Hobby haying pics with a compact tractor and bushog

[rankrank1]

You're right about the economics of hobby haying. Continual expense and little or no profit in dollars. I've replaced the sickle sections on my $550 MF-41 sicklebar mower (cost: $30) and need to replace the ledger plates on the guards. TSC sells the guard/ledger assemby for $10 each, so $280 to replace all of them. AgriSupply sells ledger plates for $3 each but the old rivets have to be drilled out and the new ledgers riveted into place. My MF dealer wants $5 each for the ledger plates.

I've looked into small disc and drum mowers (6-7 ft size) that would fit my Mahindra 5525 (54 hp engine, 45 hp pto). Good used ones cost at least $2K; beaters still get $1K or better. I can buy a lot of sickle bar parts for $2K.

I noticed that you run your bush hog in the level position.
Question: have you experimented with running your bush hog tilted forward (front down, rear up) to see if it cuts better?

One more question: is your hayfield natural pasture grass? If not, what equipment do you use for tilling and planting?

I have been trying to make my haying enterprise pay for itself so to speak. (not counting the tractor and bushhog which I have owned for 10 years and had previously used to maintain the pasture anyway). I actually have very little invested in dollars in all my haying equipment, but admittingly quite a bit of sweat equity in getting it refurbished and usable, but I enjoy doing that sort of thing.

NH 65 baler $200 (have put about another $140 in parts on it). The JD 594 rake pictured have less than $50 in it. Old New Idea 30A Sickle bar mower which is not pictured since I have not even used yet $75 (I think it needs about another $45 worth of parts at minumum). I just bought another JD 594 rake (not pictured) that is in very good condition for $90, but does need some tines. And lastly I bought a small flat bed trailer for $180 that I use for getting the hay out of the field but I also use it for other things too so it serves as a multi-purpose tool for me. It is an old pop camper chasis of size 7'X14' , but it works great for my needs as it sits very low to the ground. Real easy for me to stack bales on from the ground while using my pick up truck.

My pasture: Have done very little to it. Have subsoiled with the same little tractor, as it is the only one that I own, a few times to help drainage and compaction from horses by previous home owner. Have hand broadcasted some seed in some thin areas before. I am only in year 2 of haying so I have also purposesly let the desirable grasses go to seed so the existing grass seed could then seed the thin areas (in essence free seed). I do have a 1 bottom plow, a 3 pt MF disc (that is actually too big for my tractor) but have only ever used them in my wife's garden. I also have purchased a cheap $100 culti-packer that I plan try out in the future in some areas, but have not done it yet.

I prefer to run my bushog level as it discharges cleanly. I agree running some models with the back tilted higher may help some brands of rotary cutter discharge better, but having your cutting blade not level can also potentially increase the number of small clippings that will not be able to be raked or baled. (e.g. when the front of you blade is cutting 4 inches from the ground then the back will be cutting 7 inches from ground. When the fast spinning blade spins around it will then leave a short 3 inch clipping that may be missed by the the rake or baler further decreasing your yield). In short, I think running it tilted will create more short clippings, but may not if you travel slow enough with the tractor so the that front blade edge does all the cutting so to speak.

 

[Taylortractornut]

Good job on the pics and hay making. I have had alot of success with a a bushhog with the side out of it. I used to help a man bale Kudzu and he used the rotary cutter alot to help wit hthe older vines. Im going to start working some loose hay for a few goats and hogs Im gonna over winter. Im looking at a dump rake right now thats been modernized with rubber wheels and hydraulics. I want to make a buck rake to. I saw a fella using this method on his small farm for 4 cows and 2 hogs and had alot of good results. He also has some loose soybean hay to. Il lbe using a ym3000 Yanmar 2 wheel drive. I have an old truck bed to store it in.

 

[rankrank1]

Nice job editting in the bailer to the tractor picture. This can't possibly be the real deal. Everybody knows you can't possibly bail hay with under 65hp (or was that 165 hp?). Why now how are you gonna pick up them bales? You need a kicker pan or ejector add-on to do that, and a few more wagons or a seeyoulator to bring 'em back to your 80,000 sq-ft dairy barn. That alone adds another ton or two to the tractor weight requirements. And how about all that jerkin' from that plunger shaking the operator near to death (maybe that's my Mom is painted out??) If so you are a cruel man. I figure you used the BH because, as we all know, only real farmers use a disk cutter now days... And help us Lord, if that's a gas tractor, you could burn down the whole county. Expect them cows or horses to that that sileage? I'd sooner let them starve to death than be caught feedind out USDA unapproved foodstuff. We sure live in desparate times...

Hey ZZ,

Quite humerous sarcasm ZZ, but you forgot to list the one about not being able to run the baler without live PTO on the tractor. My tractor does not have live PTO but it seriously is not even an issue. Getting the wife better trained on the rake has helped although she did almost go too small on some of her windrows. I must point out though that she did do everything minus load the bales on the trailer and in the barn. I did that portion using the truck and a small trailer, but I do not mind doing it all (sure beats going to the gym and lifting weights)

Heck, I am using a big tractor compared to what you used to use. I have 26.45 maximum PTO hp at WOT, but only around 23 hp at 540 PTO rpm which is where I run the baler. No comparison to the tiny 19 hp that used to do it with - LOL.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Not to hijack this interesting thread but Robert how is the back doing?

MarkV

my back is fine but my spinal cord still hasn't healed and that is causing me considerable problems still. There is no time table as to when that will heal but my back healed right on schedule and I can do just about everything I use to do before I got hurt. Although tossing hay bales kills me after 150 bales I just drop as my back can't take that type of repetitive work. Thanks for asking though.

 

[flusher]

my back is fine but my spinal cord still hasn't healed and that is causing me considerable problems still. There is no time table as to when that will heal but my back healed right on schedule and I can do just about everything I use to do before I got hurt. Although tossing hay bales kills me after 150 bales I just drop as my back can't take that type of repetitive work. Thanks for asking though.

Good to hear that you're on the mend.

Sounds like you need to eliminate all manual bale handling from field to barn. How are you fixed for this equipment-wise?

I'm putting the finishing touches on a home-brew combination bale accumulator/bale squeeze (my welding project last Winter that's dragged on a lot longer than I figured). A few more brackets to weld and I'll hook up the hydraulics and do a test run in a few days. If it works, I'll rarely, if ever, have to buck any bales.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Good to hear that you're on the mend.

Sounds like you need to eliminate all manual bale handling from field to barn. How are you fixed for this equipment-wise?

I'm putting the finishing touches on a home-brew combination bale accumulator/bale squeeze (my welding project last Winter that's dragged on a lot longer than I figured). A few more brackets to weld and I'll hook up the hydraulics and do a test run in a few days. If it works, I'll rarely, if ever, have to buck any bales.

Thank you.

I am leaning towards a Kuhns accumulator system but since I can't work full time or do much at all other then tractor work it has put a damper on my income. So from now on each farm venture has to pay for itself and me as well. So I have the Mexican's who help me with my vineyards stacking hay this year. the only downside is they don't understand how this works and want to do this early in the morning (like 5am) which doesn't always work well for me so I have had to adjust my operation to meet their way of doing things which means only cut for 3 hours a day and fill my wagons and they unload them the next morning. It isn't too bad a deal really, just not ideal for what I prefer to do. In fact, because of this new system I am thinking of adding another kicker wagon just to give me the extra capacity of 200 more bales off the ground but I don't want to spend $3k on a new rack when I am leaning towards replacing them all with the Kuhns and flat wagons.

No one has ever said haying was easy but it sure can be interesting

 

[Duffster]

Thank you.

I am leaning towards a Kuhns accumulator system but since I can't work full time or do much at all other then tractor work it has put a damper on my income. So from now on each farm venture has to pay for itself and me as well. So I have the Mexican's who help me with my vineyards stacking hay this year. the only downside is they don't understand how this works and want to do this early in the morning (like 5am) which doesn't always work well for me so I have had to adjust my operation to meet their way of doing things which means only cut for 3 hours a day and fill my wagons and they unload them the next morning. It isn't too bad a deal really, just not ideal for what I prefer to do. In fact, because of this new system I am thinking of adding another kicker wagon just to give me the extra capacity of 200 more bales off the ground but I don't want to spend $3k on a new rack when I am leaning towards replacing them all with the Kuhns and flat wagons.

No one has ever said haying was easy but it sure can be interesting

If you where a little closer I could loan you 5-6 of them that we don't use anymore

 

[Dill]

Thought I'd toss up a haying pic from last night. Cell phone quality from a moving tractor. I was round baling and cruising right along. My father is running the square baler in the foreground. Its been really wet this june, we just snuck this batch in.

 

[slowzuki]

I've got my first batch to come in tonight. About 2 weeks late but was raining too bad.

To put any amount of hay up here you need a conditioner, so I now have a disc mower conditioner. I have to say, messing around with old haybines broke down all the time and the parts every bit as expensive as a discbine I'm happy with my choice and I've only mowed 15 acres so far. I will have to keep the disc mower about 15 years to pay it off.

Its all about scale and time. I still think loose hay is the most cost effective for small operators. Add a rake and you sped it up. Too bad they don't make hay loaders any more for loose hay.

 

[Dill]

Ya we are right square in the same lousy weather pattern. We've made hay 3 times in a month. Both in 3 or 4 day windows with serious rain on both sides. Which is why we are thinking disc mower this year. Not having to wait for the rain/dew to come off the hay first means that it will spend more time drying down in the sun rather than having that sun just burning off the dew. I've found some great deals on Kuhns but everytime I'm ready to go buy one its hay time. We've done about 10 acres so far, and have frantic customers. Had some more on the ground that I was hoping to wrap up for baliage today but its already raining again.