small Hay operation: what equipment can I run?

[Farmwithjunk]

I never noticed that before. I always thought it was a barn or something. I never squinted to see what it actually was.

I have an old time up by me that still uses a hay stacker. Once he has a wagon full he lose piles it in the barn. This use to be the modern way of doing hay. He doesn't do alot of hay so it seems to work for him.

My kids would say, "Here goes dad with his old days stories again".

Until I was 17, we put hay up by mowing with an old horse drawn sickle bar, albiet pulled behind a tractor, a dump rake, and pitch forks. (loose hay thrown in the barn.) In 1964, dad bought an stationary baler. We still had to gather the hay the same way, haul it to the baler, then pitch it in the baler. At least we had baled hay to stack in the barn and to feed with. And THAT seemed oh, so modern at the time.

 

[civesnedfield]

My kids would say, "Here goes dad with his old days stories again".

Until I was 17, we put hay up by mowing with an old horse drawn sickle bar, albiet pulled behind a tractor, a dump rake, and pitch forks. (loose hay thrown in the barn.) In 1964, dad bought an stationary baler. We still had to gather the hay the same way, haul it to the baler, then pitch it in the baler. At least we had baled hay to stack in the barn and to feed with. And THAT seemed oh, so modern at the time.

There you go dating yourself again Junk. This would make ya OLDER THAN DIRT!!!

 

[Farmwithjunk]

There you go dating yourself again Junk. This would make ya OLDER THAN DIRT!!!

There comes a point in every mans life where you just can't deny the fact you're just plain OLD

 

[civesnedfield]

There comes a point in every mans life where you just can't deny the fact you're just plain OLD

I think I may have discovered some long lost video footage from Junks child hood. This ought to bring back fond memories Junk.

Video Footage​

 

[ddivinia]

If you can WAIT until FALL, people will unload their haying equipment...

Exactly - that is when I picked up my current hay equipment.

My grass might not be good enough yet for square bales, but it will be. I figure I need to keep an eye out for the right deal.

D.

 

[Egon]

and pitch forks

groan!

There were easier ways of putting up the hay. You may have had to use pitch forks for feeding but the stacking definitely had much less labour intensive methods.

There were also other methods of getting loose hay into the loft that were not labour intensive!

 

[Farmwithjunk]

groan!

There were also other methods of getting loose hay into the loft that were not labour intensive!

Not least of which was leaving home at age 18 to join the Army and letting someone else throw hay

Dad was old school even way back in the old school days. Guess I sorta follow in that same line, still using a sickle bar mower to cut hay.

The nut usually doesn't fall far from the tree.

 

[Rara Avis]

Egon

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/attachments/105301d1214391128-small-hay-operation-what-equipment-haystacker.jpg

I can remember getting taken to the top on those forks and then jumping into to the half-built pile...

 

[ddivinia]

Pitch fork - the original hay accumulator!

D.

 

[Egon]

Yep Paul, that is were I got the picture. Couldn't find any others.