Me city folk....

ges · Nov 5, 2003

Boy did I learn some more stuff, (just the beginning) about farming.!

Behind my 1.0 Ac plot is about 50 ac. 25 of that is what you guys, (tbn,ers) call tillable. The owner leases it out. Anyway this year it was soy-bean, and yesterday they picked or harvested.

What an operation, at least to me. They had 2 JD 9500 pickers. They seemed to be going 90 mph and wouldn't stop to talk, which I can understand. But I was thinking alot while watching them. Like.........

What does a machine like that cost....
Who was the Engs. that designed it.....
What does it cost to run it..fuel, maint, ect...
How could the farmer even make ends meet...

It sure put my BX to shame, I hid it till they were gone..

I WAS IMPRESSED...George

F350Lawman · Nov 5, 2003

Being a reformed city boy myself, I have had similar questions.

All ya' have to do is walk up to the farmer and say " I know how to drive a tract[or, give me a call if you ever need a hand, here's my #_ _ _ - _ _ _ _"

You WILL get called and you WILL soon learn much about the farming they are doing. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I did similar and eneded up baling hay and shopping corn during many nice days in August and September. It was hard but fun.

RichZ · Nov 5, 2003

Please don't take offense at this, because, I don't mean any, but if I was George, I wouldn't do that. The BX is a very useful machine, but there's a world of difference between operating a BX and operating a farm tractor.

F350Lawman · Nov 5, 2003

Actually I was half joking, I am sure George doesn't need a new hoobby /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

In my case it wasn't THAT much different aside from a huge size difference. The farmer has JD 3020/4020s and I have a 790. Pretty much the same deal shifting and FEL work. Actually his tractors shift easier as they have SOME synchro gears. I also did the grunt work, he baled or chopped and I mostly raked, teded, blew the silage into the silo and ferried carts back and forth.

Just having someone who can run get stuff ready to balestuff back and running stuff back and forth saved tons of time for him.

thcri · Nov 5, 2003

As I grew up I was a city slicker, but worked on farms. Actually I guess I spent more time on farms but lived in the city.

There is lots of times when I drive in the country now I would just love to pull over and kick the farmer out of his tractor or rig and tell hime to go do something else and I would plow for him or whatever he was doing that day. I miss the farm, I even miss milking cows if you believe that!! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

And anyone driving a little one can drive a big one. The bigger ones make you stand prouder and taller and are nicer to drive.

murph

Bird · Nov 5, 2003

( I even miss milking cows if you believe that!! )

Well . . . , maybe believe it. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Milking the cows was sometimes enjoyable and I wouldn't mind doing it again occasionally but that twice a day, every day, regardless of the weather or anything else is one thing I don't miss about the farm. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

cowboydoc · Nov 5, 2003

I'm with Rich on this one. There is quite a difference between operating a small and a large tractor. If you're out in the middle of a field doing nothing but driving sure. But hook something up and then worry about raising and lowering implements etc. it's a different ballgame really quick. I never let other people drive my equipment that aren't experienced. There are just too dang many accidents to take this lightly and put inexerperienced operators on big equipment. I'm certainly not saying somebody can't learn but to equate driving a BX to driving a 100 plus cab hp tractor with a load of hay or a 10 ton wagon of grain behind isn't real rational in my opinion. That's kind of like saying driving a semi is no different than driving a pickup.

higgy · Nov 5, 2003

you guys have forgotten about the 4 am cold as a well digger you know what and getting slaped up the side of the head with a not so clean tail, havent you? /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Can't turn'em off.

No, bustin sod is it for me, and rasing some beef cows on the side. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

bigblock · Nov 5, 2003

Every summer I go home to Pa.. I have a cousin who owns several farms there. I look forward to taking his 4255 with a 15' mower and mowing huge fields. Very relaxing and satisfying. Love the sound of that big 6 cylinder turbo diesel and the feel of all that power! Uphill through goldenrods higher than the hood and never strains a bit. You really should get to know your neighbor. Farmers can always use a little help, especially during harvest times, and I think that you would enjoy it.

I'd love to farm for a living if you didn't need about $10 million just to get started. Not too many prosperous small farmers in todays world.

just plain Bob

Bird · Nov 5, 2003

Nope, Higgy, I sure have not forgotten those days although we didn't milk until 5:30 and the only heat or light we had outside the house, in the barn, in the henhouse, etc. was a kerosene lantern. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

thcri · Nov 5, 2003

Cowboydoc,

Your right on that. But if you just got thrown in a tractor already to go it wouldn't be so bad. The large rig might intimidate you a bit but one could handle it.

But figure this one out. My wife, when at the age of ten or twelve was thrown in a "Big Case 4 wheel drive" Can't remember the number but was about 150 horse. Good size at that time. Her father farmed about 7,000 acres. She lived in that tractor pretty much every summer all summer long. But she won't even touch my ATV or my TC29D. So figure that one out. She is afraid of rolling over the ATV and the tractor. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

I can't figure her out.

murph

thcri · Nov 5, 2003

( ( I even miss milking cows if you believe that!! )

Well . . . , maybe believe it. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Milking the cows was sometimes enjoyable and I wouldn't mind doing it again occasionally but that twice a day, every day, regardless of the weather or anything else is one thing I don't miss about the farm. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif )

Bird,

As the owner of a small business I still look for employees that have "milked cows" on their resume. They usually are pretty reliable if they milked cows for any length of time.

murph

Bird · Nov 5, 2003

Yep, Murph, when you have cows to milk there's no such thing as calling in sick or taking a day off unless you have someone else who's absolutely reliable to do it for you. As I'm sure you realize, when I was a kid, we never took a vacation as a family 'cause at least one of us had to be home to do the milking and feed and water the chickens and hogs.

cowboydoc · Nov 5, 2003

murph,

I understand your wife. I'm much more comfortable with my young one driving the bigger tractors than the little ones. It's pretty tough to get hurt in the cab and also pretty tough to roll it. The bigger tractor can withstand alot more punishment than the little ones too.

F350Lawman · Nov 5, 2003

I agree pulling the wagons on flat is not much different than towing anything else. The hills were a little bit of a learning experience. If I didn't feel comfortable there was usually a LONGER but flatter way around. Every time a chose the flat route' later when I inquired about how they usually go they also chose the flat route. Gotta' trust the gut when it comes to stuff like that I suppose.

Yes, the ability to coordinate your actions is hard. I never liked the end of each row much /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Thankfully my friend would explaine exactly what rows to get and what direction so it made it easier, avoiding sharp turns and sidehills.

I stuck to the simple things and he did the more complex...which suited me fine /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I got good instructions, used my head, was cautious and everything went fine. It certainly does look easier when you see them from the side of the road though!

P.S. my least favorite thing was the first few times driving up and down the silage with the tracotr to compact it. It was a little steep and you need to have the right RPMs so it didn't stall or spin em' To make matters worse a day or two before someone had posted about their father flipping a tractor this way /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif When I read the post I was thinking "man I'd never try that", ha-ha...little did I know /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Slamfire · Nov 6, 2003

But those cows were used to hand milking, nowadays they are all machine milked. Imagine my last experience, hand milking cows during a power outage. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Docsknotinn · Nov 6, 2003

Hay dont you Dairy guys have generators ??? Thats Udderly Riddiculous /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I am always amazed by all that stainlees steel when I go in a Dairy farm now. Especially when I thaink back to grand dads farm with the old fancy schmancy electric skimmer. You know, poor one bucket in the top and walla /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif Dave

RichZ · Nov 6, 2003

Nothing really prepares you for operating a huge farm tractor with a cab. A neighbor of ours got hurt on his farm. The local farming community got together to bring in his hay, he has a huge dairy farm, and his sons couldn't do it alone. I was proud to be asked to help. My job was to stack up the round bales, which I was doing with my Oliver 1550, with my bale spear on my loader. My injured meighbor asked if I wanted to try out one of his 200 hp John Deere tractors with 4wd (he has three of them, and I forget the model #). I was thrilled to try it out. But after misjudging angles several times, I got worried that I might damage something, and went back to my Oliver. Those big boys take quite a bit of getting used to. Since then, I've been over at his place several times to get used to those huge machines. Nothing will prepare you for them except experience. And I don't mean experience on smaller tractors. My Oliver is 62 hp, and most people consider it big, but it's tiny compared to these Deeres. I look forward to becoming proficient on the big machines, but I know that will take me quite a while. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif