Well I just bit the bullet and bought new baler,cutter and rake,and just being able to do what and when I wont to do it,is worth the money. It will be here Friday,I am going to have to build a bigger barn
I have always had problems in getting someone to come bale my 30ac,meadow.When they do show up,well I will just say it usually gets rained on. Last year did get someone who done a really good job cut one day baled it the next but charged me a 2 bale an acre minimum,so I made 31 and got charged for 60 at $27 a bale. I also have small patches here and there on the place and a long power-line R.O.W,that could never get done. I have also added another 40 acre meadow at my lease place(in-laws
I have over $100,000 invested in my two bigger tractors and the hay equipment. (and the hay equipment was all bought used) I don't work it for nothing.
I have always had problems in getting someone to come bale my 30ac,meadow.When they do show up,well I will just say it usually gets rained on. Last year did get someone who done a really good job cut one day baled it the next but charged me a 2 bale an acre minimum,so I made 31 and got charged for 60 at $27 a bale. I also have small patches here and there on the place and a long power-line R.O.W,that could never get done. I have also added another 40 acre meadow at my lease place(in-laws
) Then I lube the chains, the many many zerks, and check everything else. Put it in the barn, add a few mothballs to the twine box to keep the mice away and I'm ready to roll next season when time is critical.
We've been talking about making hay that never gets wet. It's also important to store your baler in a building so it never gets wet. A round baler has all kinds of sharp edged nooks and crannies that get seed and grass pieces hung up in them. The crap needs to be removed, especially at the end of the season so the mice will look elsewhere for a home.
It is very tempting to raise the discharge, open all the doors and use a power washer or hose. Not a good idea.
I find it much better for the equipment and actually easier, to open everything up, shut down the tractor, ( be sure to use the safety blocks on the lift cyclinders ) and pull or cut as much as possible of the wound up hay on the shaft ends and under the belt tension rollers. Then I take a piece of 1/2 inch metal conduit that I bent a curve on one end. To this I have taped an air hose with a blast nozzle on the end. I can blow all the seeds and dust off the baler without getting on a ladder and without getting myself covered
with the seeds and dirt. ( Yet another use for duct tape
).Yeah,I have two barn a 20x40 and a 20x20 well lets just say,they are full of equipment,tractors,4wheeler,prowler,truck and I usally store square bales in part of one and then a cple pallets of feed but I will see what I can do about the storage of the shredder and sprayer later cause it will be okay for the to sleep outside,I just like everything to be inside but I guess im just weird that way. I am currently building a chicken coop,well im trying to anyways,I never claimed to be good with wood,I use to be a welder(little easier to fill a gap
I hope I made the right choices,I got the Vermeer Rebel 5410 baler loaded with net wrap,a Vermeer 8 wheel rake and a Vicon 8ft cutter,may look at getting a tedder later on used.
