Can I cut & bale hay with a TC45DA?

Robert_in_NY · Oct 24, 2004

The older tractors ran older and much smaller equipment. Modern balers will beat a n series ford up without much trouble. If I was to buy a tractor with the intentions of haying I would not get anything smaller then a TL-A. The difference between the TL-A and a TN on my baler was night and day. You did not notice the rocking as much and the extra power made for a lot easier day. You don't have to run the TL-A at its max all day like the TN which will allow the tractor to last longer. When it comes to haying all a compact is really good for is pulling a rake but even then it will knock your kidneys around on rough fields because of their short wheel base.

have_blue · Oct 24, 2004

Welcome aboare MarkR.

Sounds like your problem is not the TC45DA, it's the doggoned 47 acres. Even a good honest 15 acres takes a lot of time to keep up with mowing and fence line upkeep. Of course the level of appearance you want has a lot to do with that, but even at best, 47 acres needs an awful lot of time or a lot of tractor.

Good luck,,,

Bob A.

Soundguy · Oct 24, 2004

( The older tractors ran older and much smaller equipment )

Uh,..yeah.. I said that.

( Modern balers will beat a n series ford up without much trouble )

Who said anything about using a modern bailer on an old tractor. All I said is that decades ago smaller tractors used bailers.. that would inmply older bailers too. here's my quote:

( A lot smaller tractors bailed hay decades ago.. I know
people that have bailed with ford 8n's and also jd B's I think weight is just as important as the hp..
)

Soundguy

Robert_in_NY · Oct 25, 2004

Don't take offense, your post did not mention the fact the older tractors were using old equipment when you said ( I know people that have bailed with ford 8n's and also jd B's I think weight is just as important as the hp..
)

All I was doing was trying to make sure the original poster knew that newer balers are not like the old balers from the 60's and 70's. He said in his second post he doesn't have the time to be working on equipment so that would mean he was looking at modern balers.

Soundguy · Oct 25, 2004

( Don't take offense, your post did not mention the fact the older tractors were using old equipment when you said ( I know people that have bailed with ford 8n's and also jd B's I think weight is just as important as the hp..
) )

No offense.. you just must have missed one of the lines in my post. .. I said exactly that, the line just previous to the one you quoted from me... 'decades ago' ... Hard to have bailed hay 'decades ago' using a bailer made in the future... unless you can time travel /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif.

Here's a repost of my comment:

( ( A lot smaller tractors bailed hay decades ago.. I know
people that have bailed with ford 8n's and also jd B's I think weight is just as important as the hp..
)
)

Soundguy

Robert_in_NY · Oct 25, 2004

That line is what I was refering to also, I did not know if you were talking about knowing people who still bale hay with the old JD B's and N series fords like they use to in the past. Just a miscommunication. Have fun.

MarkR · Oct 25, 2004

Thanks again for all the feedback. I printed this out and broght it home for my wife to read--- now I dont have to hay!!
What size NH should I get to mow 30+ acres of rough,hilly pature?

MikePA · Oct 25, 2004

What size NH should I get to mow 30+ acres of rough,hilly pature? 
The size of the tractor will be a function of the size of the mower. 'Rough' would imply a rotary cutter. 30+ acres...yikes. With my 5 foot Woods BB60, I can cut between 1 and 1.5 acres per hour. Pick the size mower you can afford then determine what size tractor that'll require. If the price is too high, then adjust the combination. No matter what size mower, 30 acres will take a while to cut, so you might want to consider an air conditioned cab on the tractor. At a minimum, a sun shade.

jinman · Oct 26, 2004

Mark, if you are going to spend 80% of your time mowing, I'd suggest thinking about a non-HST tractor. If you have to change directions a lot while mowing, the HST is great, but if you are making long straight runs, I think the gear tractor would be fine and also save you a few bucks. With either tractor, I'd get a 7' mower and plan on spending 15 to 20 hours each mowing cycle. If you want seat time, you'll be thrilled. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

slowzuki · Oct 26, 2004

If they are in fact old hayfields, a 3 pt disc mower isn't much more $ than a brush cutter and can mow a heck of a lot faster. A 40 hp tractor could probably knock down 4 acres and hour in smooth conditions.