The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor

   / The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor #1  

Hay Dude

Super Star Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2012
Messages
16,248
Location
3 miles from where the gun was discarded
Tractor
Challenger MT655E, Massey Ferguson 7495, Challenger MT535B, Krone 4x4 XC baler, Kubota F3680 & ZD331 Ram 5500 Cummins 4x4, IH 7500 4x4 dump truck, Kaufman 35’ tandem 19 ton trailer, John Deere CX-15
I thought after 25 years of mowing fields & haying, I’d post a few pics from today’s and recent field mowing.

Once hay is done for the year, we turn to all-out property maintenance, field mowing, snow removal and property improvements. The photos below are just 2 weeks of clearing & cutting this fall. So this is just a snap shot.



Getting started in the beautiful morning sunshine today.
I’m in the Challenger today with the CX-15 in tow.
The tree line at the back of this photo is in Delaware. The mower is in PA.

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A few hours later in another field on same property. Afternoon sun about 40*. Perfect weather.
This field is in PA.
The field in the backround is the one just over the Delaware border.

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All done and returning home about 4 PM at 32MPH.

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Earlier in the week, we were clearing old fence line growth. These fences haven’t been cut for over 10 years, but now we have a annual contract to clear them.

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Cleared. Notice to the right the old railroad berm. Trains last ran in 1972.

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We decided to pick up another Stihl KM 131 Kombi. Works very well.

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Here’s a fence line on same farm we have an annual contract on since 2014.


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We also clear quite a few ponds. This one I was able to get fairly close with the Kubota.
Never yet put a tractor in the ponds (knock on wood)

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Another pond underway


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   / The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor #2  
 
   / The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Here’s about 20 acres we do for an HOA 4 times per year. We’d love to hay this field, but residents don’t want the noise or intrusion.

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   / The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor #4  
Good that you can make a living doing that. It seems a shame to waste all that ground. Definitely to damn many people in that area.
 
   / The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Good that you can make a living doing that. It seems a shame to waste all that ground. Definitely to damn many people in that area.

Yeah that piece is a real head-scratcher. The HOA has a lot of cash coming in, but they are very tight with money. I have offered to hay that parcel for 10 years now for free, but they’d rather pay. My guess is there’s a “farming hater” on the board that doesn’t want hay to be produced.

It’s not bad down here-still very sparsely populated. I live in a very unique area. You can go 20 miles northeast and be in crime ridden Philadelphia. You can go 10 miles southwest and be in very rural, remote farmlands where ATV’s and horse & buggies run on the roads.

Some of the ground out here is tied-up in conservancy or private restricted space. LOTS of farmland remaining, too. Takes a while to get in touch with the owners & managers of these lands and get them to trust you into caring for it.
 
   / The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor #6  
Beautiful pics Hay Dude.

Wonder if I can charge my wife to mow “her” field…….

Is there enough $ in mowing to be profitable?

Or is it better to do something for money Thaler your equipment sit?
 
   / The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor #7  
Are you using any one of the various fence line mowers?

I think the Wright (brand) fence line mower looks to be about the only 3pt fence line mower worth having, but I obviously haven't tried one.

Kind of a one trick pony, but I sure don't like trimming fence lines by hand. You do have to be able to get under the bottom fence wire or pipe, so goat wire fences would still be a no go.

I just haven't seen a line trimmer style 3 pt fence line trimmer that looked worth taking home.
 
   / The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Are you using any one of the various fence line mowers?

I think the Wright (brand) fence line mower looks to be about the only 3pt fence line mower worth having, but I obviously haven't tried one.

Kind of a one trick pony, but I sure don't like trimming fence lines by hand. You do have to be able to get under the bottom fence wire or pipe, so goat wire fences would still be a no go.

I just haven't seen a line trimmer style 3 pt fence line trimmer that looked worth taking home.

2 guys with weed whackers :LOL:

No, I havent seen anything that would work for us better than that. We can cut a lot of fence quickly with saw blades
 
   / The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Beautiful pics Hay Dude.

Wonder if I can charge my wife to mow “her” field…….

Is there enough $ in mowing to be profitable?

Or is it better to do something for money Thaler your equipment sit?

The money is actually pretty good. In my area, there’s not many people who actually work with their hands left. We find ourselves cutting brush covered fences, ponds & other areas about 6 months out of the year. This leaves us 6 months to cut & bale hay.

3 Stihl weed walkers pay themselves off in a few full days of brush cutting
 
   / The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor #10  
Hay Dude, mind telling us how many helpers you have? Just wondering. You seem to get into all kinds of things to make money on and it seems your are successful at it, while having fun. Either way, I always enjoy your threads that you start and reply to. Thanks, Jon
 
 
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