Bad day of hay making

[joeu235]

You know its a bad hay making day when it takes 15 gallons of hydraulic oil to make it through the day. I replaced the seals on bale density cylinders the next day At least we got 96 bales off of 24 acres.

 

[BrokenTrack]

Will animals even eat that much oil soaked hay? (I am only teasing)

Yeah it sucks when you go through that much oil. I am glad you got it fixed though.

I am also glad you got in some hay too though. That is about average for us too, roughly 104 round bales on 25 acres. I could probably get some more if I fertilized, but at $850 a ton, it kind of makes a farmer hesitate, you know? I will have too next year, it has been three years since we fertilized one particular field, and it is starting to show. Soil tests called for (3) ton of 10/10/10, but thankfully no lime.

 

[joeu235]

Based on your picture, I think your experience was little more peaceful. Nice looking place!

 

[5030]

Looks like wheat straw to me....

I go by the philosophy that 'It never breaks in the barn'.... Maybe it's time to upgrade if you are loosing seals. I tend to turn over my bailing / raking equipment every 5 years or so.

 

[joeu235]

Looks like wheat straw to me....

I go by the philosophy that 'It never breaks in the barn'.... Maybe it's time to upgrade if you are loosing seals. I tend to turn over my bailing / raking equipment every 5 years or so.

The grass is Texas winter grass and first cutting coastal bermuda. That's why it doesn't look "premium". We round bale the first cutting for our own cows and then sell the second and third cutting to horse owners as square bales.
I think it would be hard to justify going from a paid off baler to making payments on a $45K machine. This is really the first time its caused any trouble.

 

[5030]

The grass is Texas winter grass and first cutting coastal bermuda. That's why it doesn't look "premium". We round bale the first cutting for our own cows and then sell the second and third cutting to horse owners as square bales.
I think it would be hard to justify going from a paid off baler to making payments on a $45K machine. This is really the first time its caused any trouble.

One thing I've found with hay equipment and that is, as it gets older, the frequency of breakdown's increase., so I run them 5 years and get a new one. Because it's a business, interest is deductible and so is depreciation. The oldest piece of equipment I run (besides my tractors is my HS rotary rake and it's going this winter. Going to buy a new Kubota rotary rake.

Additionally, not going past 5 years is, resale is always good (I never have any issue selling equipment, there are always buyers for used hay tools in good shape so the value always offsets the new price) and advancements in equipment is nice too.

Just peruse forums like this and you'll see that there are a ton of would be haymakers out there looking for used tools.

My NH450 is completely computer driven. It's like playing a video game and it does everything by itself, all I have to do is stop and eject (when it tells me to). Next year is it's last year. I may go Kubota (Vicon) on the next one, not sure. I've always ran NH balers but I may change it up if I can get the deal I want.

Demo'd one this spring. Nice unit but I don't much care for the in cab monitor. The NH monitor is much more user friendly. The Kubota round baler is similar to a Claas, it produces a soft center bale, easier to spear than the NH hard center bale. The one I demo'd listed for 35 and that is twine and net just like my 450. I bet I could get it for 30 if I wanted it.

One nice thing about the NH is I can switch from twine to net on the fly, even if a bale is forming.

Paid off is fine but the older they get, the more issues they have.

No Bermuda grass here, all alfalfa, and timothy. Sorry if I insulted you. Looks like wheat straw. I contract bale that once in a while. Mostly run small squares in wheat straw. Local road board buys them for mulch.

I own a JD discbine that I keep as a backup, just in case. Only green I own. Everything is green here for the most part except hay tools. Those are mostly red and yellow.

 

[5030]

I might add I don't ever use that cheap 35 buck a pail 334 crap either. All my hydraulics (tractor and implements) either get Chevron All Weather THC Synthetic or Shell Rotella VG Hydraulic oil. That cheap stuff is no good for seals or gear drives in tractors not only is it detrimental for seals, it don't contain the proper anti-wear additives for gear drive transmissions and wet clutches.. In fact, if I'm not mistaken on a new tractor or implement, using that stuff will void the warranty. Not something you need to be concerned with but none the less, it's junk.

Chevron is a jobber product only but the Rotella can be bought at TSC (if they have it in stock). Chevron is about $110.00 a pail and the Rotella is around 60 a pail.

Tractors run Chevron only. They are older so maintenance is everything. Have no desire to run an emissions tractor.

 

[Tx Jim]

One thing I've found with hay equipment and that is, as it gets older, the frequency of breakdown's increase., so I run them 5 years and get a new one. Because it's a business, interest is deductible and so is depreciation. The oldest piece of equipment I run (besides my tractors is my HS rotary rake and it's going this winter. Going to buy a new Kubota rotary rake.

Additionally, not going past 5 years is, resale is always good (I never have any issue selling equipment, there are always buyers for used hay tools

Dang I bale with old equipment. My JD 4255 tractor I bale with is a '91 with over 11,000 hrs on it,my JD 467 baler is '05 with over 26,000 bales on it,My Krone cutter is 10 yrs old,my H&S Hi-cap 14 wheel rake is '02 model having raked 1000's acres but none of my equipment has any red & yellow paint on it.

 

[5030]

Dang I bale with old equipment. My JD 4255 tractor I bale with is a '91 with over 11,000 hrs on it,my JD 467 baler is '05 with over 26,000 bales on it,My Krone cutter is 10 yrs old,my H&S Hi-cap 14 wheel rake is '02 model having raked 1000's acres but none of my equipment has any red & yellow paint on it.

Some people luck out, some get screwed. If you take care of your stuff, should be few issues, if you don't (like most people don't), then there is issues.

Think I'd use the Kubby instead of the JD. I bet the GPH on the Kubby is a lot less.

Thing I find somewhat amusing is that when someone gets into what we do, they buy old clapped out, run hard and put away wet equipment, primarily because it's cheap and then when it pukes in the field, they don't have a clue what to do to fix the issue (so the get on forums like this one and beg for help). What is really good is when it pukes and there is rain coming...

I've seen that play out many times.

I use the 5 year rule of thumb. Works for me and my accountant.

Like I said, other than tractors. I won't touch any Tier 4 final tractor. One, I'm not evviromentaly correct (I like diesels to smoke when working) and two, at my age, I have a certain disdain for electronics, especially lowest bidder emission electronics.

 

[Tx Jim]

5030
I utilized my '11 Kubota M7040 when AC compressor was out on my JD 4255 last year. I pulled my rd baler with the Kubota(64 pto hp) tractor until I replaced the compressor. I have checked my JD fuel consumption on my 4255(127 pto hp) before AC quite. JD 4255 used 3.2 gph while M7040 used 2.5 gph so .7 more gph for twice the pto HP. I'm similar to you in not liking the new newfangled electronic wizardry or payments as my farm equipment has been paid for for many yrs.
Jim

 

[5030]

5030
I utilized my '11 Kubota M7040 when AC compressor was out on my JD 4255 last year. I pulled my rd baler with the Kubota(64 pto hp) tractor until I replaced the compressor. I have checked my JD fuel consumption on my 4255(127 pto hp) before AC quite. JD 4255 used 3.2 gph while M7040 used 2.5 gph so .7 more gph for twice the pto HP. I'm similar to you in not liking the new newfangled electronic wizardry or payments as my farm equipment has been paid for for many yrs.
Jim

Interesting but in reality you aren't using either one to it's full capacity Typical 4 foot RB requires 45-55 pto depending on bale diameter. Diesel is cheap right now but I don't believe it will be forever. be like inputs, go through the roof.

Nothing worse than no ac when running hay. Stuff makes me itch, nose run and eyes swell up.

Both tractors have been paid off for years. I need to have the one spend the winter at the dealer, it needs the overhead run and a new upper bushing in the left outboard planetary. Don't have the specialized tools to do the bushing and the overhead on my tractors takes some serious tearing apart.

 

[Tx Jim]

I make 4X5.5 bales at maximum pressure on baler gauge @ 6 mph baling three 9'3'' swathes in hay normally averaging 2-4 bales per acre. 45-55 pto HP tractor can't handle that task very well if at all. I can bale faster than 6 mph but fire ants & gophers make the ground to rough to suit me.

 

[joeu235]

No cab tractors here. My dad had one 15 years ago but the A/C condenser kept getting so clogged up with chaff that it didn't work.

We make about 10,000 square bales a year and pickup by hand. Just have to get over the heat and realize its going to be a hot day.

 

[Tx Jim]

No cab tractors here. My dad had one 15 years ago but the A/C condenser kept getting so clogged up with chaff that it didn't work..

I have 3 tractors with cabs(JD,Kubota & Ford) & all of the AC's blow cold air. One needs to care for tractor AC system much more diligently than a PU or auto that is utilized in a much less dust/chaff environment.

 

[5030]

I have 3 tractors with cabs(JD,Kubota & Ford) & all of the AC's blow cold air. One needs to care for tractor AC system much more diligently than a PU or auto that is utilized in a much less dust/chaff environment.

+1 on that. My climate control unit is in my cab roof and the roof comes off every spring and I blow out the accumulated stuff. The cab filter gets some, but not all. I run a 12 volt fan in front of the condenser under the hood as well. Every little bit helps. Finally, I lined the underside of the cab roof with reflectix foil bubble foil to insulate the space between the roof and the ac components. Kubota's are noted for weak ac units, mine will freeze you out on a 100 degree day.

 

[5030]

I make 4X5.5 bales at maximum pressure on baler gauge @ 6 mph baling three 9'3'' swathes in hay normally averaging 2-4 bales per acre. 45-55 pto HP tractor can't handle that task very well if at all. I can bale faster than 6 mph but fire ants & gophers make the ground to rough to suit me.

No ants or gophers here, just an ocasional wood hog hole. You need a JCB Fastrak with suspension...lol

 

[cathy liebchen]

I might add I don't ever use that cheap 35 buck a pail 334 crap either. All my hydraulics (tractor and implements) either get Chevron All Weather THC Synthetic or Shell Rotella VG Hydraulic oil. That cheap stuff is no good for seals or gear drives in tractors not only is it detrimental for seals, it don't contain the proper anti-wear additives for gear drive transmissions and wet clutches.. In fact, if I'm not mistaken on a new tractor or implement, using that stuff will void the warranty. Not something you need to be concerned with but none the less, it's junk.

Chevron is a jobber product only but the Rotella can be bought at TSC (if they have it in stock). Chevron is about $110.00 a pail and the Rotella is around 60 a pail.

Tractors run Chevron only. They are older so maintenance is everything. Have no desire to run an emissions tractor.

second this ^^^^

 

[5030]

second this ^^^^

In your new MX, you'd better be running Kubota SUDT or an approved fluid. Cheap fluid will void your warranty if you have an issue (though you probably won't). Kubota's are pretty trouble free.

 

[5030]

No cab tractors here. My dad had one 15 years ago but the A/C condenser kept getting so clogged up with chaff that it didn't work.

We make about 10,000 square bales a year and pickup by hand. Just have to get over the heat and realize its going to be a hot day.

Better you than me. You must be a young buck. I'm an old fart.

 

[hawkeye08]

We grew alfalfa on 300 irrigated acres, 3 cuttings, 8-10tons per year per acre. Small (by today's standards) rectangular bales with 2 wires, ~100lbs each. When i was younger, Pa did most of the work, then when we were old enough, he picked up 2 more balers (IHC 56, 57, 57). They had engines on them so even a small Farmall H could pull one. We had an IHC 375 swather and had various methods of getting the bales out of the fields, sometimes by hand, bucking 100lb bales onto flatbed truck (worked ok with 4 people, but less and it would just wear us out). We had accumulator that gathered and dumped a set of 8 bales off baler (when Pa was just running one baler), then a homemade contraption that picked up the 8 bales and hauled them to the stack, the when I was about 15, we got a used New Holland harobed (I think a 1063 model, with 4 cyl Wisconsin air cooled engine, right hand drive, 63 bales, 7 layers of 8, with one tie layer having only 7 bales)..

Maintenance was the key, breakdowns could cause hay to get rained on, but also delayed getting the irrigation water back on. I'm not sure how well I would do with the modern hay equipment, I see one of the neighbors is getting his hay cut with IHC 375.. brings back memories.

All of our equipment was open station. Yep, some days were hotter than others, but it was life.