John Deere Launches the R310R Mower Conditioner

John Deere has honed in on delivering a better efficiency to contractors and farmers who want to mow and condition more hectares at higher speeds while producing better quality hay and forage, with the launch of the new R310R Mower Conditioner (MoCo) to the Australian market.

Built for speed and performance while offering maneuverability, the R310R is a 3.1m, vertical fold, rear-mounted MoCo, ideally suited to operations where paddock size suits nimble 100hp tractors.

John Deere Tactical Marketing Manager, Fraser Scott, said the R310R will deliver better-quality forage at a lower cost, to grow profitability in an increasingly competitive and challenging production environment. Mr Scott said:

“Over recent years both contactor and farming customers have told us they need a MoCo that can perform in tight paddocks and maneuver through narrow gateways and lanes. As a vertical fold machine, the R310R meets both of those requirements. Oblique folding at 126 degrees and a pivoting point close to the tractor also results in better weight balance and enhances stability, including when the MoCo is being road transported. In fact, the machine can cover long transport distances at speeds of up to 50 kilometres per hour, where local laws permit. The R310R has been designed to cut cleanly and prevent chopping, and we’re excited to see it in action across Australian paddocks.”

Another highlight feature of the new MoCo is quick-change knives to minimize service times and give operators more hours cutting hay. Compared to standard bolted knives, the time-saving capacity offered by quick-change knives is striking. Mr Scott said:

“Further to this, John Deere has also included bolted-on, as opposed to welded-on, skid plates on the bottom of the cutterbar as another means to increase ease and speed of maintenance, to have a direct impact on on-farm efficiency.” 

The travel range of the new R310R hugs ground contours even in extreme topographies, with knives and the cutterbar lifting to both avoid rises and ensure hay quality is not affected by the addition of dirt or stones to the windrow. The adjustable hydraulic suspension also lowers ground pressure to protect plant cover, while keeping fuel consumption down and impurities out.

John Deere has ensured the R310R can be specified with a tine impeller conditioner or rubber conditioning rollers to make it suited to a broad range of applications, from high-density crops to those which need to be handled more gently. Mr Scott said:

“Safety is also something that has been prioritised through inclusion of a ‘break away’ function whereby if a foreign object such as a fence post is struck the MoCo will break away before automatically returning to the normal position. Effective overload protection of moving parts on the cutterbar in case of impact with foreign objects is also a feature.”