The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor

[Hay Dude]

I can work a much longer day feeding branches and small trees into my chipper using the mini-ex, vs hauling and feeding them by hand. You have to be a bit more organized about stacking stuff so it's pointing in the right direction, but then it goes real fast.

We tried feeding longer logs into the bigger chippers with the grapple, but the automatic feed systems don’t like that. The auto feed wants to have long large diameter logs chipped by drawing the log in-out, in-out, in-out, etc.

Have to be careful with logs. You can over-feed, or stall the chipper if you feed too much.

Brush, yeah you can shove it in there and it’ll eat it.

I can pull together 1 to 4 helpers on any given job and we can do a lot in one day.

 

[hayden]

We tried feeding longer logs into the bigger chippers with the grapple, but the automatic feed systems don’t like that. The auto feed wants to have long large diameter logs chipped by drawing the log in-out, in-out, in-out, etc.

Have to be careful with logs. You can over-feed, or stall the chipper if you feed too much.

Brush, yeah you can shove it in there and it’ll eat it.

I can pull together 1 to 4 helpers on any given job and we can do a lot in one day.

I load stuff in until the feeder grabs it, then let go and let the feeder do the rest

 

[BackRoad]

That was a mess Mr. HayDude! And it looks like still more to come down with the standing Ash (?). Those look like opportunities for dropping limbs while cutting, and similar to the worst ever barber chair I experienced with the split running 20' up the trunk.

Good Luck with the rest of the clean up! You might talk Mr. Winterdeere into running over to pick up those logs for firewood...!

 

[RayIN]

Great pics and commentary. Until I got my cab tractor, I had no idea how productive I could be in winter. I never thought of mowing in winter, but it makes sense to get it done before spring hits.

Did the landowner give you a reason why they don't want their fields cut for hay? Do they have tax breaks for ag there? I've heard that a lot of people have their fields cut for hay just so they can pay less taxes on that land, and they don't really care if it's good hay or not, just as long as they can keep the Ag Exception on their land by having it baled.

Mowing in winter allows me to see what was hidden by foliage, especially multifloral rose bushes. Insulated coveralls, ski gloves, and full-face hood. (open station tractor)

 

[EddieWalker]

Insulated coveralls, ski gloves, and full-face hood. (open station tractor)

I've never owned any of those things, and I'm thankful for that!!!

 

[RayIN]

I've never owned any of those things, and I'm thankful for that!!!

When it's zero outside, cattle require feeding and snow plowed, those are required here in Indiana. I can't use a tractor cab, too many trees to mow around/under with brush hog.

 

[EddieWalker]

I have a lot of respect for what it takes to run a farm up North in the winter. Here in East Texas, we get below freezing, and even into the negative numbers, but it's only for a few days to a week at the most. My hay bale tractor is an open station Deere that I would freeze to death if I tried to put hay out with it, so I always make sure to put a fresh bale out before the cold hits.

 

[Hay Dude]

Then theres customers.
They always seem to run out of hay on Sundays when its raining, snowing or 12 degrees.

 

[RayIN]

I have a lot of respect for what it takes to run a farm up North in the winter. Here in East Texas, we get below freezing, and even into the negative numbers, but it's only for a few days to a week at the most. My hay bale tractor is an open station Deere that I would freeze to death if I tried to put hay out with it, so I always make sure to put a fresh bale out before the cold hits.

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OTOH; summer days of 90°+ and 85% humidity it was a T-shirt and baseball cap.
That's why I have skin cancer, with countless places frozen off and cut away. I have to laugh at ignorant people why say farmers/ranchers have a easy life.

 

[mjonesnh]

OTOH; summer days of 90°+ and 85% humidity it was a T-shirt and baseball cap.
That's why I have skin cancer, with countless places frozen off and cut away. I have to laugh at ignorant people why say farmers/ranchers have a easy life.

Haven't had skin cancer yet but had to have actinic keratosis places frozen off, which are a form of pre-cancer. Like you, t-shirt and baseball cap. Starting this year applying spf 40 sunscreen to problem areas.