Like a dust-encrusted boiled sweet found behind the kitchen dresser, second-hand mowers are often brushed aside because there is no easy way of knowing their history. The first question that often springs to mind is: Why would anyone sell a mower-conditioner unless something was wrong with it?

But that very uncertainty means there’s the potential to pick up some good bargains. With careful examination, there’s a lot of money to be saved by buying a used mower-conditioner. Shropshire machinery dealer Robert Davies gives a few pointers on what to look out for.

OVERALL APPEARANCE

The age-old maxim of not judging on first impressions goes out of the window here.

An abused machine will stick out like a sore thumb – damaged guards and twisted tinwork on the mower’s outer extremities are the tell-tale signs of a machine that’s been regularly clobbered.

Don’t be put off by ripped or torn skirts, though – a flicked–up flint will inflict that sort of damage but won’t necessarily have caused any further mishaps.

CUTTERBAR

An in-depth look at the mower disc-bed will quickly give you the machine’s life history. Looking at the amount of wear at the outer edges of elliptical-shaped discs (where the blades bolt on) is the best indicator of how much work a mower has done.

Check the bed itself for welds and cracks, which normally indicate the machine has been used for topping rough ground. Sometimes damaged blades can make an arc-shaped cut through the top of the bed casing.

Examine the skids and their mountings for wear to see that the mower hasn’t been run with the skids worn out or damaged – this can be catastrophic for the bed itself.

Next, rock each disc toandfro to get an idea of the condition of the drive gears. They should spin smoothly. Some play is normal even in a nearly-new machine, but any delay between one disc moving and its neighbour could indicate the need for a bed strip-down.

Also jam a pry-bar underneath each one to assess bearing condition. Most modern mower beds use a modular construction that allows bearings and drive gears to be replaced individually rather than necessitating a full rebuild.

Kuhn and John Deere mowers (which use a Kuhn bed) adopted this set-up more than 25 years ago, but other brands were slower to follow suit. Steer clear of any machine with dodgy bearings if it doesn’t have the facility to swap individual disc units.

A full strip–down will take at least two days. In contrast, changing a modular drive gear and bearing unit in a Kuhn bed is a 10-minute job and the parts will set you back just under £200. Don’t discount a mower with a heavily damaged bed. If that’s all that’s at fault and it’s going for a song it may be worth considering a complete new bed assembly – a 3m Kuhn bed weighs in at just over £2250.

GEARBOXES

“Don’t even think about buying it unless you’ve heard it running,” that’s Robert Davies’ number–one tip. “Get the mower on a tractor and run it up.”

Get your ear down close to the gearbox and listen for any slight chattering – if there’s something unfamiliar accompanying the usual smooth hum from the mower bed, then steer well clear.

Get in under the hood to check for weeping gearbox seals and examine the gearbox casing and paintwork for any signs of heat build-up. This can be a sign that oil levels have run low or bearings could be on the way out. The gearbox-to-bed coupling usually uses a rubber doughnut arrangement to cushion against shock-loads. This provides important driveline protection. With a hand on the gearbox input shaft, twist the first disc. There should be very little play. If it is slack, replacing the £75 damper is usually a 4-5 hour job.

DRIVELINE

Starting at the front-end, if a wide-angle pto is employed – not used on machines with a pivoting headstock – check the ball-and-socket joints for play. Fixed to either side of a central plate, the sockets can often end up cracked and the balls break off.

It’s well worth checking their condition, as a new shaft can cost up to £1000.

The guarding on shafts is again an issue, especially if you want to avoid hassle from the HSE. Bear in mind that replacement parts for plastic guards are often more expensive than a complete new guard assembly, so factor a replacement cost into the purchase price of the mower.

Moving on down the driveline, most conditioner drives are via multi-vee belts or a chain-and-sprocket set-up. Check chain and belt condition as well as tensioner pulley bearings.

CHASSIS-FRAME

Trailed and mounted mowers are suspended in different ways, but the same basic principles apply when looking a machine over for sale.

First up, check for ram-seal leakage and then inspect the coil-springs for signs of repair welds. There is usually some form of free-floating mounting point – although movement here is necessary, check for excessive slop.

When trailed mowers are lifted out of work they are usually carried on transport chains – check these and their mounting brackets for signs of wear.

WHAT CAN YOU GET FOR YOUR MONEY?

• 1980 Taarup 307. Excellent condition for age. £1250
• Robert Davies’ view: “A good value machine that will cover a few more acres.”

• 1996 Krone AMT 323. Average condition. £1750
• Robert Davies’ view: “A heavily built machine that has seen alot of hard work. Expensive replacement parts.”

• 2000 Pottinger NovaCat 305. Good condition but requires new conditioner belts and tensioner pulley. £1950.
• Robert Davies’ View: “Good value – a decent-sized mower for the money.”

• 2000 Kuhn FC280 (mounted). Good condition. £3500.
• Robert Davies’ view: “One of the last vertical folding FCs. Swing-back versions will fetch an extra £500.”

• 1995 John Deere 1360. Good condition. £3500.
• Robert Davies’ view: “Kuhn bed makes this a sought after machine, especially as it’s in such good nick.”

• 1996 Kuhn FC300. Good condition. £4000.
• Robert Davies’ view: “Solid reliable performer with a heavy-duty finger conditioner that adds £500.”

• 2006 Kuhn FC303 YGC. Excellent condition. £10,000.
• Robert Davies’ view: “Like new, this centre-pivot machine holds its value strongly.”