Ford 8600 For Hay Work

[djsfarms]

I have approximately 110 ac of fescue and bermudagrass pasture near Grantville GA where we get 3 cutting per year most years. Yield is 4-5 tons/ac in the 1st cutting most years & approx 3 tons/ac for the other two. I'm in an area with a lot of horse owners about 45 mins south of the Atlanta airport. I have previously contracted out the hay work but their schedule is not not my schedule and I'm considering haying myself. There are several round-baler operations in the area but no small sq balers. So there seems to be a good demand for small sq bales. I have a good shed for storage. I'm looking at a well-used Ford 8600 (110 PTO hp) for the work.

Does anyone have any experience with this tractor for haying (or other uses)? Reliability etc.

Also looking for the most reliable small sq baling approach. Considering a discbine, but also like the drum cutter technology (theoretically at least) but I'm open to anything that yields efficiency at reasonable acquisition costs.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

If your wanting to bale you will want reliable equipment. What good is a well used old tractor if it breaks down when you need it most. Yeah, all things can break down new and old but with haying the two items you want to be most reliable are your baler and your tractor.

I have two tractors that can run my baler so if something does happen to the one I have a backup if needed. If your cutter breaks down it isn't a huge deal, fix it and cut when it is repaired. Rakes are a dime a dozen so even if you can't get it repaired quickly you can usually buy another or rent one for cheap. But if your baler breaks down or your only tractor and you need to bale before the rain comes in then you sol.

I use the TN65 to cut with a 9' discbine and to bale with a NH 575 small square baler. I use a Farmall 45A to ted and to rake with. I've never used a drum mower and have never seen one in my area to be able to comment on it so I can't help you there. Just if your going to try and make hay you need to have reliable equipment. So if you buy used hopefully you know a lot about equipment and can go through everything and bring it up to par before you need it as haying is fun if everything works. But if you are constantly repairing things in the field it becomes a huge headache and no fun. Best of luck to you and if you do get the 8600 try to find a second tractor that can run all the equipment as well for backup.

 

[dan28040]

Ive always been told the best small square baler is a new holland, i use a 565 and it bales excellent small square bales, i don't know much about the type tractor your looking at. But the drum mowers are nice, but i would look at a disc mower our disc bine

 

[D7E]

8600 are fine but a ?700 or TW series would be a better tractor and often not much more money . I also agree having two tractors is a very good idea .

 

[Bigfoot62]

The 8600 is a big, tough, and very dependable tractor.
In my opinion, the x600 series were some of the best tractors ever built.
It's overkill for a small operation, and will burn more fuel than smaller tractors. (probably 3-5 gph)
Another factor to consider is the size. Will it fit under your barn and through your gates, etc?
Short answer: there is nothing WRONG with using a 8600 for cutting and baling, if it works for you. (my cousin uses a 9600 on a 8' disc mower and a 4x5 round baler)

 

[djsfarms]

The reason I am considering this 8600 is because it still used almost daily and seems to be very reliable. I do have two NH3930s that could be used in a pinch to pull a baler. Certainly not ideal and I could not pull a wagon behind behind the baler with the smaller tractor but I think they could be used if the bigger tractor was down for mtc. The NH3930 weighs 6200# and with a front-end loader, which one has, it weighs approx 7800#. Shouldn't that be enough weight to keep surging from the baler to a minimum? Both are 52 pto hp.

I'm not locked into the 8600 but want enough weight and power to get the job done with a little to spare. My ground is rolling hills so I need the power but a little stability too. So I am open to other suggestions for a reliable tractor with enough power, weight & reliability to work well.

As for the suggested NH 575 baler, that has been recommended by another hay farmer in the area. I'll need to read up on its requirements. The two guys who have contracted my hay in the past both use disc mowers. One of the guys is always having something breaking down, the other guy seems to keep his equipment in good shape and gets the job done pretty quickly. His routine for the first, heavy cutting in the spring requires 3 days of dry weather. He cuts one day, rakes one day and round bales the next. And he has someone else loading his bales almost as soon as they hit the ground, then off to his barn. My approach with small sq bales and less help would be to cut in 3-4 smaller areas depending on the weather to insure that I get the hay cut, dried, baled and out of the field between rains. Usually for the 2nd and 3rd cutting when we have much drier conditions & they have been able to cut, dry and bale without raking since their mowers also seem to row the hay.

I do have an adequate barn for just about any sized equipment I might consider. But I am very open to suggestions from those with experience. Again, I want a reliable, efficient approach to this.

 

[dbaer78]

It's Jst my opinion but the 3930 is more than enough to pull a small square baler AND a wagon. I've helped a friend do exactly that with an Allis chalmers that weighs a little less for years. Works fine.

 

[djsfarms]

It's Jst my opinion but the 3930 is more than enough to pull a small square baler AND a wagon. I've helped a friend do exactly that with an Allis chalmers that weighs a little less for years. Works fine.

What about a 3pt hitch mower on rolling hills? I'm concerned about a 8-9 ft mower off to one side on a side-hill.

Also using the NH3930 would limit me to NH's smallest sq balers (NH565). I would prefer a higher SPM baler like the 575 or 580 which requires 75pto hp min. My research says the NH565, 570, 575, 580 balers are a good, reliable series and the 2-3 NH dealers in the general area support them.

 

[dan28040]

I use a 8ft disc mower on my tractor which is a farmtrac 665 which is the same as a ford 4610(so i am told), my tractor weighs in about 5500lbs and does fine on steep hills, and with the square baler. My 565 new holland can eat thru some hay. Really good baler

 

[cowski]

i would just use the tractors you have for square baling.later on you may want to add a cab tractor of about 60 to 75 pto horsepower.a 8 ft disc mower would fit them 3930s.as for balers mf 124 or 224 are good ol balers jd makes a good one.a inline baler is nice.you need to be careful about picking a rake.it is real easy to overload some square balers with a 8 wheel rake.