TexasMark hay????

[Tx Jim]

Mark
Did you ever get any of your Sudan crimped & dry enough to bale?
Jim

 

[Texasmark]

Jim this is the biggest mess I have ever encountered in the haying business for the last 35 years.

1. I couldn't cut the hay when it was shorter due to the wet spring. So it wound up over 7' tall, even though it was not even in the boot stage and stems were small. I mean it looked really impressive but geez, got to do something with it when it's time to cut and bale.

2. I got it cut with my drum mower which was a "walk in the park" as the pictures show, but the volume was overwhelming for the follow-on processing.

3. I initially tried to crimp it the day after cutting with an IH 404 crimper and it just didn't work due to wet product wrapping around the crimping rollers. So I put it off a couple of days. In addition, the stubble wasn't of the consistency whereby it would put the product high enough for the crimper to pick it all up. So I had to rake it into a windrow and fluf it up to have any success at all. Didn't get much of that done that day.

4. The weather folks said things were going to dry out, but yesterday morning we got 2" of rain on it. I thought that even though the rain came and it was hot and dry today, it had dried enough and I could crimp it but there was still too much moisture in all of it and after 4 clogs, having to cut the product from the rollers I finally gave up and came to the shop and started working crossword puzzles.....the easy ones.

So now, my current feeling is that this crap will just rot in the field before I go back out there and attempt to make something out of it. However since I am a results oriented guy, this will be a challenge for me to wait it out.

Next year, if I don't sprig this patch in Coastal Bermuda over next spring, if I do another Haygrazer crop as I said I will plant it later and harvest it dry. If I only get one cutting no biggie as I have learned that once you incorporate fertilizer into the soil, if you don't remove it via plants, or heavy rains don't wash it away, it will just stay there for when you need it. But watch; next year we will be back in the drought, dry winter and spring and if you wait too late to plane you are just wasting your money and time.

Oh well, so goes farming.

Thanks for the input Jim.

Mark

 

[Tx Jim]

Mark
Sorry to hear about your problems. At what ground speed are you trying to pull crimper? Sometimes it helps the crimper wrapping issue if you go faster. Do you have any neighbors that wrap baleage?? If so you might get them to wrap it.
Jim

 

[Texasmark]

Initially I started with my Ford 2000 which has 4 sp and a tranny driven PTO. Needed the separation of PTO and ground speed.

So next I got out the 3000 which has Live PTO and 6 speeds. That worked a lot better but due to the fact that I have an irregular field, I wound up with clumps where the wads were huge and even thought I stopped the tractor to let it digest what it had, with 6-7' stems it would reach out and pull in more thus jamming up.

I did get the first lap rolled over and crimped as it was cut a day earlier than the rest and was drier. Convinced letting it dry out will solve the problem.

I think the baling part will be on the order of a row or so at a time, giving me time to rake out the next row(s), crimp them, re-rake them and then bale. That way I will have room to spread out the piled up corners. If I had a long rectangular field it wouldn't be as bad a problem trying to get it all up and crimped but I have an irregular square(ish) field with 2 of the 4 corners in the order of 120 degrees.

But I'm retired and have lots of time. Tractors are very fuel efficient so diesel is not a problem.

Will keep you posted.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Texasmark]

2:24 PM update from this morning's crying spell.

Around here the good-ole-boys have a sayin: "When in doubt, whop-it-out".

Okaye. "Whop" what out? ...................er ah the Tedder, what else? Grin.......

Okaye. Since I had exhausted all other alternatives and it looked like this once beautiful crop was going to wind up in the garbage, I got out the little 2 basket Morra Tedder I bought from ASC about 8 or so years ago for $1400ish.

So the weather is finally holding with Southerly breezes and nice sunshine, tired of working crosswords and just wanted "closure" on this mess........ I got her out.

While doing the job which went without flaw, even though I had some huge wads of half cured hay (the little Morra just blew right through it) I realized something:

The nice, soft, succulent stems that were young enough to not be into the flax stage as yet, at 6-7 feet long had to pass through the passageway between the two baskets at a pretty high rate of speed.......dahhhhhhhh the old brain it working and all. The basket fingers overlap about 4 or so inches. Any stiff item that was subjected to this vortex would have to conform, aka, be Zeed by the overlap.

Brain still in high gear.....you don't suppose I am getting crimping plus dispersion so that I don't have to rake and then come back with the 404 crimper and then rake and then bale?

So I get off the 2000 and pick up a discharged wad and lo and behold, it is nicely crimped about every 6 inches.

Now after it dries, all I have to do is rake and bale weather permitting.

Life is good after all my man. Just never know where you are going to get your breaks.

"Beins" (local jargon for since) you are in the business, you may come upon a situation where this little tidbit may be of interest to you and your pocket book.

Mark

 

[Tx Jim]

Just be sure it's dry before you bale it or you will have rd bales that resemble TOBACCO!!!

 

[Texasmark]

Hear you man. Just gotta wait it out. Looks like the weather will hold till Thurs. where there is a 20% chance of rain. Then clear again. Promised myself I'd sit tight today and tomorrow and look at Tue and Wed to to the baling.....if it's ready. If not I'll do what is as some is thinner and curing faster, and if some gets rained on again Thurs then I guess it gets rained on.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Tx Jim]

I'll take rained on cured/dried hay any day over uncured/tobacco/burn't looking in a bale rolled up to beat a rain hay.

 

[Texasmark]

I'll take rained on cured/dried hay any day over uncured/tobacco/burn't looking in a bale rolled up to beat a rain hay.

As a Johnny Come Lately to the farm scene it took me awhile to realize the importance of what you said. I am doing the best to control my "results oriented" self and wait for the quality product, not to just "get-r-done. As time and experience passes, it's getting easier.

I said I would stay off the field but this afternoon I came back (farmer lust syndrome) with the tedder and gave it another working over. Weather was perfect and with a nice Southerly breeze wasn't all that hot. Going to lay off tomorrow and Tuesday I will start in on it. It will take a few days as I am going to get the dry part and let the other dry more. No doubt, even with these huge wads of long stem product, getting the weight and "glue" of the water out of the hay really makes a difference in getting it to scatter without clogs.

I know Eli Whitney is famous for the Cotton Gin and I know not who fathered the idea of the Tedder but he/she needs to be right up there with Eli. The Tedder saved this crop.

Mark

 

[Texasmark]

Since I had hay everywhere and where to start, I thought I'd ww the first round and bale it getting it out of the way so that I could start to work the rest.

The ww was so high that it repeatedly got tangled up in the baler tongue so I ran down it with the tires on the 2000 to flatten it and then made a shield like I think I saw in the 1209 owner's manual to deflect the hay.

I got half way around the field and realized this just wasn't working. The hay was scattered all over the field with mounds here and there, especially around the 2 bad corners. It was plentiful and not too high. I wondered if the pickup on the 375 could reach out and pull in from the sides without it getting all tangled up.

I guess the long stems helped on this one as I got about 40% of the field baled yesterday afternoon without a hitch. Interesting thing, maybe due to stems again, maybe just because the mouth had plenty of hay to fill it, but the bales are the best looking bales I did yet with this baler.

One thing I did notice however, my little Cummins worked it's fanny off as with the hot afternoon, AC, hyd. fluid cooling coil, and amount of hay the baler was digesting, she ran around center scale on the temp gauge and slightly above, having never done that before.

So, I guess there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I thought you might be interested in this method of baling when and if you get into a similar situation, if you haven't already tried it in the past. One thing for sure. The throat on the JD works, being it open or closed; assume open.

Mark

 

[Tx Jim]

Yes JD 330 rd baler is open throat. I'm glad you're making progress although no offense intended it will surprise me if your hay is dry enough not to turn "tobacco brown". How long was it lying on the ground?

 

[wmonroe]

Does the Branson have a cummins in it? A 4 cylinder?

 

[flusher]

Looks like crimping that long stuff isn't working too well and you may end up mulching it and writing this episode off to experience.

Before throwing in the towel, I'd try to chop it up with my 6-ft wide brush hog set with the rear 2-3 inches higher than the front. Wouldn't hurt to do a test run to see if there's any benefit.

In the past you could buy Bush Hog brand hogs that had a removable left side for mowing hay. It worked pretty well, but tended to chop the hay too much if you weren't careful.

Good luck

 

[Texasmark]

Does the Branson have a cummins in it? A 4 cylinder?

Yes. It's built under Cummins license by Komatsu Heavy Equipment in Japan. It's the Cummins B 3.3 NA, 3.3 Liter Naturally aspired 65 brake HP. Komatsu is the other yellow equipment you see beside Catepillar at construction sites. Cummins is international and have numerous reliable licensed mfgrs in the world.

It really helped make the sale.

Mark

 

[Texasmark]

Looks like crimping that long stuff isn't working too well and you may end up mulching it and writing this episode off to experience.

Before throwing in the towel, I'd try to chop it up with my 6-ft wide brush hog set with the rear 2-3 inches higher than the front. Wouldn't hurt to do a test run to see if there's any benefit.

In the past you could buy Bush Hog brand hogs that had a removable left side for mowing hay. It worked pretty well, but tended to chop the hay too much if you weren't careful.

Good luck

I tried about 50' of that and it just didn't work. Just made the mess worse.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Texasmark]

Yes JD 330 rd baler is open throat. I'm glad you're making progress although no offense intended it will surprise me if your hay is dry enough not to turn "tobacco brown". How long was it lying on the ground?

Actually I don't remember. Prior to the one rain, it was subjected to about 3 days of hot dry weather. The rain came and went. I got back on it second day after the rain and started scattering it. Did that every day keeping it flipped and keeping the tedder crimping the stems. Last few days have been hot and dry with a big southerly wind and have kept it fluffed up.

I had a problem with a jam on a bale I did early in the day, day before yesterday and couldn't tie it. So I dumped it. Yesterday I put it on a hill and rolled it out to rebale it and it was going through a sweat but not that bad. I think it'll be ok. It's definitely not "tobacco grade"......I have done that before trying to beat a rain when it would have been better to just let it rain on the stuff and bale afterwards.

This stuff is really leafy and the leaves were cracking and falling off while baling they were so dry. Some of the stems were a little damp but the majority were dry. The majority of the stems average the diameter of a yellow pencil.

 

[Texasmark]

Jim,

Some pics I shot today. Been baling for the third day now. Got-R-Done. In answer to some of your questions, pics not baloney. Called my buyer today and he came over and looked at it and took it all at my price....I was reasonable and he was thrilled. Chance of rain is 33% for this evening and the humidity supports the claim. Happy camper; hays in.

I realize that this verbal exchange is between the two of us but you know as well as I that there are folks out there that may not participate in the discussions, but none-the-less glean information from them. This is for them too and part of the reason for going to the trouble with pics and all.

#1 Is my fire extinguisher. Put it in the cab as if the bailer were on fire I didn't want to have to go into the fire to get the extinguisher like you would have to for the ones JD mounts on the front left side of the baler.

#2 Is just showing the innerds of the bail I told you I dumped due to a clog and rolled down a hill.....no tobacco.

#3 Time to clean the chaff out of the baler.

#4 and 5 True 4x5 bale dimensions.

Regards,
Mark

 

[Tx Jim]

I agree the stems appear small for a Sudan type hay. Bales look good and I'm glad you got it sold. And of course I'm glad you made ALL THAT $$$$$$$. On the tobacco hay it will take several weeks for that to appear if in fact it does but I doubt that it will from your description & from viewing your photo's.

 

[wmonroe]

That's good you were able to get it baled up and sold. It looks better than I expected from following what you had said so far.

 

[Texasmark]

That's good you were able to get it baled up and sold. It looks better than I expected from following what you had said so far.

Thanks. Me too. Thought for sure it was a total loss and just the opposite happened.

What amazes me about hay is how fast it can cure under the right conditions. I mean in 2-3 hours on a hot sunshiny day with good wind blowing it can go from no to yes.

On the learning something every day, I now know that on a heavily loaded field, all you need is your tedder and baler; no rake, no windrows and better packed bales, easier to keep them squared off too. Funny, a guy down the road that does 300+ 5x6 rolls for himself annually does the same thing. I saw it driving by his place yesterday. Shucks had I known that beforehand I wouldn't have sweated it......"sweated" it. Grin

Thanks,
Mark