What's the best choice in conditioner rollers? (2025)

Hi there!

I'm a farmer from Germany and I just signed up at TBN to be able to open this thread. Found this site through google and I'm impressed how helpful it is.
I already had a look on several topics, but didn't really find what I was looking for.

As I'm planning to grow some lugumes I started doing a research on the internet, what the best type of roller conditioner would be to choose. Growing alfalfa, clover or whatsoever is not popular over here so there's not much knowledge about harvesting those crops.
So at the moment my research pretty much relies on experiences from the States.

The only common conditioners over here are the flail ones - but also everybody knows they're not useful when it comes to legumes.
Nearly every brand offers conditioner rollers for their mowers though, but there are many differences in their shape and material - but not even the manufacturers really know the benefits about their chosen thread.

I found the website of Circle C Equipment (http://www.circlecequipment.com/) and it seems that they've done some serious studies about their work. Can anyone tell me more about their product? Is it as good as they say? Is it reliable and durable? Does it maybe only have advantages as long as you got no rocks on your fields?

I also found B&D Rollers (http://www.bdrollers.com./); they also offer a system of conditioner rolls, called "The Crusher". Interestingly their rollers are pretty much the same as the Circle C ones.

Would be great if anyone, who knows more about those conditioners or is even using them could give me a feedback!

Thanks,
Tim

D_Krone said:

Maybe this would be placed better at "Ag Tractors and machinery"?!
Maybe an administrator can relocate the thread - sorry!

Click to expand...

Done, and welcome to TBN!

Our favorite to sell at this time is the Case-IH machines with the steel on steel crimp. For the speed of a disc mower while mowing you are filling the gaps anyway, tension on rolls is often neglected and the largest reason for a poor cure time. Any molded rubber roll has given us greif do to the stone cutting and then during the winter cold often casuing failure with-in a couple of years.

This seems to be giving the best effect on the legumes at this point over the rest of the factory options from the other manufactuers that we represent.

We have also noted that to swath will give faster dry down then the windrow formations.

RobS said:

Done, and welcome to TBN!

Click to expand...

Thanks!

Thank you, art, for your response!
Are you comparing the CaseIH rollers "only" to other brands like JD, Hesston, NH, Pottinger... or have you also made any experiences with the Circle C conditioners or the B&D ones?

As I said it just seems that Circle C and B&D both are more serious about their work (what material, thread, gap to choose). In most of the product brochures from other companies it just says something like "Our rollers are suited for harvesting legumes".
Also the rollers from Circle C and B&D are machined and are made of a much more durable rubber compound (as they say). I think they are actually really different to the "normal" rubber rollers.

Haven't found any bad words about those two systems so far?! Everybody seems to be really satisfied. But it's a question if they are worth their costs?!

We haven't had anyone go to them at replacement time. I'm not in love with molded rubber rolls in this area do to our stones that will start the proccess of them chunking out. Some can do it with in a couple of years of purchase.

We used to have the lathe turned rolls that were made out of old tires, excellent surface contact. The same as the lathe turned molded ones that were offered by them, I just would worry about your conditions, if you have stones I'd worry!

To buy a new machine today we are recommending the Case-IH units with the steel on steel.