HARVEST 06'

[WhyNot]

This year I am going to try to get some action photo's of the proccess around here known as "choppin corn". The county fair just wrapped up which bring's out the giddiness in the farmer's as soon the harvest will start. More that likely by the end of the week the field's will be opened up( end row's chopped and lane's chopped for the dump truck's). They say that the best time to harvest is when the milk line in the kernel is 2/3 way down but it is a balancing act since the stalk can not be too dry or it loses all it's nutritional value. Here are some photo's to get started.
1st photo is a pic of some corn with my truck infront so you can see how high it is.
2nd photo is of an ear of corn which is not quite ready to be chopped
3rd photo is just a pic of the contract lima's taking in some sun
4th and 5th photo's are of one of the field's that was so so so close to being developed

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Do most of the farmers around you use pull type choppers or self propelled? The big guys here have their own self propelled units (NH FX's and Claas units). The smaller guys have started hiring their chopping out to the custom cutters who run claas choppers. Not too many pull types around anymore but there are a few still.

 

[WhyNot]

We run an older 4 row self propelled J.D. in fact according to the boss was one of the first in the area. As far as everyone else I think there is 1 Claas 1 new NH and 1 newer JD everyone else has a pull type. Not much in the way of custom harvester's around here my guess is one would not survive around here with the rapid loss of farmland. We do have the occasional farmer that will do field work but there is not enough work to support them.

 

[scott_vt]

Do most of the farmers around you use pull type choppers or self propelled? The big guys here have their own self propelled units (NH FX's and Claas units). The smaller guys have started hiring their chopping out to the custom cutters who run claas choppers. Not too many pull types around anymore but there are a few still.

Mornin Robert,
Gee when I was a kid I remember watching the farmer across the street running his one row chopper attached to the side of the tractor and a opened top box truck running alongside to catch it all Times have changed for sure

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I am still young (at least I think I am?) so to me pull types are what I am use to. The old mounted type are something that my dad and grandfather tell me about and I see them once in a while sitting in the weeds. I would love to restore one someday along with a Ford 2 row corn picker to mount on a Ford 4000.

If I am in the area when the big guys get going I will take some more pictures. I do have one pic from a couple years ago of a custom cutter that I will try to post now.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Oh well, I can't figure out how to attach a picture right now so I will post one up later. Have fun.

 

[club car man]

You can PM them to me and I'll put them up for you if you want.

 

[WhyNot]

Well as promised I have some photo's
Photo's 1-3 are of the chopper doing what chopper's do
Photo 4 is of the dump wagon we use emptying a load into one of the dump truck's. The dump wagon is used in place of an extra dump truck we use 2 truck's but would need 3 if we blew the silage into the truck's directly and would alsoneed to put a high arc spout on the chopper
Photo's 5&6 are of the pile being packed It has a 4 way dozer blade on the front and makes this chore an easy task. Before the blade we had to pack the pile with a front end loader and the pucker factor was very high. Once had to be pulled off with one tractor keeping the loader upright and the other one to the loader unstuck. Sorry about rear view but I had my other work clothes on and silage juice has a very strong odor to it if you step in it so maybe this weekend I'll walk onto the pile.
Photo 7 has been posted before but it is a close up of the "dozer" with put it's blade
Photo's 8&9 show why I have no choice but to be a Deer guy.

 

[scott_vt]

Mornin Whynot,
Great pics, fun to look at the gig rigs gettin it done !!! Do you blow the silage into the long plastic bags for winter storage or use a silo ???

 

[Deaf]

Saw lots of farms like that on the way from Ohio to see my folks in Cape May NJ sure miss standing on the edge of a corn field in PA dove hunting. No better way to spend a day if you ask me. We take back rds in NJ, 322/55/47/9 to Cape May. Your farm along that path?