Hay farming on a small time basis
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Why is that true? Because they use disc mowers now?
Crazy question: What would happen if you used a bush hog to cut the hay grass, then raked & bailed it? Would it ruin the harvest? Does a bush hog chop up the hay too much or something else I don't understand?
JESSE1
Veteran Member
Disc mowers will cut grass that is very thick and laying over whereas a sickle mower will ride over the top of thick grass unless you're driving very slow. The disadvantage is that a disc mower is heavy and also requires more HP to run. Also need a hydraulic outlet to raise and lower the mower's bar.
When we started baling our hay in the early '80's, we bought a new New Holland sickle mower, rake and round baler. The sickle mower's sickle bar is flexible and follows the contour of the field better than a disc mower which is rigid. Used the mower for about 10 years and replaced it with a Kuhn disc mower. Used that one until 4 years ago and bought another Kuhn. You can cut much faster with the disc mower.
When we started baling our hay in the early '80's, we bought a new New Holland sickle mower, rake and round baler. The sickle mower's sickle bar is flexible and follows the contour of the field better than a disc mower which is rigid. Used the mower for about 10 years and replaced it with a Kuhn disc mower. Used that one until 4 years ago and bought another Kuhn. You can cut much faster with the disc mower.
chh
Veteran Member
Disc mowers are the most common thing now. A brushhog chops the hay more, but while not ideal some people use them on small acreages and make it work. It will also cut down on the number of bales you get per cutting. If you are mainly working toward using the hay as mulch ect. it wouldn't hurt the quality for that, it might not be too good if you are wanting to sell some.
Personally I have been "around" square balers all my life, but I have never used or worked on one
(round balers only for me). That is one thing I would have someone at least a bit familiar with one look at before I bought it. Somebody more familiar with them might want to chime in with some brands/models to avoid. I understand parts are getting hard to get for some of them.
I don't remember if it was here or some other site, but it has been done. I think they cut 1 side of the bush hog away so it throws the grass out instead of chopping it up. From what I remember it was said to work very well, just your width of cut in limited. I remember pictures of someone doing it, but it had to have been 4 or 5 year ago.
I found a post from a few months ago that I missed on someone doing it.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...146362-hobby-haying-pics-compact-tractor.html
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flusher
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Like you, I have a small place (10 acres, flat pasture) with about 6 acres available for haying (oats, plant in Nov, harvest in May).
If you're just planning to mow, rake and bale the native grass, then a 7-ft sicklebar mower, a 10-ft side delivery rake and a small square two-twine baler might work for you. I have an MF-41 sicklebar ($550 plus about $125 in refurb), a JD-350 rake (3pt, pto-driven, $800) and an MF-124 baler ($2000).
If you intend to plant a crop, you'll need tillage implements. I have a JD 2-14 plow ($200), a 7-ft offset disc (a freebie from a neighbor) and a 13-ft Minneapolis-Moline KA-1300 wheel disc ($600, reduced to 10-ft wide by removing several outer pans).
For planting you could use a broadcast spreader for fertilizer and seed. I have a Minneapolis Moline P3-6 grain drill (10-ft wide, 20 drops, $275 plus about $150 in refurb). To press the seed into the soil, I have a 10-ft cultipacker ($600).
You might also give some thought to handling bales. My baler drops them in the field and I have a DIY bale accumulator/squeeze combo to handle 8 bales at a time. I have about $1500 invested in that gizmo.
Farmwithjunk
Super Member
One thing to consider before diving headlong into the fire....Make certain you have the TIME to invest in haying. It requires you to spend time at the crops convenience and NOT when you have the spare time. You cut when it's ready and when weather permits. You rake when it's dry enough, and then you bale. Next comes the fun part (Getting it put up) I've helped a few neighbors round up equipment just to help them sell everything the following year when they get a clue as to the time/labor commitment involved.
Not trying to discourage you so much as letting you know it's not NEARLY as much fun as it looks!
(Getting it put up) I've helped a few neighbors round up equipment just to help them sell everything the following year when they get a clue as to the time/labor commitment involved. Not trying to discourage you so much as letting you know it's not NEARLY as much fun as it looks!
One thing to consider before diving headlong into the fire....Make certain you have the TIME to invest in haying. It requires you to spend time at the crops convenience and NOT when you have the spare time. You cut when it's ready and when weather permits. You rake when it's dry enough, and then you bale. Next comes the fun part
Not trying to discourage you so much as letting you know it's not NEARLY as much fun as it looks!
Great info guys. I actually help with hay right now and it's pretty brutal, but I never knew how you "seeded" for hay. So are you saying you just broadcast seed & fertilizer on the exisiting ground with a 3 point cone spreader and it grows, or must you till the ground somehow to plant the seed?
I'm more concerned with the baler breaking down. When I help, it's just being stacked or put up. I never get to help cut it.
flusher
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- Getting old. Sold the ranch. Sold the tractors. Moved back to the city.
Usually, discing is done first then broadcast fertilizer followed by broadcast seed. My neighbor does about 8 acres of oat hay that way. Folks into building food plots also use this method.
If your hayfield is covered with thick turf, you might need to plow. Two of my 6 acres along the North fence line have thick turf so I'll use my 2-14 moldboard plow. My neighbor has a flail mower that I can use to mow the field really short. Then I'll spread fertilizer with my grain drill, plow to 6" depth with the 2-14, run my wheel disc over the plowed area to bust up the clods, use the cultipacker to firm up the seedbed, seed with the grain drill followed by the cultipacker to press the seed into the soil.
You're right about old balers breaking down and needing a lot of TLC. You need the manuals to help you learn your baler inside and out. My MF-124 baler is not that complicated a piece of equipment, but getting it setup properly for field work is not trivial, especially since the parts are getting pretty worn.
So the tall grass that has grown there year after year would not suffice for an adequate hay crop?
I swear I have never seen fields around here disced or plowed in the off season, but I could be mistaken. It seems like the hay just grows like a tall annual grass and gets cut 2-4 times per year, raked & bailed, but I could be wrong.
I swear I have never seen fields around here disced or plowed in the off season, but I could be mistaken. It seems like the hay just grows like a tall annual grass and gets cut 2-4 times per year, raked & bailed, but I could be wrong.