First year hay making equipment

[aczlan]

Wagons: We do not use wagons, we drop in field and either sell direct or haul with ton truck and equipment trailer. We feed out most of the hay we make so its gotta go to the barn sooner or later anyway. I try to make 200 bales a day, which is what I haul on my truck and trailer. Thats a good work load on top of my 40hr job. I seldom have someone to stack on a wagon and do not have a kicker. I do have a couple of wagons and occasionally use them but they are deffinately not critical to our operation

I must say, that I agree with Robert_in_NY's system rather than yours. We bale my inlaw's 20 acres and currently run 2 wagons. I would like to add a 3rd wagon as 2 wagons is not quite enough for a full field.
We often have problems getting enough people to help bale (I work full time and often have to take time off to cut or bale), so being able to bale into the wagon by myself is a good thing.
I helped the neighbor bale this summer. They use flat wagons and hand stack. I would NEVER do that again. We had to have 2 people on the wagon and they had problems keeping up with the baler at times (vs one person in a wagon with a "rack" or a "basket" on it).

Aaron Z

 

[tessiers]

I must say, that I agree with Robert_in_NY's system rather than yours. We bale my inlaw's 20 acres and currently run 2 wagons. I would like to add a 3rd wagon as 2 wagons is not quite enough for a full field.
We often have problems getting enough people to help bale (I work full time and often have to take time off to cut or bale), so being able to bale into the wagon by myself is a good thing.
I helped the neighbor bale this summer. They use flat wagons and hand stack. I would NEVER do that again. We had to have 2 people on the wagon and they had problems keeping up with the baler at times (vs one person in a wagon with a "rack" or a "basket" on it).

Aaron Z

If my father bales (seldom) I stack the wagon, I have never rode behind a baler I couldn't stack against, thats just me, its not easy but can be done. I have used a kicker and wagons but found, I can bale tighter bales onto the ground, have less broken bales on the ground and can haul more bales per load stacked. I actually like the kicker and wagons when we have enough crew to unload as fast as I can bale (only happens while I am dreaming, used to happen when I was a kid and we had about 8 of us teenage boys within hollaring distance). I have considered some type of accumulator / stack wagon but as of now they are way out of the price range of the typical operation my size and there are not many on the used market in our area. I have considered building an accumulator for my skid steer to stack on my flatbeds but so far no time. I can stack 200 bales on my ton truck and trailer with my daughter driving in under an hour but again I am working my a** off to get it done. I was simply giving the OP an idea of our system and our wants, I realize there are several short comings in our operation however the wagons deal is pretty low on my wants list as far as money is concerned. About the only good things around here are the fact that all the equipment we run is free and clear. When we started the farm I vowed to not bring home a piece I couldn't pay for when I picked it up, so far so good.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

If my father bales (seldom) I stack the wagon, I have never rode behind a baler I couldn't stack against, thats just me, its not easy but can be done. I have used a kicker and wagons but found, I can bale tighter bales onto the ground, have less broken bales on the ground and can haul more bales per load stacked. I actually like the kicker and wagons when we have enough crew to unload as fast as I can bale (only happens while I am dreaming, used to happen when I was a kid and we had about 8 of us teenage boys within hollaring distance). I have considered some type of accumulator / stack wagon but as of now they are way out of the price range of the typical operation my size and there are not many on the used market in our area. I have considered building an accumulator for my skid steer to stack on my flatbeds but so far no time. I can stack 200 bales on my ton truck and trailer with my daughter driving in under an hour but again I am working my a** off to get it done. I was simply giving the OP an idea of our system and our wants, I realize there are several short comings in our operation however the wagons deal is pretty low on my wants list as far as money is concerned. About the only good things around here are the fact that all the equipment we run is free and clear. When we started the farm I vowed to not bring home a piece I couldn't pay for when I picked it up, so far so good.

I keep contemplating an accumulator setup as well but then I look at the fact that I am still running a one man operation and I realize that after I get done baling all day with an accumulator I now have to go into the field with more equipment picking those stacks all up and placing them on wagons/trailers, haul them to the barn and unstack them all before the rain comes in. Yeah, you don't handle the bales manually but I can't convince myself where it would help my operation. I can see it taking me longer and that isn't a good option for me. The same goes for the stackwagon, its a great system but to really take advantage of it you need a second operator.

For me, the best I can do is add more kicker wagons. Currently I have 4 wagons and can bale around 550 bales at a time before I have to unload. I would love to add a couple more wagons and get my total up to 800 bales and I have been keeping an eye out for decent used kicker wagons. I can bale up to 55 pound bales with sisal twine without having issues of breaking the bales (any heavier and the twine fails) but 95% of my customers prefer my bales in the 35 pound range so I have to keep them lighter so they can handle them easily. It works out nicely as the lighter bales are easier for them as well as being easier on the equipment. I still bale heavier bales if I plan to haul them any distance on a trailer because the heavier bales stack better for transport.

I am fortunate enough to be able to store my wagons inside if the rain is coming in, I don't own a building tall enough to get them inside but I have friends that do and keys to those buildings so if its going to rain they get parked inside and I don't have to worry about them till the rain goes away. I do occasionally bale to the ground but its very seldom that I do and I don't care for it much. Its good excercise but every time you handle the bale it costs you money. I would much rather be spending the extra time with my own daughter playing or relaxing at the ice cream shop:licking: after a long day baling but thats why there are so many different options out there for handling hay, because there isn't one system perfect for each operation and as the owners of our operations we get to choose which one works best for our labor/storage/equipment situations

 

[aczlan]

If my father bales (seldom) I stack the wagon, I have never rode behind a baler I couldn't stack against, thats just me, its not easy but can be done. I have used a kicker and wagons but found, I can bale tighter bales onto the ground, have less broken bales on the ground and can haul more bales per load stacked.

I agree with you about getting more bales when stacking. We get 90-100 when just using the kicker and 120-150 when stacking in the wagon (still using the kicker, but stacking)

I was simply giving the OP an idea of our system and our wants, I realize there are several short comings in our operation however the wagons deal is pretty low on my wants list as far as money is concerned.

Makes sense. If that works for you, I am glad.

About the only good things around here are the fact that all the equipment we run is free and clear. When we started the farm I vowed to not bring home a piece I couldn't pay for when I picked it up, so far so good.

Equipment that is paid for (and working) is the best kind to have.

Aaron Z

 

[HayDR]

To all the hay guys out there, have 10 acres I'm gonna cut next year, what would be some good first equipment that you could recommend, (tractor, mower,rake, baler) I will be fertilizing the 10 acres so I should get quite a bit off of it. Thanks for all replies

You need to decide on a tractor first and then match the implements to your tractor. Take a look at the HayMAG drum mowers, rakes & tedders. They are designed for the smaller operator with a limited budget.
Hay DR

 

[flusher]

To all the hay guys out there, have 10 acres I'm gonna cut next year, what would be some good first equipment that you could recommend, (tractor, mower,rake, baler) I will be fertilizing the 10 acres so I should get quite a bit off of it. Thanks for all replies

YOu also need to think about planting the following year.

-- Overseed with a broadcast spreader and plant some kind of pasture mix that's suitable for your area. The germination yield will be in the 50-60% range if you just let the seed sit on the soil--higher if disc first, bust up the clods with a cultipacker, spread the seed, and then press in the seed with another cultipacker pass.

-- Plant in rows with a grain drill--I use a restored Minneapolis Moline P3-6 unit to plant Kanota oats. Bought 2 of these units from a neighbor for $275; used parts from both to make one good drill plus about $250 in new parts.





-- Plant a cover crop with a drop seeder like a Brillion unit--these are pricy, even used, but are the Cadillac of drop seeders.

Brillion Farm - Agricultural Seeders

-- Plant legumes (beans, peas, etc) to restore nitrogen to the soil using a bean planter--used 2 row planters are around $1-1.5K. One of the most popular models is the Deere 71 Flexi-planter

File:JD 71 Flexi Planter, 2 Row.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Good luck

 

[dmay]

Are you wishing to do square or round bales?

What size of bales?

To feed your livestock or for sale?

What type of livestock?

Will you have help or do you need to be a one man operation?

What's your budget?

Any neighbors also doing hay? Consider getting them to do yours and you simply help them.