lower arms of a Category 2 or 3N 3-point hitch and can be used with or without a Quik-Coupler. This hitch enables cutting square corners without the need to reposition the platform using tractor hydraulics, making it easier to cut around field obstacles.

The U-joint angles of the tractor hookup remain constant for reduced driveline noise and vibration.

The rockshaft swivel hitch is easy to hook up. The spring-loaded attaching arms are tilted upward when the hitch is set on the built-in parking pad. The arms can be positioned to permit easier alignment with the 3-point hitch arms.

NOTE: The rockshaft swivel cannot be converted to the drawbar swivel hitch configuration.

Drawbar swivel hitch

The drawbar swivel hitch attaches to the tractor drawbar with a drawbar extension. This enables the mower-conditioner to be used with tractors without a rockshaft.

The turning radius is reduced approximately 10 degrees compared to the rockshaft swivel hitch. The U-joint angles of the tractor hookup remain constant for reduced driveline noise and vibration

The drawbar swivel hitch is designed to be towed by a tractor only (the static load on the drawbar is approximately 1700 lb) and includes a screw-type jack and safety chain.

NOTE: The drawbar swivel cannot be converted to the rockshaft swivel hitch configuration.

Show More Show Less

Specifications

John Deere

956

Mower-Conditioner

PTO speed

1,000 rpm

HP 1000 rpm 1-3/8 in. PTO

75-112 kW 100-150 hp

HP 1000 rpm 1-3/4 in. PTO

86-134 kW 115-180 hp

Powerline type

Grob Spline

Hydraulic pressure required

17,237 kPa 2,500 psi

Type

John Deere

Cutting width

4.5 m 14.5 ft\

Cutting height

1.6-11.8 cm 0.63-4.6 in.

Number of disks

Number of knives

Disk speed

2,650 rpm

Knife tip speed

307 km/h 191 mph

Disk drive

Gear

Lubrication

Hy-Guard oil

Oil reservoir capacity

10.4 L 11 U.S qt

Cutterbar oil check

Combination sight glass, drain plug

Cutterbar angle

Adjustable

Angle adjustment

Mechanical standard Hydraulic optional

Angle range

2-8 degree (angle)

Cutterbar protection

Shearhub

Adjustable gauge shoes

2 standard

Impeller

Width 268 cm 106 in. Diameter 59.4 cm 23.4 in. Number of V-tines 72 Number of speeds Two Drive Gear Conditioner hood Adjustable, single lever

Rolls

Width 269 cm 106 in. Diameter 25.4 cm 10 in. Type of material Urethane/steel Design Recessed cleat (Urethane) Intermeshing flutes (V-10 and Tri-Lobe)Speed 800 rpm Drive Gear

Rockshaft swivel hitch

Standard

Drawbar swivel hitch

Optional

Overall width

Transport 4.5 m 14.7 ft With optional trailer 2.9 m 9.7 ft

Overall length

Conventional transport 8.2 m 26.9 ft With optional trailer 9.4 m 30.8 ft

Weight

With urethane roll conditioner 3,161 kg 6,969 lb With V-10 steel roll conditioner 3,270 kg 7,209 lb With tri-lobe steel roll conditioner 3,325 kg 7,330 lb With impeller conditioner 3,055 kg 6,785 lb

Standard tires

31x13.5-15, 8PR