The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor

[Rustyiron]

Beautiful!
Your first pic with the little bit of red in a tree made me take notice.

So I snapped this just now for comparison. We're like 26" of rain deficit and it effects the fall colors.

 

[Hay Dude]

I disconnected the Krone 4x4XC baler from the Challenger MT655E yesterday. That’s it…the end of 2025 haying.

Now have to get into Property Maintenance mode. Brush cutting around ponds, clearing, etc.
Still a LOT of hay to deliver, too. So although no cut/rake/bale, there’s plenty to sell.

I have a snowplowing bid out that, if I get it, will be a game changer for me. I just heard the customer has not made a decision, but I am still in the hunt….

The future looks pretty good.

 

[Hay Dude]

Loading some bales on lightly frosted ground this morning.

Autumn colors still raging here on the farm.

In the afternoon, I have moved to an estate I farm. This place is amazing. Wealth I could never imagine.

The Estate of Irenee DuPont. Looks like I might be able to get a 3rd cutting lol

Now on the scale. You wouldn’t believe the gross weight, but the bales were like 1,785LBs each.

 

[EddieWalker]

I always wonder what it's like to live in a massive mansion like that. How many rooms are never used, or even visited? Seems to me like most people only use a certain part of their house and the rest just sits there empty. I have two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs that I haven't seen in months. I just don't have any reason to go up there.

 

[Hay Dude]

Agree. I think when you had the kind of wealth the DuPont family had, those mansions are more of a statement of wealth and stature. The excessive rooms are useless.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

Now on the scale. You wouldn’t believe the gross weight, but the bales were like 1,785LBs each.

Seeing your truck on the scale reminds me of working in the oilfield during the big heyday (Or should I say HAYday)

We were shipping big rounds out and each load had to weigh 80,000 with only a 1000 pound allowance.

Well, there wasn't time to be adding or removing bales so you would pull on the scale and the scalemaster would yell:

"We need one tire!"

And a guy would run his pickup to the scale and put one tire on it, bringing you up to 80,000

Or if you were over, the scalemaster would yell:

"3 Bars!"

And three guys would run over and grab long bars to lift a bit of weight off the scale until you were down to 80,000

I was young at the time and just couldn't believe it! But quick math showed we were over as many times as under so I guess it all evened out.

All these years later I saw @Hay Dude 's picture on the scale and those memories came roaring back.

 

[Willman]

Seeing your truck on the scale reminds me of working in the oilfield during the big heyday (Or should I say HAYday)

We were shipping big rounds out and each load had to weigh 80,000 with only a 1000 pound allowance.

Well, there wasn't time to be adding or removing bales so you would pull on the scale and the scalemaster would yell:

"We need one tire!"

And a guy would run his pickup to the scale and put one tire on it, bringing you up to 80,000

Or if you were over, the scalemaster would yell:

"3 Bars!"

And three guys would run over and grab long bars to lift a bit of weight off the scale until you were down to 80,000

I was young at the time and just couldn't believe it! But quick math showed we were over as many times as under so I guess it all evened out.

All these years later I saw @Hay Dude 's picture on the scale and those memories came roaring back.

Yes happens all the time, but could have put the scale master in jail for his actions and any others helping to the illegal actions

 

[Hay Dude]

Stupid cops pulling over farmers and weighing them as if they know what each hay bale weighs, each bushed of soybeans, corn, etc.
My bales weigh 1600-2000.
I really would like a overbuilt rig to haul hay….someday.

 

[Hay Dude]

I pulled the dump truck out of the back corner of the shop and parked it outside

Also removed the Pottinger mower off the front of the MF-7495. Put MF-7495 in back next to baler with the rear Pottinger mower still attached where the dump truck was.

Dump truck will be getting used quite a bit in the upcoming months.


Next I will bring out the Excavator. Time to dig out some rocks and get this list of property maintenance work I have accumulated with my Customers underway.

Time to change into Property Maintenance mode!

 

[Hay Dude]

Some heavy fence line weed wacking today. My helper and I knocking this one out, but there’s much more.
My Stihl Blue Tooth helmet really helps make this massive chore easier.

 

[Cycledude]

What do you have for weed wacker ?

 

[LHF2019]

I'm curious what you have for a head on it to. I bought a head for mine last year and it is up to 3" material it will cut. I need a helmet when using it. Makes your weed wacker a weapon.

 

[Hay Dude]

What do you have for weed wacker ?

Stihl KM091
Stihl KM131
Both are the Kombi units.

I'm curious what you have for a head on it to.

Just the typical string head and we interchange the Stihl Tri-blade for the heavier stuff.
Sometimes one of us will run a blade as the lead guy, searching out woody-stem brush, and the other will follow with the string head to finish off all the grass & weeds.

I bought a head for mine last year and it is up to 3" material it will cut. I need a helmet when using it. Makes your weed wacker a weapon.

I had a huge Stihl FS560 brush cutter I bought to originally clear this same place when I originally was hired to farm & clear it. It would cut 3-4” material with one swipe. A buddy of mine borrowed it and wanted to buy it from me so bad I sold it to him.

 

[mjonesnh]

Stihl KM091
Stihl KM131
Both are the Kombi units.




Just the typical string head and we interchange the Stihl Tri-blade for the heavier stuff.
Sometimes one of us will run a blade as the lead guy, searching out woody-stem brush, and the other will follow with the string head to finish off all the grass & weeds.

I had a huge Stihl FS560 brush cutter I bought to originally clear this same place when I originally was hired to farm & clear it. It would cut 3-4” material with one swipe. A buddy of mine borrowed it and wanted to buy it from me so bad I sold it to him.

View attachment 4332108

Have the same blade on my FS 130 brush cutter. Added plus that it sharpens with a chainsaw file. Have a couple of 10" carbide blades but prefer the Stihl brand brush blade

 

[LHF2019]

I have the saw blade, the 4 star, the 3 plastic blade head, then last year came across this and it puts them all to shame. Absolutely love it. Makes quick work of mulitfloral rose.

Amkor Trading Inc – Triclone Trimmer Head

Versatility Cuts grass, bushes, AND trees (up to 3 inches diameter) Durability Durable High-strength blades can outlast any regular string trimmer head. Tangle-Free No more messy wires & no more

amkorti.com

 

[Hay Dude]

I have the saw blade, the 4 star, the 3 plastic blade head, then last year came across this and it puts them all to shame. Absolutely love it. Makes quick work of mulitfloral rose.


View attachment 4332144

Amkor Trading Inc – Triclone Trimmer Head

Versatility Cuts grass, bushes, AND trees (up to 3 inches diameter) Durability Durable High-strength blades can outlast any regular string trimmer head. Tangle-Free No more messy wires & no more

amkorti.com

How well does it fare if you hit a rock or fence post?

 

[anomad]

How well does it fare if you hit a rock or fence post?

I have the cheaper original version (plastic body) of what LHF2019 posted. I haven't been able to kill it. And I'm still on my first set of blades. I try to balance being careful with getting work done. Inevitably find rock or metal even in places I know better. Replacement blades are 30 bucks for my head, 50 for the new tougher design like he has. I don't think that is crazy. The swinging blades should take all the abuse if you hit an old invisible rusty t-post in the weeds. And I would guess they'd keep cutting somewhat ok with damage just like a bush hog.

​

Got mine from Ballard (Trimmer Gear | Trimmer Products and Accessories) when it was a fairly new product and run it on a Ryobi battery unit. Fixed to a gas unit it should rip. But my battery unit has been great. I haven't used string once since I got it several years ago.

​

edit:looks like you can flip the blades on the newer design. So that would be more economical in the long game.

 

[LHF2019]

How well does it fare if you hit a rock or fence post?

Nothing noticeable I believe. I'll have to get a picture. I know it threw sparks and chunks of rock good.

 

[Hay Dude]

What I like about the Stihl tri-blade is it’ll cut brush or grass. Most “saw” brush blades will get stuck in grass and ball-up into a mess.
If the Triclone blade can cut anything (grass and brush), I might have to give one a try.

The Trex bump string head looks good, too

TREX 1000

TRI-CLONE TREX 1000 FAST FEED String Trimmer head Easily take the hassle out of refilling your trimmer head with this FAST FEED trimmer head. Each trimmer head reloads in under 35 seconds in a just 4 easy steps, all without disassembling the head. The patented triangle eyelets deliver an even...

amkorti.com

 

[Hay Dude]

Couple scale tickets, for your entertainment.