rvb said:
I have 10 acres. Most of it is grass. I would like to use my large pasture (about 6 acres) to grow hay for my two horses. I've looked for someone to come cut and bale it for me, but have had no luck.
So, I'm wondering... What do I need to do it myself? I have a New Holland TC 30 (30 HP) tractor. Can I do what I want with my tractor? I just bought a FEL with quick attach and pallet forks. I really don't want to have to upgrade, but need to know my rig is viable for hay making.
I have the same situation as you--10 acres of flat pasture land, 7 acres for hay. I plan to plant orchardgrass/rye mix this Fall if the drought permits (my pasture is non-irrigated). I've been assembling the necessary haying hardware the past 6 months. Here's what I have so far:
IH #8 Little Genius 2-14 pull plow ($350 plus $700 shipping from Illinois to CA). I really like those old plows. That's my 1964 MF-135 diesel (45 hp engine, 37 hp pto) in the background ($3600 in July06). I'll use it to pull the grain drill, sicklebar mower and hay rake. The heavy plowing/discing and baling will be handled by my new Mahindra 5525 (55 hp engine, 45 hp pto).
Ferguson 7-ft tandem pull disc ($200). I shopping now for a 7 ft tandem disc that I can carry on the Mahindra's 3pt hitch. Hope to get that disc in the next few weeks.
Cultipacker (10 ft, $600)
Minneapolis Moline P3-6 grain drill with grass box (10 ft, $275 for a primary unit and a spares unit). The fertilizer box needs to be removed and cleaned thoroughly. The previous owner didn't clean it last time he used it and the seed cups are jammed.
Allis Chalmers 80T sicklebar mower (6 ft bar, $125). Works fine.
JD 350 side delivery hay rake (8 ft, $800). It fits on the 3pt hitch and is pto-driven, not ground driven.
MF-124 two-twine square baler ($2000). Bought this baby right out of the field. The owner used it the previous day to finish baling on his 35 acres. New chains. New bale knives. Lotsa grease on the fittings (a good sign).
It produces 14"x18" bales 25-50 inches long (30-60 lb). The horse people around here prefer small twine-tied bales, no wire, no round bales, no jumbo square bales.
Don't have a tedder. It's hot and dry in this part of the Sacramento Valley so tedding is rarely necessary. It's possible to tilt the JD rake to turn the windrows to dry them out more thoroughly. I find that tedders are generally overpriced, IMHO.
Rounding up used equipment is the cost effective way to do small-time baling. Of course, you need to invest in the operation, service and parts manuals for all your equipment and be handy with tools to keep these things running. For me that's as much fun as the actual haying work.