Thinking about getting into haying for my own use and for small $$$

[greasemonkeyok]

Valid point Steve. Some of us are happy cause we're dumb.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

Valid point Steve. Some of us are happy cause we're dumb.

AMEN!

Me too!

David

 

[keegs]

MossFlower..I'm probably not the only one to have had someone harvesting their hay fields just for the the cost of keeping them cut.

 

[flusher]

WOW!

Ok, how big of a trailer would I need to haul it all in one load?

I'm not sure if I am serious yet or not... But... WOW!!!

David

That's the kind of deal I was talking about-- locate somebody who's been into haying and is getting out of the business or is upgrading his equipment and selling the stuff he's using now. That's a darn good price for some nice equipment that's been well cared for. Parts are available for all that stuff.

Make several trips yourself or get a friend or two who have trailers and caravan to the seller's place. I'd pay for the gas and the first round of beers.

Good luck.

 

[pacerron]

Just because some guy cut, raked, and baled/rolled it doesn't mean it is worth
anything as horse hay.
If you value the health of your horses you need to know what grasses are in it, that it was cut at the right time, dryed right before baling, and then put in your barn before it gets rained on. In the barn, if it is a pole barn type and you are storing the hay at ground level, you will probably need to elevate it more than just on some old skids to keep it from molding on the bottom. We have rolls on skids but the bottom row is not used to feed. It is just used to elevate the second and third layer high. The bottom row can serve as a platform for the hay above for a few years.
I'm not suggesting that you need ritch alfalfa hay unless you have race horses. Depending on the exercise your horses get, or lack thereof, it might be best to have little or no alfalfa in it.
If you've been horsing for a while, I'm sure you know all of this... but nowhere was it mentioned anything about the purpose of the hay except for horses.
You won't save any money making hay yourself, as others have warned, but you could have the piece of mind of knowing that the hay was made properly and at the right time if you do it yourself... depending on the weatherman

 

[blueriver]

All I can say is I used to count on others to buy from and alot of times I never got what they claimed it was ... then I used to wait for the custom guy and I'd wait and I'd wait ...

NOW ... my hay is weed free, fertilized and the quanity and the quality has greatly improved....now when its time and the weather is in my favor ... well I make hay.

Another thing. I started out with the used stuff, fixed and repaired used it and resold it in better condition for considerably more and gradualy worked up to bigger and better equipment ... start small and slow you'll be okay and you may find you like it and may even sell enough to pay for the cost.

 

[bigbull338]

if you want to really get into baling your own hay heres what you do.if you have a friend with baling equipment help him bale an learn as your working.if you 2 can really work togather after a summer of helping him.then in the winter you can find a buy a cutter an rake if you have the money.then next summer you can cut an rake hay for yourself an your buddy.then if you still want baler find an buy 1.

 

[scoutcub]

WOW!

Ok, how big of a trailer would I need to haul it all in one load?

I'm not sure if I am serious yet or not... But... WOW!!!

David

David -

I bet I could fit all (or most) of that stuff on my 30' gooseneck. And, that sounds like a great deal!
Let me know if you're interested, I'll be home in a few weeks.


Frank

 

[riptides]

Newbury,

My daughters are 13, 11 and 3. So far only the 3 year old is 100% willing to "Help Daddy Hay"...



David

The minute I walk out the door with my equipment keys, I hear and see all sorts of motor vehicles leaving my property.

I have since used this behavior to give myself some much needed quiet time and have the place to myself.

On the serious side, I explored your "getting into haying" option, and opted for partnerships and free-lease of equipment from established operations. With a full-time job, and other interests, doing it myself proved unreasonable, and money was not even presented in my equation.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

That's the kind of deal I was talking about-- locate somebody who's been into haying and is getting out of the business or is upgrading his equipment and selling the stuff he's using now. That's a darn good price for some nice equipment that's been well cared for. Parts are available for all that stuff.

Make several trips yourself or get a friend or two who have trailers and caravan to the seller's place. I'd pay for the gas and the first round of beers.

Good luck.

David -

I bet I could fit all (or most) of that stuff on my 30' gooseneck. And, that sounds like a great deal!
Let me know if you're interested, I'll be home in a few weeks.


Frank

This thread is sorely tempting me... I'm certain I will never get as good of a deal offered to me again, but I fear my wife would make me sleep out in the field with the equipment if I bought it BEFORE fixing the roof & honey-do list...

Even with Flusher paying for the gas and beer... (Just kidding, I know what you REALLY were saying )

I'd love to meet a couple more TBN'rs in the process too!

I'm thinking about it pretty hard...
David

 

[MossflowerWoods]

Just because some guy cut, raked, and baled/rolled it doesn't mean it is worth
anything as horse hay.
If you value the health of your horses you need to know what grasses are in it, that it was cut at the right time, dryed right before baling, and then put in your barn before it gets rained on.

Pacerron,

I do not have race horses, but we love them. I went to some effort to find decent HORSE hay and I've got some that is pretty darned good. I have another 65-75 square bales I need to pick up before he harvests end of May, and I currentloy have approx 30 bales stored in an old woodshed I want to convert into the chicken shack.

I need storage advise, and I'm just going to ask it here vs.starting a new thread I think.

My current idea is this...

I have a large metal shed IU plan to make into tractor and attachment storage soon as I move the chickens/guineas/ducks out.

It is dirt floored & will be open front when I remove the roller door so my ROPS & canopy fit.

I was planning to lay down a large tarp in the back. put good wooden pallets down, stack the square bales cut end up on the pallets with airflow, and put up a tarp across the front & top (or something similar) to keep the dirt dust off of them that is generated by the tractor starting and moving attachments.

Will this work?

David

 

[newbury]

but I fear my wife would make me sleep out in the field with the equipment if I bought it BEFORE fixing the roof & honey-do list...

For most of us the honey-do list grows exponentially.

Especially with all the home improvement/remodeling shows on TV. SWMBO constantly comes up with things WE need to do.

Who knows, the offer of equipment could be the chance of a lifetime.

Get that 13yr old driving the tractor (drivers ed) and the 11 yr old could start learning.

 

[blueriver]

I'd think that used equipment at that price would also be an investment ... even if you didn't use it your sure to get your money back, actually probably make a few bucks... used stuff just keeps going up.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

I would sell my hay equipment if your are seriously interested.....
Jd 24T baler Ford 501 sickle, International Hay Conditioner, NH rake, $2500 you pick it up

Bucktaker,

I just got my wife up to speed on this thread and her response was...

Very Positive!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Let's just say I am officially interested in your hay equipment.

I need to line up financials, vacation and hauling assistance for the pickup, but... I can't send a check today, but it looks like VERY likely you have made a sale... OK?

How about some pictures sir?

We can PM for the details such as address etc... but I'd love to see so pics please.

Thanks,
David

 

[aczlan]

Next on the priority list is the mower. Spend $3K and get yourself a new drum mower. Disc mowers are what the big boys use, but they're twice as expensive (new) as drums and considerably more complex. Sicklebar mowers (new) cost about the same as drums but take more maintenance and know-how to get them to work properly. Drum mowers windrow the cuttings whereas disc mowers and sicklebars lay the cuttings flat without windrowing them. You may have to make a pass with a tedder or rake to spread out the windrow from the drum mower to get the hay to dry properly. It's an extra pass over the field that costs some time but, IMHO, the speed and simplicity of the drum mower offsets this. Be sure to get a drum mower that's compatable (size and weight) with your tractor

If the weather in VA is anything like the weather is here he will need to have a conditioner... Not conditioning the hay adds 2-3 days of drying time around here (which makes it impossible to get hay in with our 2-4 day dry windows)

Bale handling. Small time operators stack small square bales by hand. If you're producing several hundred small squares, some type of bale accumulator/grabber is nice. New they cost $5-10K. Used about half that. Round bales can be handled by bale spears attached to your FEL (get skid steer quick attach option on your FEL).

Another option is a 'kicker" baler that shoots the hay into the wagon. We have one of those and I can load the wagon without any assistance. I cant get as much on as with someone stacking (~1/3 less), but it can be done.

Bucktaker,
I just got my wife up to speed on this thread and her response was...
Very Positive!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:
Let's just say I am officially interested in your hay equipment.

If that doesn't end up working out, I know where you could get a Gehl Mower Conditioner, a Grimm 4 basket tedder and an International baler...

Aaron Z

 

[flusher]

Bucktaker,

I just got my wife up to speed on this thread and her response was...

Very Positive!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Let's just say I am officially interested in your hay equipment.

I need to line up financials, vacation and hauling assistance for the pickup, but... I can't send a check today, but it looks like VERY likely you have made a sale... OK?

How about some pictures sir?

We can PM for the details such as address etc... but I'd love to see so pics please.

Thanks,
David

If you've succumbed to the haying bug and are going to take the plunge, ask the Seller if he has the baler manuals (operator, service, parts). If not, get them pronto since setting up a baler is a learning experience and the manuals speed it along. Manuals for the other stuff is advisable.

Good luck.

 

[pacerron]

Pacerron,

I do not have race horses, but we love them. I went to some effort to find decent HORSE hay and I've got some that is pretty darned good. I have another 65-75 square bales I need to pick up before he harvests end of May, and I currentloy have approx 30 bales stored in an old woodshed I want to convert into the chicken shack.

I need storage advise, and I'm just going to ask it here vs.starting a new thread I think.

My current idea is this...

I have a large metal shed IU plan to make into tractor and attachment storage soon as I move the chickens/guineas/ducks out.

It is dirt floored & will be open front when I remove the roller door so my ROPS & canopy fit.

I was planning to lay down a large tarp in the back. put good wooden pallets down, stack the square bales cut end up on the pallets with airflow, and put up a tarp across the front & top (or something similar) to keep the dirt dust off of them that is generated by the tractor starting and moving attachments.

Will this work?

David

I looked at the list of threads you have started in an attempt to see perhaps
what this metal shed structure looked like but 88 threads would be a bit too time consuming to find it. Regardless... to answer a couple of your questions and probably create more.
1. If you put a tarp down under the pallets you will be amazed in short order how much water and mold will collect under it. Not a good idea in a hay storage area.
2. If you cover the hay with a tarp the hay will collect moisture, even year old hay and start to mold.
Metal sheds/barns, do mainly to temperature changes constantly on the outside surface throughout a 24 hour period and the moisture in the air in your location, will sweat inside. Metal barns without insulated roofs will even drip the sweat like raindrops.
This time of year and until all the spring rain is out of the ground and the humidity becomes lower later in the summer, the best thing for your hay and your metal tractor and equipment is to get as much air flow through the barn as possible. If you keep it all closed up and have hay dust on the floor ( or the top of your floor tarp, if you must ) you may even see mold developing
on the tarp and on the ground. A hand sprayer with some clorox water sprayed on the ground helps eliminate this but it is much better to keep the air flowing and not have mold in the first place.
3. From your present situation you describe ( from our experiences of 40 years of horsing) it would be better to not put a tarp down on the ground.
We would suggest putting skids down on the dirt ( in an area where the ground stays pretty dry normally) inside your barn then putting a sacrificial layer, packed tight, flat ( not on end ) of your existing left over hay to make an area large enough so you can stack useable layers on top. The sacrificial layer can remain in place for many years. It will protect the useable layers from mold if they are cut and made properly. The bottom layer should never be fed to horses.
4. Any new cut bales should be stacked on end.

5. Any shelter for a horse needs to lined with tongue and groove 2x8's or wider. No metal siding should ever be exposed to horses. They will kick, rub, and do what horses do, causing damage to the structure and themselves.
A 3 sided shelter is good for protection from bugs and weather.
If you can afford a shed deep enough, say 24 feet or more so there is 12 feet for humans and 12 feet for horses times whatever length x 10 feet per horse. They will both crowd into one 10 x 12 open on one end stall at times but you will find the human convenience and comfort well worth the money
when feeding, caring for hurt or sick animals, and trimming hooves.
A closeable pipe gate that can retain one animal in a stall is very helpful at times too.
Since one end of the shed is open, the choice of place and direction is important. The floor needs to be higher than the dirt outside. Best friend you or wife could ever have are rubber stall mats inside the stalls to keep the dirt in place. No bedding required on top of rubber mats unless you are caring for a sick animal and lock them in the stall.
Next best friends are water and electricity in the barn. But.. build the barn far enough from the house that you will not be invaded by flys from the horse area.
Last but not least... NO barbed wire.
Ron

 

[Iplayfarmer]

... I fear my wife would make me sleep out in the field with the equipment if I bought it BEFORE fixing the roof & honey-do list...

You may end up sleeping in the field anyway. The best baling is in the late evening and early morning when there's a little dew on the ground. I remember my dad baling until about midnight when the dew got too heavy. He'd sleep under the tractor for a few hours and then start baling again at first light.