small scale haying

   / small scale haying
  • Thread Starter
#21  
Neat project but why bale such little hay? Do you not have storage for loose hay?
actualy I do not even have enough storage for the baled hay. I am keeping the last crop at work and will bring it home when I need it. I was looking into making loose piles outside when I found the plans for this baler. The bales are easier to work with in the winter months too.
 
   / small scale haying #22  
So how many bales per day is normal? We do about 300-800 a day giving about 5000 or so per year which isn't a big operation but that's using an 80 strokes per min baler. My guess is you're at 30-50 bales per day?
actualy I do not even have enough storage for the baled hay. I am keeping the last crop at work and will bring it home when I need it. I was looking into making loose piles outside when I found the plans for this baler. The bales are easier to work with in the winter months too.
 
   / small scale haying #23  
i have either got to build me one or make one of them pin straw type bailers....
 
   / small scale haying #24  
This is very cool...and timely I was thinking about how to do this on a small scale myself...Neat.
 
   / small scale haying #25  
yep.. deffinately a good thread!
 
   / small scale haying
  • Thread Starter
#26  
So how many bales per day is normal? We do about 300-800 a day giving about 5000 or so per year which isn't a big operation but that's using an 80 strokes per min baler. My guess is you're at 30-50 bales per day?
I think I could bale 50 in a day maybe more but I sure would not want to. It is not about the amount of production but about keeping cost low and using land that otherwise goes to waste. And it gives me more stuff to do with my kubota :)
 
   / small scale haying #27  
What is the bore and stroke on your cylinder? It sounds like your just idling your tractor. I'm thinking building one like this on 3pt frame and just running down the windrow.
 
   / small scale haying
  • Thread Starter
#28  
What is the bore and stroke on your cylinder? It sounds like your just idling your tractor. I'm thinking building one like this on 3pt frame and just running down the windrow.

I am not sure on the bore and stroke I would guess its 1 1/2" bore and 16" stroke. I thought about pulling it along and baling as we go but with questionable weather I felt it would be safer to just get the hay on the trailer and bale when I knew it was nice out.
 
   / small scale haying #29  
Just because I'm a person without free time I'm stuck on the idea that its so slow! Currently working on getting our hay production up over 1000 bales per day with 2 people. Our limitation is weather, we only have about 3-4 hours baling time on those days.
 
   / small scale haying #30  
Saw these today. Steam engine running a belt driven baler. Thought you guys might enjoy.
 

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   / small scale haying #31  
Whats the info on that side mount sickle bar on the B3200? Are you powering it off the mid-PTO? I've often thought about such a setup for my little Kubota. Any more pics of it underneath?
 
   / small scale haying
  • Thread Starter
#32  
Whats the info on that side mount sickle bar on the B3200? Are you powering it off the mid-PTO? I've often thought about such a setup for my little Kubota. Any more pics of it underneath?
Save yourself lots of trouble and just get a 3pt model. I found this one at a used equipment dealership. it is a 5'. It is made by the kosch manufacturing company. I originally bought it to go under my b7510 but gave up on it as there was so little to hook to under that machine. I have shortened the driving shaft and narowed the arm that holds the sickle bar to get a good fit under the b3200. It has a shaft that runs down the middle of the tractor with a flywheel on the front and a pully on the back that comes out just below the rear pto. I then use a belt from there up to another pully on the the pto. I will get some pics later today to help explain it better. I have spent too much time and money on this thing so I am married to it or else I would just go with something else. It is a uniuqe piece though.
 
   / small scale haying
  • Thread Starter
#33  
Here are some pictures of the mid mount sickle mower.

DCFC0082.JPGthe first one is a view of the mount for the back of the mower. It hooks into the lower 3pt mount pins

DCFC0083.JPG2cnd is how the front is bolted to the tractor You can see a bolt sitting in the mount hole. it goes up through that mount and into a bracket bolted to the tractor

DCFC0081.JPG3rd you can see the view of the flywheel

DCFC0084.JPG4th is a view of the pulley set up

DCFC0086.JPG5th is the front mount that is bolted to the tractor

DCFC0088.JPG6th Is the guard to keep the grass out of the tractor driveshaft and cuting seal.(see other thread about splitting a b3200 http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...3200-replace.html?highlight=splitting+a+b3200 ).
 

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   / small scale haying #34  
one day i'm getting a sickle mower.. one day...
 
   / small scale haying #35  
What is the advantage of a sickle bar verses some type of rotor mower?

I could see that it would cut the grass off and then not twist it all around, perhaps leaving long fibers intact in the grass. Perhaps this is better as forage?
 
   / small scale haying #36  
yup.. while i have seen people do 'poor hay' with a rotary cutter.. etc.

the SB cuts it long stem and lays it over to dry...
 
   / small scale haying
  • Thread Starter
#37  
one day i'm getting a sickle mower.. one day...

I will tell you that when my mower is working like it is supose to it is lots of fun. I think it was my first cut this year that had been laid down by heavy rain a few days before I mowed it and I had to mow the same direction as the layed down grass and I hated mowing that with the sickle bar.
 
   / small scale haying #38  
Thanks for the pics, looks like and interesting setup.
 
   / small scale haying #39  
I will tell you that when my mower is working like it is supose to it is lots of fun. I think it was my first cut this year that had been laid down by heavy rain a few days before I mowed it and I had to mow the same direction as the layed down grass and I hated mowing that with the sickle bar.

Trying to mow lodged hay with a sicklebar is generally an exercise in frustration. Better to bite the bullet and get a drum mower for $3K or so that will handle all kinds of hay crop in all kinds of conditions (wet/dry, standing upright/lodged, etc) and that will speed up the mowing job at least 2X compared to a sicklebar.
 
   / small scale haying #40  
to me a sickle mower has several advantages over a disc mower.it mows in rocky ground,it is cheaper to buy,lasts longer and will require less horsepower.disc mower cuts way faster and will cut downed hay.i would think a sickle mower would be more profitable on a smaller operation .
 

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