C400 Mower-Conditioner
Achieving the right conditioning action can significantly reduce dry down time. That means less time needed to cure, maintaining optimum feed values, and preventing leaf loss in legumes. Hay and forage producers have a wide variety of crops and conditions. That’s why John Deere mower-conditioners offer four different conditioners.
Conditioner types include:
John Deere cutterbar with individual modules
John Deere's patented design cutterbar is made from individual, diagonal-cut modules, making serviceability easy. Each module can be removed for service individually, leaving the remaining cutterbar modules attached to the frame.
Because John Deere is confident in the reliability, every mower conditioner includes a 5-year warranty on cutterbar components. This gives you peace of mind knowing that if you do experience a warrantable failure, your machine is backed through your experienced, local John Deere dealer.
Shear hub
Each cutting disk is attached to a shear hub (driver) on the splined pinion gear. Power to the disk is interrupted when the driver shears to protect the internal components of the cutterbar. Damage is limited to exposed components and does not require disassembly of the cutting modules.
Gauge shoe
The gauge shoe setting determines the height of the crop stubble, but also prevents the majority of the cutterbar from being in constant contact with abrasive soils and rocks. The S250, S300, S350, C300, C350, and C400 have three height adjustments on the gauge shoe. The C450 and C500 come from the factory with six adjustments. Through service attachments, gauge shoe extensions are available to increase the number of adjustments if there is a need for higher stubble height.
Quick-change knives
Having sharp knives on your machine is critical to harvesting all your crop and leaving a clean-cut field. Changing dull or bent knives is no longer a time-consuming job with the John Deere quick-change knife (QCK) system. There are no worries about having an impact or air compressor to change out the bolts. Simply insert the QCK tool into the disk and press down. The knives can be swapped out in seconds.
C400 in transport
An advantage John Deere has over most competitors is that the mower-conditioners transport directly behind the tractor at nearly the same width as its cut. Operators can transition from road to field configuration and back again quickly and easily.
Side-pull model in transport position
Side-pull models (S250, S300, and S350) have the tongue positioned in the center of the frame and drivelines that enter from the top to improve transport width.
C400 windrow formation
Windrow formation is the final step of mower-conditioner functionality. Proper windrow formation is critical to reducing dry down times for dry hay and haylage or providing consistent chopping speeds and cut lengths for forage harvesting applications.
Characteristics of a quality windrow include:
Sized to the width of the harvesting equipment or spread wide to allow for maximum exposure
John Deere mower-conditioners allow you to customize windrows to match your needs.
S models - swath board adjustment
C models - swath board adjustment
Adjustable swath boards help direct crop coming through the conditioner assembly, providing a quick adjustment to windrow width.
Forming vanes mounted to swath board
0 Series Mower-Conditioners come standard with forming vanes on the swath board when available. Previously referred to as a wide swath kit, the forming vanes allow the mower-conditioner to increase windrow widths up to 25 percent and can be used to further customize windrow formation to match crop conditions.
C400 wide windrow
The C400 produced the widest windrow when tested against a competitive machine, providing a windrow of conditioned alfalfa that was over 337.8 cm (133 in.). This was over 84 percent of the cut width for the C400 compared to 72 percent for the competition.
C500 narrow forming shield position
C500 wide forming shield position
Forming shields allow fine-tuning of the windrow width. This can allow you to easily match the windrow to your tractor’s tire spacing and prevent driving on cut and conditioned crop.
| Specs & Compare | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Deere C400 Mower-Conditioner |
| PTO speed | 1000 rpm | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 rpm 1-3/8 in. PTO | 95-150 hp 71-112 kW |
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| 1000 rpm 1-3/4 in. PTO | ||||
| Powerline type | ||||
| Standard hitch | Rockshaft swivel | |||
| Optional hitch | Drawbar swivel | |||
| Hydraulic pressure required | 15,513 kPa 2,250 psi |
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| Cutterbar - cutting width | 4 m 13 ft |
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| Number of disks/knifes | 8 16 |
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| Transport width | 4 m 13 ft |
| 1000 rpm 1-3/8 in. PTO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 rpm 1-3/4 in. PTO | ||||
| Powerline type | ||||
| 540 rpm PTO | ||||
| PTO speed |
| Tractor connection | 21 spline | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard hitch | Rockshaft swivel | |||
| Optional hitch | Drawbar swivel | |||
| Hydraulic pressure required | 15,513 kPa 2,250 psi |
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| Hydraulic connections |
| Type | John Deere | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cutting width | 4 m 13 ft |
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| Cutting height | 2.0-9.5 cm 0.8-3.8 in. |
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| Number of disks | 8 | |||
| Number of knives | 16 | |||
| Bolted knives | ||||
| Disk speed | 2,650 rpm | |||
| Knife tip speed | 307 km/h 191 mph |
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| Disk drive | Gear | |||
| Lubrication | Hy-Gard oil | |||
| Oil reservoir capacity | 9.5 L 10 U.S. qt |
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| Cutterbar oil check | Combination check, drain plug | |||
| Cutterbar angle | ||||
| Angle adjustment | Manual or hydraulic | |||
| Angle range | 2-8 degree (angle) | |||
| Cutterbar protection | ShearHub | |||
| Adjustable gauge shoes | Yes | |||
| Suspension system |
| Width | 268 cm 106 in. |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diameter | 59.5 cm 23.4 in. |
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| Tines type | V-tines | |||
| Number of tines | 72 | |||
| Number of speeds | Two | |||
| Drive | 3-V powerband belt and sheaves | |||
| Conditioner hood | ||||
| Wide spread | ||||
| Swath width |
| Width | 279 cm 110 in. |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diameter | 25.4 cm 10 in. |
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| Type of material | Urethane or Steel | |||
| Design | Urethane: Recessed cleat, Steel: Intermeshing flutes V-10 | |||
| Speed | 800 rpm | |||
| Drive | Telescoping shaft | |||
| Windrow width |
| Transport width | 4 m 13 ft |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall length | ||||
| Transport length | 8.2 m 26.9 ft |
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| Weight, roll conditioner | ||||
| Weight, impeller conditioner | 2,934 kg 6,470 lb With Urethane roll conditioner: 2,996 kg 6,605 lb With V-10 Steel roll conditioner: 3,086 kg 6,805 lb |
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| Standard tires | 11L-15 standard 31x13.5L 15, 8PR |
| Are wrenches required for adjusting? |
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| Date collected | August 24, 2020 |
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1Compared to previous models
Images of equipment models may be digitally generated, are for illustration purposes only, and are subject to change. Equipment models shown are typically base models and may not reflect all features, options, or attachments. Equipment availability may be limited. See your John Deere dealer for additional information.
*Five-year cutterbar warranty covers internal drive components on Zero Series Mower-Conditioners. See dealer for details.