The Life of a Custom Mowing & Clearing Contractor

[Hay Dude]

Mr. HayDude, you've been doing a lot of haying. What do you think your tally is so far? Has it been a good year?

So far, ~660 tons , but I have a pretty long way to go yet.

Pretty good year. Outrageous fuel & parts prices are eating our lunch right now.
Speaking of lunch, I stopped eating lunch to save money.

 

[BackRoad]

Red diesel just dropped to $2.99 locally...but my 100 gallon transfer tank is nothing to you!

Weather has been decent recently...hope you can keep on bailing!

 

[scootr]

Rollin rollin rollin keep that bailer rollin, rawhide.
Don't try to understand it, just rope tie and stack it.
Keep em moving to the end of the line.

 

[Hay Dude]

Here's some late afternoon raking & baling shots.

 

[Hay Dude]

Some of this afternoons action

My son raking

Opening up another field-headlands so I can get in with tractor & baler

This ol gal stopped to take a picture of me, so I took a picture of her lol

Finishing up the day with some more mowing. It was only 83*, but it felt so much warmer.

 

[number two]

Thanks!
I think we enjoy your day's work almost as much as you do!

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm repeating myself, and hopefully I haven't said this already on this thread.

When I moved to Texas, and bought some land, I thought hay was a crop that was planted every year, like wheat or corn. When I learned that it was grass, I couldn't believe how clueless I was!!!!

Seeing your pictures reminds me of how little I know about haying. I don't know if I will ever give it a try or not, but it's something I'm thinking about.

 

[Hay Dude]

I got this side baled, now going to the other side to do some more cutting.

Hammer down until dark.

Sometimes you have to work late…..

 

[scootr]

Working can to cain't and then a little more...
Looks like that last field had a pretty low yield?

 

[Hay Dude]

Working can to cain't and then a little more...
Looks like that last field had a pretty low yield?

I removed and stacked a lot of the bales already.
Yield was typical for 2nd cutting.

 

[BackRoad]

Always amazed at how quickly the days grow shorter here in PA.

Just over 12 hours of sun light now, but it's sure seems like it's getting dark early...

 

[Hay Dude]

Always amazed at how quickly the days grow shorter here in PA.

Just over 12 hours of sun light now, but it's sure seems like it's getting dark early...

Indeed my friend. It feels like it gets dark more like 10 minutes earlier each day than 1.
Weather not looking good. Not a lot of rain, but much cooler and cloudier. i think I was spoiled by the last 15 days.

 

[ning]

The length of daylight changes the most rapidly around the equinoxes (next ones Sept 22 2024, March 20 2025).

(Example daylight length graph typical around 39°N; at 39°S the shape of the graph is the same, it's just shifted 6 months)

In the same amount of time - about two months - around the solstices (June 20 2024, December 21 2024, June 20 2025) there's about (on this graph - at about 39°) a 45 minute change in day length while around the equinoxes there's about 150 minutes. The closer to the poles you are, the higher the amplitude of the graph - at the polar circles the graph will go from 0 to 24 in six months (with the peaks and troughs just touching the 0 & 24 briefly - being tangent) while beyond the polar circles the peaks and troughs are actually clipped, to the point that it's practically a step function at the poles, each day being either daylight or not-daylight).

 

[Hay Dude]

Mowed more hay than a man should have to today. Here’s a few pics.

This is one of my bigger fields. Probably about 80 acres. Takes a while.

I have to get my tree stand cleaned up & ready. Bow season is here. LOL

Finished the day doing some bale stacking

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Cutting 80 acres in a day is unheard of down hear, that's getting after it.

 

[Hay Dude]

Mixed bag today.
Started off just fine. Moved to another field to drop another 35 acres. Here I am at first light getting ready to roll.

Made 2 passes and heard metal on metal racket, then smoke. I immediately dumped the PTO. Turns out a bearing nuked for the conditioner rolls on the front mower. The race and the bearings were gone in a split second.

I mowed for about 4 hours with the side mower only.

I’m so short on time, I made the call for the parts delivery, and decided to go back to where I was yesterday and continue some more baling. It was almost 12 and I had planned on leaving anyway.

Back to baling. Very sunny and 80+ might be my last baling day for a while. Rain predicted early this week.

Anyway, here’s some raking & baling pics…

Note bales behind me in side-view mirror.

This was about 3PM. Back in the raking tractor. I’m gettin there, but a long way to go.

Average bale weights were ~1750 @ 80% pressure.

Tractor & Baler really need a bath don’t they?

All baled up and heading back to mowing.

Bearings are installed (did both sides), so I jumped in the Ram to go back to do some more mowing until dark.

More tomorrow!

 

[number two]

Long day for sure!
Wonder how many socialists would work that hard?

 

[Molalla1]

Long day for sure!
Wonder how many socialists would work that hard?

 

[Locoweed]

Work????

 

[scootr]

When you have to work that hard at earning a living, taxes on the fruits of your labor seem criminal. Hang in there