990 tractors-can they be used for haying?

[DPic105]

I have a question for all- Can a 990 tractor be used for haying??
Someone wanted to hire me to hay a 25 acre hayfield. I replied that I didn't have the equipment, which is true. I started to think, however, if a 990 had the HP, and siz e to be used for that function.
I have many friends that make hay, and the tractors that are being used are bigger, though not by much. I would also like to know if anyone knows what brands, and models that could be used for haymaking. I'm looking fro regular bales, not round bales.

 

[timb]

DPic105, I think you just asked the closest TBN equivalent of smacking a yellow-jacket nest this side of "which is better, gear or hydro...?"

There are at least a dozen in-depth threads here on the subject of CUTs and hay equipment.

From the collective wisdom of more experienced TBN'ers - the short answer is - yes within a LOT of limitations you could probably do it. And neither you nor your 990 would like it for very long.

 

[cowboydoc]

If you're doing just square bales and laying them on the ground you could get by with a smaller utility tractor in the 40-50 hp range. I wouldn't recommend a CUT with a regular baler. Some people have posted that MF has come out with a baler that you can bale with a CUT. I saw it last weekend and it's just an old design on a new baler. I still don't think it is smart or very good on your tractor.

Why do you want to bale hay with a CUT so bad? I see this all the time on this board. Why not just buy an older 50 plus hp utility tractor that you can pick up in good shape in the $5k range that will last a long time just baling hay? If you can't afford the extra $5k for the tractor why even bother baling or just hire it out. Haying is a royal PAIN. Why anyone would want to do it unless it was part of a viable operation I have no idea.

 

[DPic105]

I have be doing haying since I was much younger and I know all the FUN that it can be. Someone was/is willing to pay a small fortune for this field to be mowed and/or hayed. I can try to cut it with a mower, but I was thinking that the best way would be with a haybine or its equivilent. If its cut, it would be worth bailing for construction hay. I agree with you two in that the 990 is small, I was just wondering if someone had made small equipment for this size tractor. I

 

[johnbilt]

Hi

I checked the JD website just for giggles. I have a 990 and wondered what the real answer is to your question.

The JD balers specify 35 pto HP as a minimum, which matches the 990 exactly. I'm not sure how accurate that rating is. Running equipment at the bare minimum hp probably means the setup will operate marginally under ideal conditions. If the ground is level, not too wet, right kind of grass, etc...

If I had a used baler, I'd probably hook it up and see what happens. I suppose if you went real slow and left all of the available hp for the baler....

A bigger is tractor is likely the real ticket, but sometimes you use what you got.

Have Fun

John

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue">The JD balers specify 35 pto HP as a minimum, which matches the 990 exactly. </font>
Baler manufacturers really do a disservice when the only requirement they mention is PTO horsepower. It'd be like a trailer manufacturer stating that the tow vehicle only needed the correct hitch and at least xxx hp.

Baling hay SAFELY is a function of PTO horsepower and the WEIGHT of the tractor.

Yes, you will find there are a few (I can think of one) TBNers who have successfully baled hay with their CUT. This resulted in a response that people who advised against it are full of hot air. As if the exception disproves the rule. Pfft. There are people on TBN who bale hay for at least part of their livelihood and they recommend against using a CUT to bale hay.

However, whether you can with a 990 is a function of your land (hilly, flat, gopher holes, etc.), your skill level, etc. Using a CUT to bale leaves no room for 'error', particularly with a square baler, which really jerks the tractor around.

Simply do a search of TBN for this topic and you will find plenty of threads on this very topic.

 

[DPic105]

First, to TIMB, I fully understand your comment about the bees!
I, too, feel that the 990 is to light to hay with, however, I was just asking if there was downsized equipment out there for this purpose. I needed an answer to take on this project, and still think that the haybine is the best way to go, but seeing that the 990 is not the way to go, I'll have to think of something else. My next guess would be the good old sickle bar. 25 acres of timothy, I figure I should be down around Labor Day. :grin /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I don't think that a brush hog will do the job very well. (I know that iot will do it, but it won't look very good)
If anyone out there has any ideas, please foward them. I have about two days to decide if I'm going to take on the job or not.

 

[yellowsocks93]

We cut hay and bailed it with our JD 1070 which is the same as our 990's and we used the JD 328 square baler with out bale kicker. It worked well for the time we used it probably around 3 years then we opted for the 5310 with cab then the 5320 with cab. The 5320 went much faster baling hay than the 1070 but it worked pretty well. If you want to buy a baler then get the JD 328 and it should work fine. A little bigger tractor would not hurt and you would have to run a pretty small Mo Co or haybine with the 990 compared to a JD 4020 or so on.

 

[timb]

Actually - to answer your specific question. As far as I can see there is no reason in theory that you can't hay with a CUT - it's simply that most common haying equipment is sized for a much larger tractor. So-the good news is yes, there are full sets of smaller haying implements that ARE sized such that your 990 would run them (and safely) just fine. The bad news is that new they seem to be at least as expensive as their full-sized counterparts and are probably nearly impossible to find on the used market at the typical reasonable prices for used equipment.

 

[glalonde]

I've worked on my uncle's farm during my teenage years. He was doing his hay bales with a 30HP 2 cyl diesel Renault. I can't remember the size of the bales but they were able to fit on a 'stooker'.