Minimum PTO HP for haying and associated implements

[joeu235]

Hello, all. Giving some thought to doing hay work (as well as other chores) around some acreage I have acquired. It is 5 acres, with the possibility of 5 more. What would I need as far as a tractor and implements to do the job properly and without being underpowered? I lean towards Kubota, with John Deere as a runner up. At some point, I could see it becoming a side-gig to help pay bills. Thanks.

When I was a teenager, I worked on a 1500 acre ranch and the biggest tractor was a Ford 3600, 48 HP. The rancher had probably 200 cattle and fed them all with square bales that I picked up and stacked in the barn.

You could probably be all in for $15K if your willing to hunt around and fix equipment, but you really want your baler to be reliable.

Tractor - $5k
Cutter - $3k
Rake - $2k
Baler - $5k

 

[joeu235]

Compound the situation if baling on a hillside.

Good luck finding a hill in central Florida.

 

[joeu235]

Andy, checkout me making squares on 50 acres in central Texas.

 

[Hayseed Andy]

Thanks again for all the insight and info. Here is what I am thinking. I am truthfully not sure how good the quality of anything growing on my acreage is at the moment. It has a dozen or so cattle that come and graze regularly. The previous owner of the land had an ag exemption agreement with a local to allow his cattle on the property, and I enjoy seeing them when I visit the place, so they are welcome as long as the land is vacant. I do plan on doing what is necessary to make the product on the field better. I also plan on putting a house on the acreage. If, and it is a big if, I could find others locally that needed help with haying, I was thinking that is where I could get a side-gig going. It is rural where the acreage is, and I do see a decent amount of tractors around. At the end of the day, I will need to do some research and see if there is a need or if most do it on their own. As far as hills, Lake County is about as hilly as you can find in the Central Florida area, and my land has a slight slope. But nothing that would come close to posing a challenge to a tractor. LOL.

 

[Hayseed Andy]

joeu235, that is a heck of a setup you've got there. If Florida keeps getting whacky like it has been for the past decade or so, when it's time for retirement I may pack up the family and head to TX. Oh, and I am glad you missed your camera at the end of the video.

 

[ddbackhoe]

Andy, checkout me making squares on 50 acres in central Texas.

About 3:20 in the video, tell me some more about that trailer and loader please. Ive never seen an accumulator/elevator like that.

 

[joeu235]

The trailer is just an old 32' flat bed. We load from the middle because if there is too much hay in the back, the trailer lifts up from the hitch, if there is too much hay in the front, it overloads the JD 4020.

I google searched for the hay elevator but didn't find anything useful. My dad bought it from the local Deere dealership many moons ago. I have no idea what brand. If your really interested, I can take some pics next time I'm near our hay fields.

 

[ddbackhoe]

I google searched for the hay elevator but didn't find anything useful. My dad bought it from the local Deere dealership many moons ago. I have no idea what brand. If your really interested, I can take some pics next time I'm near our hay fields.

If its not too much trouble, that would be great. Looks like it does a great job, beats the heck out of picking off the ground by hand.

 

[kenmac]

Good luck finding a hill in central Florida.

Beat me to it :laughing:

 

[Hayseed Andy]

Beat me to it :laughing:

I'm telling you, they exist in certain areas. LOL. But they are nothing to write home about.