Making Hay

[bilodeaujk]

Does anyone on travtorbynet make hay and if so what tractors, mowers, balers, etc. do you use to do so? Just thought it would be interesting to know what everyone out there uses.

 

[SPYDERLK]

We do small square bales - a couple thousand in the best of years. Equipment is in my signature below. We also have a tedder.
larry

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I used to bale hay because I needed it myself. No longer in that trap. We bale some of my ground, some of my sons, and some where we take the hay for keeping the property mowed. And now days it's "just for fun".....Or else because I've done it my entire life and wouldn't know what else to do with myself....

At any rate, I'm no longer chained to the small square baler. I still do 2000 to 2500, but those are for customers who pick up their hay directly from the field as I bale. (I do put 300 or so small squares away for the grandsons 4H animals) I've developed a decent customer base for the big round bales. The best seller is a 4'X4' bale. (Baler will do 4'w X 5't, but I drop 'em @ 4' dia.) Just a WAG, since this is the first year with the big round baler, I'm gonna guess I'll do 250 to 300 for the summer. Again, not a huge amount.

Current list of equipment reflects a few changes in the way I do business. For near 40 years, while farming for a living, I cut hay with a sickle bar mower. Once I sell off the old farm, and cut acreage, I get a MOCO. (in addition to the round baler) Also dumped my back up baler...Always had a second square baler on hand in case I got behind or the Deere went down in a busy moment.

The tractors I use; '71 MF150, Deere 2440 w/loader, Deere 2640, Deere 4440, and occasionally one of the Deere 6430's. (Cabs are starting to have an appeal as I get older.)

Mowers; New Holland 451 sickle bar, New Holland 489 Mower/conditioner

Kuhn tedder, model # escapes me

A couple New Holland 258 Roll-A-Bar rakes, home made tandem hitch. Much prefer roll-a-bars to wheel rakes....Some people are inclined to think it's a negative when rollabars "rope" hay, but I find that improves the way hay feeds into my balers. No interest in rotary or wheel rakes. Wheel rakes tend to pick up rocks if you have them.

Deere 336 square baler. Bought used, but less than 1000 bales had gone through it. Original owner wasn't exactly a mechanical genious. He had it so far out of adjustment, he was sure there was something wrong with it, and so he sold it to me really cheap. A few hours with a wrench and the manual and it was good as new. It replaced my much older NH273 way back in the late 80's.

Vermeer 5410 Rebel round baler.....Where have you been all my life.....!

9 assorted hay racks, and a couple Little Giant elevators.

 

[5030]

I do contract hay for a number of customers, both rounds and squares. My customers want 4x4 rounds so I run a little 638 NH rounder with proprionic acid and a NH 575 high capacity square bailer plus 2 mowers, a Kuhn roatary and a JD sickle (SCH double cut)

I got rid of the side delivery roper rakes long ago and run rotaries, a Kuhn twin rotor rake tedder and a Gehil single rotor. The only thing a side delivery/rollabar is good for is a yard ornament.

I run hay according to r/m and use Delmhorst on board and portable electronic measurement.

 

[sweettractors]

We put up around 300 rolls for the beef cattle with a NH belt roller and Sitrex Y rake and a John Deere tractor pulling a 10 ft JD discbine. Ken Sweet

 

[bbrown4804]

We put up about 2000 to 3000 small square bales, depending on how many people we do. We cut with a John Deere #5 with the 7ft. sickle. Rake with two 8ft. side delivery pull behinds. Fluff it with a Kuhn. Bale with a 1283 New Holland baler. Stack it with a pull behind 1033 New Holland stacker.

Tractors:
'49 Farmall H
'53 Farmall Super M
'51 McCormick-Deeering WD9
'57 International 650 Diesel
'49 Case LA
'50 John Deere B

 

[D7E]

About 1400 3x3 square and 500 round every year.

Case IH 8570 3x3 square
NH 855 round baler
2x NH 495 12ft haybines
6 wheel rake and a NH basket rake
2x 26ft and 30ft semi trailers on 5 wheel converters

Tractors are not bought with hay in mind as grain is the main line but some of the smaller ones that get used for hay are

Ford 7600
Ford TW20
MF3505
JD2130
MF390
MF165

 

[aczlan]

We do 1000-1200 bales/year (man that seem like a lot when I count it up). We use the following:
Kubota L3830GST - 4wd with loaded tires - Does most everything
Kubota B7500 - Runs a rake and/or pulls around the wagons
9' NH Mower/Conditioner (might be a 489, not sure)
18' Enrossi 4 basket rotary tedder
Side Delivery Rake (no paint left, but I think it is a NH) - Works best when used from the 3 point drawbar
NH Hayliner 273 Baler with a belt kicker
2 8x16 basket style hay wagons

We keep 2-300 bales for ourselves and sell the rest (out of the field when possible)

Aaron Z

 

[MaherAgriculturalServices]

This is what we use


4,000-5,000 4x5s for customers
1,000-1,500 5x6s to feed our own
5,000-7,500 small square bales


Equipment used
1 JD 6715 cab 4x4 loader
2 JD 6415 cab 4x4 loader
2 JD 5420 open station 4x4 loader
1 Ford 5600 2wd open station and loader (grapple tractor) MOST DEPENDABLE!!!

2 Kuhn GMD 700 HDs
2 Kuhn GMD 800HDs (about to trade for the new Kuhn GMD 3550TLs)

2 Kuhn SR110 rakes

1 JD 467 with net
1 JD 567 with net
1 JD 348 twine

1 Mammonth 14 bale hauler

1 new holland/sperry 282 bale stacker

1 bale accumater and grapple

2 Big Tex 36ft gooseneck with dove tale

2 Dodge 3500 flat beds


That's what we use

 

[5030]

The one thing I despise is handling small squares so all my contract jobs are on the ground and they handle the hay. I'm too old for that crap and kids today don't want to work, just play on the computer and smoke weed. I rent my hay elevator to my contract clients on an 'as needed' basis.

My idea of hay is air conditioning, cd player and air ride seat.

Rounds are completely mechanized. No touch.

Hi Ken.... Been a long time since I've been around.