Author Topic: Haying (Read 1561 times)

Corley5 · « **on:** August 26, 2004, 08:03:25 pm »

Some pics of the last day of haying a few weeks back. First is of Dad and the 180 MF and NH Super 68 baler, 2nd is of one of three of the afternoons loads and the biggest (250 +-bales), 3rd is of Dad raking with the 300 Farmall. Pretty good hay year overall. Sold a bunch right off the wagons and have a good jag in the barns. It should start selling fast pretty soon. People are starting to get nervous about the upcoming seasons

Norm · « **Reply #1 on:** August 27, 2004, 05:51:17 am »

That's a big haywagon! The running gears around here are not the double axels.

How many bales do you put up a year?

DanG · « **Reply #2 on:** August 27, 2004, 09:13:15 am »

Love the pics! I like tractors about as well as sawmills.

Hay will be at a premium around here this year. The weather has really messed things up. We opened up with a drought, then when it started raining, it did so EVERY day for weeks. They usually get 4 cuts/year, and sometimes 5. Most guys will have to push to get 3 this time around, and the first 2 were poor quality. Hay that usually goes for $2.50 in the field will probably be $4.50 this fall.

Corley5 · « **Reply #3 on:** August 27, 2004, 05:53:14 pm »

I put up around 6,000 bales this year. Good hay is in short supply. Lots of rained on hay. I got lucky and all but 150 bales of mine is rain free. I've been selling it for 2 bucks a bale out of the barn. That price will go up as winter gets closer. The wagon gear was originally under a forage box. We sold the box and kept wagon. The deck is 20' long and 9' wide. Makes for a nice big load. Our other wagons are standard issue 8'X16'. Off to Da UP now see everyone Sunday

Have a good weeekend

Quartlow · « **Reply #4 on:** August 27, 2004, 06:54:03 pm »

will that massy pull that wagon? Let me guess you have an oliver to push it right?

ibbob · « **Reply #5 on:** August 28, 2004, 10:18:10 am »

I run that same baler. You must have been out every day the sun shined to get 6000 bales thru it.

Was a crazy year here too. First cutting was near waist high before it dried out enough to get in the field. One more to go if it ever quits raining.

MULE_MAN · « **Reply #6 on:** August 28, 2004, 10:24:26 am »

Quartlow

Of course that MF 180 will pull that load of hay.

He might have to shift to the low side dragging a Oliver behind the wagon

Frickman · « **Reply #7 on:** August 30, 2004, 07:47:49 pm »

It's been a rough year here also, a repeat of last year with all the rain. With hay going to be in short supply, we're going to make everything we can until fall. Most of the square bale help has gone back to school so folks are going to have feed round bales this winter if their horse can't live on snowballs. Some people here are getting nervous also, one fellow who makes some of his own hay stopped by today and bought the next thirty round bales we make, and he'll come out to the field and get them too. You can't beat making hay from the seat of the tractor.

Roxie · « **Reply #8 on:** August 31, 2004, 10:02:47 am »

Nice pictures Corley! What are you using for cutting? We just finished 2nd cut last week, and normally we'd be on 3rd at this point. The bales in your picture look good and dry!

Corley5 · « **Reply #9 on:** September 01, 2004, 07:58:30 pm »

We use a New Holland sickle bar mower to lay it on the ground. If I continue with this operation much longer I'm going to have to invest in a conditioner. The old baler works like a charm. The more hay you feed it the better. Light windrows make for misshaped bales. Grandpa bought it brand new in 1960. It was used every year until 1974 when we started dry chopping our hay and blowing it into the barn. From 74 til 2001 it was used less than a 1/2 dozen times to bale a couple hundred bales on each outing. When I first started using it again it worked good but started to miss tie the end of that first season. The rollers on the bill hooks and knife arms had set up from sitting and developed flat spots. I replaced them and haven't had a problem since. A little lube on them once in while is a good idea

I had quality issues with TSC twine this year

. Some of it was fine but some wasn't uniform and had fuzz balls on it. The baler didn't like it

. The hay in the pic was getting ripe. I've got orchard grass for early hay and brome for later. The orchard grass was getting ripe when it was cut, the first brome was just about right but toward the end it was past prime too. I made the mistake of telling the neighbor where these pics were taken that I'd cut his hay if another guy didn't. I really didn't need it let alone want to make it when it came time but I said I would and ended up doing just that. The MF pulls that wagon and baler fine but will chew going up hills when it gets close to being full. I've got an Oliver 88 that would do fine baling but it's hard to beat the MF's power steering, live PTO, and Multi-Power tranny. If it just had hydraulic brakes. The tractor that I really wanted to use this year on the baler was our Cockshutt 40 but it's got some engine valve issues that need to be addressed before it sees any action.

D._Frederick · « **Reply #10 on:** September 01, 2004, 08:47:53 pm »

Corley,

Is that "mult-power transmission" that MF had the one that goes into free wheeling in the high range? My neighbor had a MF that would go into free wheeling going down hill, I seen him go 30 MPH dragging a harrow going down hill. He had one to many rides like that, bought himself a JD.

Corley5 · « **Reply #11 on:** September 02, 2004, 05:13:50 am »

Yup, that's the one. No engine braking on the low side of the Multi Power

. Always make sure she's in high going down hill especially with a heavy load behind it

or you're in for a wild ride.

Roxie · « **Reply #12 on:** September 02, 2004, 06:37:05 am »

We used a John Deere Disc Conditioner this year and we were REAL glad we had it. It shortens the drying time and with the wet weather we've been having, it was imperative. We cut and bale with a JD 3020 and I drive the Case 400 to tette and rake. We also had issues with bad baler twine and nothing is more frustrating. We threw the balls of twine in the back of the truck, and took it back for credit. Argggggh. We have a JD baler, but you really have to baby it with the windrow size and we didn't have time this year for it to be picky.

We have one low field that has just stayed a bog this year and we haven't gotten a cut yet. There's been some talk of a controlled burn.

We just got a John Deere A to restore, I'll try to post pictures ASAP.

MULE_MAN · « **Reply #13 on:** September 02, 2004, 07:23:50 am »

Corley

I have a MF 180 Diesel that I pull my round baler with & have pulled a few logs with. I have over sized tires & wheels on it & it pulls real well , but I also but some weights on the front end to keep it down on a dead pull.
The Multi Power Transmission works good but like you say, you don't want it on the low side going down hill, your'll get to the bottom faster then you wanted

And the Brakes sure aren't what they should be. But over all I like the Tractor real well, It's very good on fuel & can run it a day & half on a tank of fuel in the hay field.

Corley5 · « **Reply #14 on:** September 02, 2004, 08:31:32 am »

Our 180 has the Perkins gas engine and it's pretty efficient too but with the price of gas

we wish it was a diesel. The old gals will pull

. Grandpa and Dad bought the tractor and a 3 point 5 bottom plow new as a package in 1970. It came with a full set of front suitcase weights to keep the front end down with the plow on. Grandpa would also chain a couple bars of zinc on top of the weights for good measure. I picked up a 4 bottom JD semi mount plow a couple years ago that is not only easier on the tractor but nicer to plow with. This 180 came with 18.4-30 tires but most that I've seen have 16.9-30s. We use our Fransgard 4000 skidding winch on it and it does a super job skidding

. A bucket full of something helps keep the front end down. We'd like to find a good used loader with hydraulic bucket for it. The old loader that's on it was originally intended for a Ferguson 35 and was re-worked for the Ferguson 40 that Grandpa and Dad had before the 180 and was modified again to fit this tractor. It never was heavy enough and has just about out lived it usefulness. The next size up from the 180, I think it was the 1100, had hydraulic brakes and would sure be an improvement. It's a pain in the butt to replace the brakes on these as you've got to remove the whole wheel assembly to do it. Liquid filled tires makes it worse. Next year I'm going back to New Holland twine. It costs a bit more but it's worth it. The bad bales that we had we suffered through them as it was evening for two of them and on a Sunday for the other ones. I did take in a sample from a bale and got a free one

. There was what appeared to be a chunk of steel slag spun into the twine

. Never seen that before and lucky it didn't hurt something or cut someones hand

. I've used TSC twine in the past with good results

. What year is your JD A

We've got a 37 A unstyled.

Roxie · « **Reply #15 on:** September 02, 2004, 01:24:39 pm »

I don't think our knotter's would even 'work through' steel slag in the twine!

Our problem with the twine was that it thickened into lumps in spots....as if there was too much tension on the eyelets when it was drawn. Those needles hit that thick part and it would break just behind the lump.
Our John Deere A is a '49. All our tractor's are trikes. The A was sitting in a friends barn since 80 and the sheet metal is in real good shape...it started right up. Needs a bearing in the steering and the manifold has a small leak. We're hoping to get it worthy for our next tractor pull on September 18th. We'll see.

I still am partial to the '58 Case 400. It's my favorite. I'll get camera savy with this computer, and you'll agree with me!

Linda · « **Reply #16 on:** September 02, 2004, 08:17:57 pm »

We have Alfalfa pasture around our sawmill.

Made a deal with the neighbor. They mow, rake, and bale all three cuttings. They get the first two for free and we keep the last one

This ought to keep 3 goats fed

You can see who does the work around here and who documents it

ElectricAl's dad had brought his "M" over for an electrical up grade. Of course we had to TEST it out

Linda

Corley5 · « **Reply #17 on:** September 03, 2004, 03:45:51 pm »

Nice M

duke401 · « **Reply #18 on:** September 03, 2004, 08:58:55 pm »

you guys relly get to my heart i put up hay in sw. kan. i have run a lot of that eq. that you guys are still using.
i still have a old flat belt driven stationary baler that my great grandpa had. you sat there an hand tied the bales an pitched the hay in with a pitch fork.
my how things have changed
duke

Linda · « **Reply #19 on:** September 04, 2004, 08:51:42 pm »

Well, I got all my hay put away. Unfortunately, I had more than would fit in the hay shed.

So, it's taking up air dry shed space on pallets. :-/ Al's gonna love moving that around until it's gone.

I wore jeans, but my arms look like I've been fighting with the neighbors cats.

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Author Topic: Haying (Read 1561 times)