Haying information needed

[5030]

Mudflaps aren't $5 anymore, closer to 5 times that at any chain truckstop! However, if you have a source for them at that price, you better buy all you will ever need!
David from jax

I have no idea as I have not purchased any in a long time. Not like they somehow vanish from the rear of the trailers or truck and I don't anticipate ever buying any, anyway. I used the term 5 dollar rubber mudflap as a descriptor, but you already knew that. In fact I have 4 or 5 laying on the floor in the corner of the shop, I'll sell you for 15 bucks each....lol

 

[Hay Dude]

I'll give the mud flap a try, sounds a lot easier than trying to fabricate a belly pan. I just finished baling 100 round bales and the hitch pin is catching the hay and balling it up. Your idea should solve that issue.

Is the hitch pin the minimal length? Not sticking down and catching hay?
Doesn’t take much to create a problem.

 

[svendawg]

Is the hitch pin the minimal length? Not sticking down and catching hay?
Doesn’t take much to create a problem.

Yea, that has been a problem. Will be getting a shorter hitch pin next time I get to the farm supply

 

[svendawg]

It does and it's a 5 buck fix. You can actually have your hitch pin quite proud of the drawbar, in fact I recommend it as the prodruding hitch pin causes the mudflap to stay down farther and 'groom' the windrow better. Once I did the mudflap deal, I quit looking back to see the forage balling up as it don't anymore.

Don't have a mudflap, but I do have a 6' piece of thick conveyer belt that I can cut out a section and make that work.

 

[Hay Dude]

Yea, that has been a problem. Will be getting a shorter hitch pin next time I get to the farm supply

I think you will find that will solve the problem and you can pump your brakes on the mud flaps project. Once that pin starts gathering hay, it literally snowballs into a bigger & bigger problem.

Now if theres other obstructions under the tractor, thats a separate problem.

It would be nice to see some photos so I can see whats going on.
What kind of rake you are using and how you rake makes a difference.

I rake my hay into ~ 24” high windrow, but my hitch is only about 18” high, but I don’t gather any hay under my hitch pin. I dont have a belly pan, corrugated metal or a makeshift mudflap.
My tractor is always touching the top of the windrow.