Starting to do hay looking for older tractor. Hp requirements?

[rankrank1]

(RPM * Torque) / 5252=HP

If you are comparing everything at the same 540 PTO RPM it's an apple's to apple's comparison. You can argue HP or torque curves, pulling power, but comparing PTO HP is as consistent as you can get given the fixed 540 rating of a PTO.

Yes I am aware of the engineering equation and you are free to believe what you like but apples to apples it is not. I have several vintage tractors of similar PTO horsepower to my little Kubota PTO hp. Frankly the Kubota hp rating is only as high as it is due to the engine spinning many more rpm's than those vintage tractors and engine rpm is free horsepower in the engine builders world as well as in the engineering equation. That said, spinning more engine rpm's alone often does not produce more torque which is also an equally important part of the engineering hp equation.

My Kubota can sometimes do okay on similar PTO loads as my vintage tractors only because it has more travel gears to choose from which can somewhat help compensate for its tee total lack of engine torque.

 

[5030]

Been my experience at least with my 575 high capacity NH is, the smaller the tractor (lighter) the more tiring it is because the inertia of the ram is always pushing you, especially when turning on the headlands. I prefer my big M's for the weight because it lessens the inertia of that ram going back and forth.

575 is a big square baler with a big flywheel and ram.

I borrowed my buddy's Massey gas tractor and hooked it to the 575 and it did a good job but beat the heck out of me, especially turning in headlands and that windrow don't go on forever, at some point you have to turn... besides, hitching a flat rack on the baler, a small tractor probably won't have the cajonies to pull the baler and a loaded flat rack.

 

[Trillium Farm]

All of this is moot and if we had the "old type weather" it will work, but we don't! Today's weather is way more fickle and unstable so one must get in & out as fast as possible and for that you need the right (fast) equipment. This newer equipment demands more hp alas.
I love the older equipment, all mechanical and easy to fix. Not like today's where you have to hire Einstein to fix a baler.

 

[atsah]

I remember my father swearing 40 years ago trying to make hay and not able to get three solid days without at least a shower.. These days I can almost hear my brother swearing because of the same, I don't think the weather is anymore fickle that it was 40 years ago..

 

[DJ54]

I only make 4 acres of hay, but it's enough to fed my 2 horses, and 1, Donkey. I'm running an IH Farmall 656, gasser (65 hp). I mow with an old IH 990 MoCo. Crushing the stems makes it dry faster, and makes it more palatable for the horses. I also have a 2 basket tedder I pull with one of my Super C Farmall's, and a 3 point IH #9 side delivery rake. I round bale with a 335 Deere round baler, pulled by the 656.

The last 2 years have been tough to get a 3 day window to make hay here. Normally, no later than the second week of June, but this year, it was the second week of July before I got first cutting made.

If you're going to make hay to sell, you definitely want to make a quality hay, especially to horse owners. Back when I had fewer horses, and made a couple more acres of hay, I'd sell 10 or so surplus bales of first cutting to a few folks. The biggest complaint they had, was their horses were eating the same sized bale in fewer days, yet were cleaning it up, and not wasting 1/3 of a bale, picking through to find the good stuff, making a mess for them to clean up. They always came back next year for more, because they knew they were getting their moneys worth.