Hay Equipment for 50hp Tractor, small acreage.

[NinjaB]

Getting close to starting this hay project!

Have the rake and baler. 6' Tar River drum mower coming this week with hydraulic lift.

Working on the baler. Before doing anything running it by hand one knotter would tie almost every time and the other would fail ever time with the knot stuck in the billhook.

Bent the wiper arm quite a bit to get it to contact better, improved to intermittently tying right. Switched out the old sisal twine with just 9000/140 poly from TSC. Both knotters seem to be tying well now, have ran it by hand 8/8 knots so far.

Have greased all the zerks.
Put oil in the gear box, I could not figure out were the level plug was and could only find one of the two drain plugs. I ended up just opening the cover on the gear box, sucking all the old oil out with a fluid transfer pump, rinsing with diesel and sucking that up. Then filled with 75w140. The manual says 2.75 quart capacity, but the gear box is totally full with just over a quart? Doesn't make much sense, I put more oil into the fill plug to almost 2 quarts, hopefully I am not overfilled or underfilled(does it hurt to overfill?).

Replaced the broken pickup teeth. Ordered them from Sloan, best price on them I could find.

On the to do list still is to fill the rear gear box with grease.
Then run it on the tractor and feed some old straw into it to test it further before the first cutting.

Considering readjusting all the timings according to the manual, but I am a little reluctant to change things when it seems to be timed fine right now.

Anything else I should be checking, replacing, etc?


As said above, I will probably need a Tedder, but I think I will try it without for now and keep an eye out for a good deal on a Tedder.

 

[kenmac]

I have been looking and considering buying good used hay equipment. Looking, it seems descent equipment will run about 15-20 K.
Guy charges me $10.00 per bale to cut, and bail hay on my pasture for me now (4x5 round bales) . Hard to justify buying, maintaining equipment for that price

 

[Gee Ray]

I would give him a bonus to keep coming back.

 

[Hay Dude]

I’m that farmer that people hire to bale their property. I do this on a pretty large scale. Buying your hay tools is a decent sized investment. Fixing & maintenance is the one everyone underestimates the cost of.

 

[NinjaB]

Help, Can't get chains off baler!

Started checking timing according to manual and I am stumped on something that should be obvious.
I need to take the chain off and back on to set the feeder forks position.
I can't get the feeder chain or the main drive chain off. I've removed the tensioners and there is not enough slack to remove the chain. How do you get the chains off? The pickup chain came off easily after removing the tensioner.

 

[zzvyb6]

You need to reset the twine tension holders for plastic. Its more slippery. 10 lbs pullout force (each) from the twine box and for the twine disks. Looks for springs in the area with adjuster nuts. The wiper arms need to be 'adjusted' via bending so that scrape the know off. Actual positive contact pressure. Not 'close enough'. Actual scrapping.

As for the chain, look for a 'master link' that can be spread to remove the pins. Then put it all back together when the feeder forks are timed.

 

[Gee Ray]

Help, Can't get chains off baler!

Started checking timing according to manual and I am stumped on something that should be obvious.
I need to take the chain off and back on to set the feeder forks position.
I can't get the feeder chain or the main drive chain off. I've removed the tensioners and there is not enough slack to remove the chain. How do you get the chains off? The pickup chain came off easily after removing the tensioner.

There should be a master link. It will have a way to break the chain. This is one style: Master Link #50 Nickel Plated works with #50 Roller Chain

This is another: #80 Connecting Link w/Cotter Pins | Roller Chain Links | Roller Chain & Links | Power Transmission | www.surpluscenter.com

 

[NinjaB]

Thanks!
It's obvious I have never done work with chains before. The chain was so dirty it was really hard to find that master link but sure enough it was there.

I've tightened up that twine pull out tensioner. I'll have to check the twine disc tension as well.

The feeder forks where way off position, 24" vs the 14.25-16.25 in the book. I have got them to 16.75, I figure that is close enough, but would it be worth messing with the master chain to try and get it to 16.25?

Next I need to take off the knotter chain and reposition the needles, they are 2" behind the plunger instead of .25-2" in front of it. Haven't found that master link yet, must be under the muck somewhere.

 

[5030]

Just sold my NH 575 High Capacity, extra sweep small square bailer that has been in the barn for the last 5 years, serviced, twined (6 in the twine box, almost immediately to the first guy (dairy farmer) that called on it. My motto is, 'Equipment never breaks in the barn so long as it's serviced before it gets put away' Gave him all my extra twine with it. I had 12 balls in the shop. Bought the bailer for a custom job that ran 5 years. Once the job was finished, the bailer went in the barn. I really dislike idiot cubes.

 

[Quickster2]

I had no choice but to get my own equipment after the folks providing my hay got too old to do it anymore. The other options are less than ideal and unreliable as I only need 300 or so square bales a year. I ended buying a Hesston 1091 Mower/Conditioner, a New Idea 402 5 bar rake, and a Massey 120 baler. Just finished up the 4th year of doing it ourselves. We have one large wagon with good running gear that holds around 140 stacked bales. I like the independence as we just finished up 1st cutting yesterday. Lots of work and maintenance required on the old equipment but I have it running top notch. My investment totals around $7K all in. A little pricey but I was familiar with all of the equipment before purchase. If I had reliable good hay to purchase I would get out of the hay business . It is rewarding and more flexible to do it ourselves though.

 

[NinjaB]

Testing it with some old straw. Started with poly 140lb orange line. Initially right side missed every knot, loop in line #2. Loosened twine disc tension and bale tension got it tying 3/4 bales. Couldn't not get it any better than this. Missed ties look like they unravelled, no knot on either line. Knots that tied seemed really loose out of the knotter and short tales after leaving bailer.

Tried adjusting twine tension, disc tension, billhook tension. The good knotter would miss one in ten or so, but I could not get the right knotter to make more than 6 knots in a row.

Switched out the poly for 7200 sisal. Really thick stuff compared to the poly. Loosened twine tension, ran it. 5 bales tied in a row. The tails are still really short, but so far the knots are holding. Will see how it goes from there.

I'm tired of raking the old straw into the baler and the straw is so shredded now from running it through so many times. I will run it some one dry, but I think the next time I run hay through it will be out in the field. I'll probably put the sisal on the left knotter as well.

 

[wyowy]

Great story, I would not be surprised if I have a similar one in a yea or two! I can't talk my spouse out of it and I am looking forward to the challenge now.

hi, It's May 2022. how did things go? are you ready to put up hay again this year? any advice? thanks.

 

[5030]

If you tie with sisal and you have a mouse issue in your barn you will be really disappointed when the mice chew through it and your bales fall apart. I never used sisal, always poly but then my 575 never missed a tie. Boy am I glad it sold. I don't ever want to see another small square again.