a rough day :(

[Robert_in_NY]

My thrower is tore apart as I am rebuilding the upper apron and was waiting for the drive roller to be repaired when I had to bale hay. So I had the laborers who work our vineyard help and yesterday was a good day. Put up 850 bales before they got tired of stacking behind the baler. Well today the rain was suppose to come in late so I wasn't too worried. Got started like normal and 30 minutes in the baler stops tying bales. Look it all over and find out a spring broke. So I go to the local NH dealer in desperation as I need this spring and am paying two guys to sit in a field. Get the spring and get back to baling. Well, the two guys today were different then yesterday and the one was not enjoying himself and was slowing the entire operation down and all he had to do was pull the bales from the baler and set on the wagon for the other guy to stack. I was going as slow as my TN will allow and had to actually throttle down just so he could keep up. It took me 3 hours to bale 340 bales (yesterday we did 850 bales in 5 hours with 15 minute breaks between loads).

Well as I was trying to finish the field I was watching the sky get darker and darker. Finally get done and get the first wagon hooked up to pull a half mile down the road and park in my barn. I get stopped by road construction (shoulder repair) and have to wait for what seemed like forever while the sky is rumbling and the winds are picking up. Finally get to the barn and as I start to back the wagon in I notice my wagon leaning hard to the right. The joists are all snapped on the right hand side except for the back two. So now I know I have to rebuild this wagons deck (metal basket) but I get it put in and head back to the field for the second wagon. As I pull up I see it leaning like it has a flat tire. Sure enough, the front tire is flat. Luckily I have my compressor filled already and in the truck. Put as much air as the compressor has in the tire and haul arse the opposite direction to put this wagon in my friends barn before the tire goes flat and the rain falls. Get it done with only a few sprinkles on the window.

My dad came and drove the baler home already and put it inside so now I have to unload the truck. I no sooner get all the tools out and park the truck when the sky opened up and the monsoon hit.

So for $700 worth of hay I had to pay $60 to my helpers, depending on the tire it may be $30 or $100 to fix properly and I have to replace the main beams and joists on one of my 9x18 kicker wagons. But yesterday was a great day and today was the end of my first cutting unless I decide to cut another 10 acres to put in my barn for selling later. The hay isn't as good now but I have none in there for my customers who need hay in the winter so I might cut 5-10 acres during the next window as I never know if the weather will let me get a good second cutting.

Hopefully everyone else is having a decent hay season.

 

[RickB]

Nobody on this end of the state and on into New England is having a good hay season. Rain upon rain, and there is a huge storm cell in Delaware County right now heading this way meaning what the local guys thought might bale tomorrow probably will get wet (again).

Not to pile on, Robert, but that thrower had problems when it was put away last fall. Machinery doesn't often heal itself in storage.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Nobody on this end of the state and on into New England is having a good hay season. Rain upon rain, and there is a huge storm cell in Delaware County right now heading this way meaning what the local guys thought might bale tomorrow probably will get wet (again).

Not to pile on, Robert, but that thrower had problems when it was put away last fall. Machinery doesn't often heal itself in storage.

I know. I have no one to blame but myself with the thrower problem. My barn is not heated and I kept putting it off till warmer days but then I started working in the orchard and vineyards then corn and before I knew it I needed the baler. I have always had a bad habbit of putting things off till I get busy Of course I should be like Broker then broke and blame New Holland for it.

 

[Willl]

I had to pay $60 to my helpers,

That's a whole days wages ?

 

[aczlan]

I had to pay $60 to my helpers

That's a whole days wages ?

No, that is 3 hrs wages.

It took me 3 hours to bale 340 bales

$60 / 2 helpers / 3 hrs = $10/hr, not bad if you don't mind the work

Aaron Z

 

[Robert_in_NY]

No, that is 3 hrs wages.

$60 / 2 helpers / 3 hrs = $10/hr, not bad if you don't mind the work

Aaron Z

They only asked for $8/ hour but I gave them $10 as I know it is hard work.

 

[farmerjim]

i know how those days go, seemingly more often than a good day. heck $10/hr for loading a wagon is good pay compared to what i used to get paid for that work in my teens. over here in ct we haven't even put a bale in the barn yet, and its almost 4th of july. was hoping to get some cut this wekend ,but next week looks like rain everyday til wed.

 

[slowzuki]

My tedder is still down waiting for parts right now. I've only put in 15 round bales and lost another field so far. Also have to replace the pto seal on the tractor, leaking a cup an hour.

 

[EddieWalker]

Robert,

I always enjoy reading your posts and what it takes to make a buck farming. I don't have any desire to do this myself, but do find it interesting and informative.

I'm the same way with repairs. I have a leak in my gear box to my rotary cutter. It's been something that I need to fix, but have been putting off. Now I have a job where I need it tomorrow morning and I'll just have to use it as it is. $200 to mow 3/4 of an acre for a big name realtor is one of those jobs that I can't pass up. I wish I had it fixed, but I'll just have to deal with it as it is for now and get it repaired when I can.

Eddie

 

[Dill]

At least you where able to bale. Its rained everyday for 2 weeks now and just about everyday in the month of june We've got over 6.5 inches of rain in a month that usually has 2.5. Today is clear but its supposed thunderstorm tonight and rain this weekend. We are way behind to say the least.

 

[warhammer]

Wish we could get some of that rain in Central Texas. Stock ponds are about dry, my Spring sprigged coastal field is looking like straw and the corn fields look like one match and it would all burn for many miles.....

i know how those days go, seemingly more often than a good day. heck $10/hr for loading a wagon is good pay compared to what i used to get paid for that work in my teens. over here in ct we haven't even put a bale in the barn yet, and its almost 4th of july. was hoping to get some cut this wekend ,but next week looks like rain everyday til wed.

 

[Dill]

Wish we could get some of that rain in Central Texas. Stock ponds are about dry, my Spring sprigged coastal field is looking like straw and the corn fields look like one match and it would all burn for many miles.....

Had a nice little "micro burst" come through town last night. Trees down all over. Got to back into emergency management mode, for the 6th time in 3 years (3 floods, tornado, ice storm and now this). But no injuries or no major damage other than hail stuff. But the forecast looks like rain all of next week too.

 

[two_bit_score]

Robert? Don't you love it, though?

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Robert? Don't you love it, though?

Usually I do. Some days I just want to sell everything and forget about it though

 

[two_bit_score]

Usually I do. Some days I just want to sell everything and forget about it though

We all have days like that no matter what we do. Glad to hear you worked it all out and can get back up and do it again tomorrow.

 

[JasG]

We has a similar day on Wed baling. 1st load no issues, took 25 - 30 minutes to fill the wagon with about 150 bales. The next 2 loads took 3 1/2 - 4 hours. 1st the twine guide that is on the needle arm broke off. So when the baler would tie the twine would get pulled to fast and got knotted inside the twine box. Had to go back to the farm and wire the guide back on. Reset the twine and knotter and just getting baling good. Next the arm that goes from the trip up to the hydraulic valve (JD kicker) broke, so a trip home to weld that. Next one of the pan guides broke, these center the bale on the pan. Of course the spare isn't in the baler, its back at the farm. Next the shear pin breaks, probably from all the other issues. Then we get into a bad bale of twine and have to cut that out and put in 2 new balls. Seems like something more happened, all I know is I've never had so many different things go wrong in 1 day baling hay. We were not able to finish due to all of these minor problems.

As I tell my friend who I was helping (it's his farm, I just help out when I can). The great thing about farming is you never have to worry about what to do with your money. The farm takes care of all that and more.

 

[ToadHill]

I sold my 20 acres of hay to a neighbor, it's been too wet to cut it's past its prime now.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

We has a similar day on Wed baling. 1st load no issues, took 25 - 30 minutes to fill the wagon with about 150 bales. The next 2 loads took 3 1/2 - 4 hours. 1st the twine guide that is on the needle arm broke off. So when the baler would tie the twine would get pulled to fast and got knotted inside the twine box. Had to go back to the farm and wire the guide back on. Reset the twine and knotter and just getting baling good. Next the arm that goes from the trip up to the hydraulic valve (JD kicker) broke, so a trip home to weld that. Next one of the pan guides broke, these center the bale on the pan. Of course the spare isn't in the baler, its back at the farm. Next the shear pin breaks, probably from all the other issues. Then we get into a bad bale of twine and have to cut that out and put in 2 new balls. Seems like something more happened, all I know is I've never had so many different things go wrong in 1 day baling hay. We were not able to finish due to all of these minor problems.

As I tell my friend who I was helping (it's his farm, I just help out when I can). The great thing about farming is you never have to worry about what to do with your money. The farm takes care of all that and more.

The kicker was I haven't had my tools in my truck all season but I put everything in there the day before because I wanted to be prepared for anything and as luck would have it I used some of the tools I brought so I lucked out. I use to keep my truck loaded up like a service truck all during hay season but this year has been different and I have not really had to worry about making quick repairs so I left everything home.

Today I spent a bunch of money buying parts to fix up all my hay equipment and make sure it is all ready to go for the next round. The thrower is almost all back together. I have to replace 8 rake teeth (as the rubber ones break I am switching over to the springs) and then the rake has a full set again. The tedder lost a tine clamp so I bought two of them today (one for a spare) as well as a spring to help raise the one arm as that spring broke. So when I get to cut again I should be set to go. All that I want to do is buy new blades for my discbine and change them before I get to second cutting.

Oh yeah, I brought my busted wagon home today and have to inspect that and get the materials to fix it up properly.

I have never had a year like this one. I have not had to stack any hay in my own barn yet as everything I cut is being sold. I just looked at my figures and I am $700 short of meeting last years total for hay sales which is surprising as I haven't advertised at all but gained a few new customers when I sold last years hay real cheap to get it out of the barn. Now they are buying this years hay as well so it was worth it to cut my price. The hay is gone and I gained new customers.

 

[Grrrr]

We have got all of our hay in the barn now (small bales) but it has been less than plain sailing this year...

All cut fine, drying nicely last week, thought we would get the baler out on Friday night, bale a bit then.

It was all working well the day before, baled about 4000 bales.

Half way down the first windrow the left knotter snaps twine.

Rethread, restart, miss a knot, then bang.

Shearbolt gone. Replace bolt.

Then constant misses. Look at everything, turn over by hand, have no idea what is wrong.

Get on phone to dealer (the baler is under warranty thankfully) and he comes out at about 7PM.

2 hours later, 1 new needle and a lot of spannering, the baler is almost tying perfectly again.

Call it a night, bring bales in. We use a bale sledge that puts them into eights, then a loader on front of tractor to stack on trailer then in barn.

Finish at about 1AM.

Next day, row up field, get baler out. Works fine for 20 minutes then mis ties every bale.

No messing this time, dealer straight out (I think we're lucky to have such a good dealer, the engineer was here within 10 minutes).

He spanners with it for a while and it seems to start working again. But not perfectly.

About 3 hours later, hundreds of missed bales, and we are running again.

Dealer goes, 10 minutes later, sledge mounting point snaps in half, no way to get it welded up in any short amount of time. Rain coming.

Hmmm.

We start collecting what is already baled, but then it starts to rain. Get what we can in and have to leave the rest.

Next day, half an inch of rain later, go out and split open all left out bales. Start turning again.

Today, row up again, take out baler and sledge, both went like a steam train, 1500 bales baled and accumulated in 4 hours.

Took a further 7 hours to collect it all in. No more problems

Lessons learnt:
It doesn't matter what colour machinery you run, just make sure you have a dealer who will come and fix it.

Hay equipment is almost guaranteed to go wrong when you need it most.

It's better for you baler to play up when baling your own hay than when you are baling a customers hay

 

[JasG]

Lessons learnt:
It doesn't matter what colour machinery you run, just make sure you have a dealer who will come and fix it.

Hay equipment is almost guaranteed to go wrong when you need it most.

It's better for you baler to play up when baling your own hay than when you are baling a customers hay

These are all true, one thing around here though. Small square balers seem to be going away, more round or large square balers. Our baler is a JD 336, probably about 30-35 years old. There are only 2 people who have been able to get it set up correctly. Myself who I was taught over many years picking up from different people what I could and 1 guy at a local dealership. If he isn't around forget having one of the other service people come out. The newer guys come adjust it or repair whatever it needs and then leave sometimes without seeing it bale 1 bale. It has never worked after one of these newer guys has worked on it. One time he got it back from the dealer after a "winter service special" and it wasn't timed correctly. Another time they forgot to tighten something down and a needle hit the knotter.
Now a few of these were mistakes anyone could make, but it really suck that it seems like the smaller balers are becoming a lost art as far as set up. To some degree it may be the age and wear on the machine. I have had to set it up from the "book" and then adjust from that point by walking along and watching it tie to see why it is having issues. Over the years though it's been a very good machine.