TODAYS SEAT TIME

[fruitcakesa]

I have been trail mowing my tractor roads that don't have canopy enough to stop the growth of ferns and grass. I use my Sportsman 500 ATV and 42" Fuerst self powered BushHog. Here is a fore and aft shot.

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gg

GG, you probably have noticed that when you start cutting trees in an area and open the canopy, that the ferns just move in and choke out any other growth.
Makes forest regen more of an issue.
I suppose cutting the ferns is a way to encourage new tree growth but, it is likely a struggle.

 

[fruitcakesa]

I opened up another of my skid roads in anticipation of accessing some big old ash trees that need to go to the mill before the EAB or other enemy finally kills them.

 

[Gordon Gould]

GG, you probably have noticed that when you start cutting trees in an area and open the canopy, that the ferns just move in and choke out any other growth.
Makes forest regen more of an issue.
I suppose cutting the ferns is a way to encourage new tree growth but, it is likely a struggle.

The previous owner here had a big liquidation cut and really opened the canopy so we have lots of ferns. You are right they really slow the regen. When I cut I try to take single trees or small groups or just thin so I don't open things up too much to limit the ferns. Like this area that I just cut the fir and left the rest.



gg

 

[Molalla1]

The previous owner here had a big liquidation cut and really opened the canopy so we have lots of ferns. You are right they really slow the regen. When I cut I try to take single trees or small groups or just thin so I don't open things up too much to limit the ferns. Like this area that I just cut the fir and left the rest.

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gg

Gordon you need a sturdy excavator to take our your stumps . . . I see you have a dozer . . . I have both if one can't the other can . . . :drink: beautiful the way you are using/leaving your land.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I'm not a farmer, but both of my grapples will move 5x6 round bales:

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"Moving" a bale is a far cry from what we are talking about here... I see people moving bales with the craziest things around here, but I always say, IF, it's your bale, get it done any way you can...

SR

 

[LouNY]

We wrap many of our bales with a bale wrapper as silage bales to get a well wrapped bale requires a good shape bale that hasn't been damaged by the handling prior to wrapping so it can be sealed upwell with the wrap and not allow air in to rot it.
Once it's wrapped it can't be punctured for the same reason;

so we use a squeeze grapple designed for round bales

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Not here. The Big Boys, who actually farm, and not just "play at farming", around here are all running grapples. They have no problems grabbing large round bales with FEL and grapple. But they're running real Ag tractors, not "tinker toy" tractors like the ones in 'ol Rob's pictures.

Big boy farmers here (and every place else I've seen) use a bale "grabber" not a grapple, different tool completely, OR they use an end loader with a bale fork.

Depending on the definition of "tinker toy tractor" you are right, but that isn't how I define one, and I have both. AND just for the record, we hay with bigger tractors than I most often show, too...

Quick example: I have a 6' rotavator, I've shown it many times. I also have a 30hp Deutz "farm" tractor. Over the years, I've put 500 hours on that Deutz custom rotavating with that rotavator.

At one time I bought a 30hp Kubota compact tractor, it seemed nice enough and after a time I decided to try the 6' rotavator on it. Worked OK for smaller gardens, but there's NO WAY I could take it on field jobs, it just didn't have enough nuts to be used for hours and hours on end in field conditions on jobs.

There's the classic difference between a farm tractor and a tinker toy compact tractor!!! They make them with lots of hp, but they just can't compete with an equal hp farm tractor for long tern field work or last as long doing that work.

After a few more "things" like that, I sent that Kubota down the road. Would have make a good play farmer tractor though.

I have compact tractors, I just don't try to use them for real farming... lol

SR

 

[Jstpssng]

We wrap many of our bales with a bale wrapper as silage bales to get a well wrapped bale requires a good shape bale that hasn't been damaged by the handling prior to wrapping so it can be sealed upwell with the wrap and not allow air in to rot it.
Once it's wrapped it can't be punctured for the same reason;
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so we use a squeeze grapple designed for round bales

I was talking to a farmer who had a long line of those in his field with strings near the top, running down each side. He said that it kept the birds from landing, as they don't like the string touching their wings. Is that a local trick or something that is common?

 

[LouNY]

If birds such as crows are a problem it might help,
we bring ours back to the home farm usually and wrap them there and then stack them on end,
the plastic on the ends is guite thick from the number of wraps.
leaving room for the barn cats to run between the rows to discourage mice and rats which are more of a problem for us then birds.
That said one winter turkeys did get up on an ag bag of silage and puncture the bag in hundreds of places, made for a long day patching it to preserve the feed.

 

[Molalla1]

Big boy farmers here (and every place else I've seen) use a bale "grabber" not a grapple, different tool completely, OR they use an end loader with a bale fork.

Depending on the definition of "tinker toy tractor" you are right, but that isn't how I define one, and I have both. AND just for the record, we hay with bigger tractors than I most often show, too...

Quick example: I have a 6' rotavator, I've shown it many times. I also have a 30hp Deutz "farm" tractor. Over the years, I've put 500 hours on that Deutz custom rotavating with that rotavator.

At one time I bought a 30hp Kubota compact tractor, it seemed nice enough and after a time I decided to try the 6' rotavator on it. Worked OK for smaller gardens, but there's NO WAY I could take it on field jobs, it just didn't have enough nuts to be used for hours and hours on end in field conditions on jobs.

There's the classic difference between a farm tractor and a tinker toy compact tractor!!! They make them with lots of hp, but they just can't compete with an equal hp farm tractor for long tern field work or last as long doing that work.

After a few more "things" like that, I sent that Kubota down the road. Would have make a good play farmer tractor though.

I have compact tractors, I just don't try to use them for real farming... lol

SR

Agree . . . .