Haying with compact tractor

[gdk22984]

Hi all,

I own a small farm with 2 (maybe 3 in the future) quarter horses. I have been toying with the idea of building up my small field (4 acres or so) and doing my own haying. Right now I buy 400 per year (as of now), however the haying business in my area is a dying breed. I keep finding I have to travel farther and farther for good quality hay and the price is climbing because of the demand. We use the standard square bale, so here are my questions.

-My tractor is a JD 4400 35 hp hydro. I understand that this may be to small for a conventional baler. I have researched some mini square balers, they would seem to work well but hard to find used. New they are around 17K not shipped. I understand New Holland makes or made a smaller unit for smaller HP tractors. Thoughts on this?

- I have first dibs on a JD MX5 rotary mower for cheap. How would this unit perform for hay cutting?

Appreciate all the help!

 

[kebo]

Hi all,

I own a small farm with 2 (maybe 3 in the future) quarter horses. I have been toying with the idea of building up my small field (4 acres or so) and doing my own haying. Right now I buy 400 per year (as of now), however the haying business in my area is a dying breed. I keep finding I have to travel farther and farther for good quality hay and the price is climbing because of the demand. We use the standard square bale, so here are my questions.

-My tractor is a JD 4400 35 hp hydro. I understand that this may be to small for a conventional baler. I have researched some mini square balers, they would seem to work well but hard to find used. New they are around 17K not shipped. I understand New Holland makes or made a smaller unit for smaller HP tractors. Thoughts on this?

- I have first dibs on a JD MX5 rotary mower for cheap. How would this unit perform for hay cutting?

Appreciate all the help!

I can't comment on the mini balers, other than I have seen a couple threads on this site (maybe in one of the other forums) about haying with compact tractors. Maybe you can do some searching for them, if you have the time.

As for the MX5, I have read others say that a bush hog can actually be used to cut a field for haying. It doesn't work quite as well as a sickle or disc mower, but if you rake it in nice, tight rows, the baler will still do ok with it. Even if you don't buy the MX5 for that, if the price is low enough, you can buy it and resell it and make a few dollars, or maybe trade it for another attachment you want/need. Good luck.

 

[boomer1025]

Hi all,

I own a small farm with 2 (maybe 3 in the future) quarter horses. I have been toying with the idea of building up my small field (4 acres or so) and doing my own haying. Right now I buy 400 per year (as of now), however the haying business in my area is a dying breed. I keep finding I have to travel farther and farther for good quality hay and the price is climbing because of the demand. We use the standard square bale, so here are my questions.

-My tractor is a JD 4400 35 hp hydro. I understand that this may be to small for a conventional baler. I have researched some mini square balers, they would seem to work well but hard to find used. New they are around 17K not shipped. I understand New Holland makes or made a smaller unit for smaller HP tractors. Thoughts on this?

- I have first dibs on a JD MX5 rotary mower for cheap. How would this unit perform for hay cutting?

Appreciate all the help!

.
Here you go = Tractor Tools Direct | Product Categories | Hay Baling Package Deals
.

 

[RickB]

No reason you can't use an older 14x18 baler and drop them on the ground. None whatsoever. Wasting $17K on a 'mini baler' is insane. Find an older Deere or NH baler for 85-90% less than that figure. Baling 400 50lb bales an hour with 20 hp? Now that's a pretty bold claim.

 

[gdk22984]

Thanks for the replies. There is a JD 336 used near me, maybe ill go check it out.

 

[farm boy00]

I think it would be crazy to go spend that money. Heck you could go buy another tad older but good tractor and a good bailer for that price and still have extra

 

[roadhunter]

I bought a little square baler earlier this year for $100. In this part of the world the only people who use little square bales are the horse yuppies and hobby farmers. All the real ranchers have switched to round bales so those old square balers are considered scrap for the most part.

I'd recommend watching CL and looking for farm auctions and find something for way less than the option above. Those little balers dont' need much power to run so your tractor should be fine.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

They don't need much power to run, but they do pound the heck out of a small tractor...

I've seen two compacts that had the pto knocked out of them, baling small squares... I know I wouldn't do it with mine.

SR

 

[gdk22984]

Yeah, not planning on spending that kind of money for a new mini baler for as little as I need. But then at the same time I sure as **** don't want to maintain another tractor just for that. The JD does everything I need it to do for me and it has plenty of balls for all the attachments I use. But I don't use haying equipment either, so that's why I asked. If a CL used square baler would be sufficient for this size tractor for as many bales I need just dropped, I'd def invest in one. I'd pay for itself the first season or there abouts...

 

[zzvyb6]

I've been running a NH-479 9' mower, a NH-55 rake, a Kuhn GRS-25 tedder/rake, a JD 14T baler and a NH-1012 stack wagon for quite a few years with my JD 1070 35 hp tractor. I've posted videos on YouTube of my experiences.

I disagree that an old baler pounds a small tractor. I originally used a Yanmar 22 hp machine with my mower and baler. Didn't have live power either: start all the machinery moving with one clutch. If the baler is timed correctly, the driveline is tight, the cutoff knives are sharp, the 540 pto rpm is set and the hay is dry, you can hardly tell the baler is working. And my video shows it.

Its a lot of fun if you are tenacious about keeping the machinery in a good working order.

Hay Baling 214 - YouTube

2813 2411 - YouTube