DJ54
Elite Member
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2009
- Messages
- 4,579
- Location
- Carroll, Ohio
- Tractor
- IH Farmall 656 gas/ IH 240 Utility/ 2, Super C Farmalls/ 2, Farmall A's/ Farmall BN/McCormick-Deering OS-6/McCormick-Deering O-4/ '36 Farmall F-12/ 480 Case hoe. '65 Ford 2000 3 cyl., 4 spd. w/3 spd Aux. Trans
I have an old IH 990 7' MoCo. Bought it at an auction for like $425.00. Took it home, greased it, and checked it out. Been mowing with it for 6 years now. Had to replace a bearing and sprocket last year, and the original sickle broke cutting, second cutting this year. I did have an new spare sickle on hand, so down time was only like 30 minutes, including a cool drink.
My back-up is an older 5' Bush Hog brand rotary cutter. The right side unbolts, and were designed this way for mowing hay. It lays it out in a nice windrow. Doesn't chop it all up, but does seem to break the stems some, to aid in drying. Not near as well as the MoCo, but does suffice if needed...
Also the "conditioned' hay seems to be more palatable for the horses, especially the first cutting.
Bought a new tedder 5 years ago. And as FWJ stated, well worth the money. Especially with the horse hay. I want to make sure the hay is dry. No green gobs to mold..., or heat up, and burn the barn down.
My hay is a mix of Rye, alfalfa, and red clover. The 1rst cutting of the rye grass takes much longer than the alfalfa & clover to dry. So I need to fluff it, or get it turned over to dry...
I started my seeding prep. right after the last cutting numerous years ago. I disked over it twice a couple days after a decent rain. Just dry enough to cut decent with my M-F 3 pt. disk, set at full cut. Once longways with the field, then at a 45 degree angle. It helps you keep track of where you're at when seeding... It cut it just enough to open the ground a bit.
I'd checked into "frost seeding", and it worked well for me. I broadcast my particular hay seed mix during the last two weeks of March in this part of the country. Just when it freezes enough to honeycomb the ground at night, but thaw on top, through the day. It pulls the seed right into the ground.
You can "google" it, and will probably find numerous pages on it...
For my purposes, mixed hay is what I'm shooting for.. Something they can munch on, when they are hungry.
If your going for maximum yield, then soil tests are a must.. I can get a soil test for $12.00, and tells me exactly what I need. I just need to let them know what crop I am planting. And your county extension agent can tell you your seed rate too... We're fortunate round here to be able to contact them via the internet..
And as others mentioned... You have to make it when the conditions are right, not at your convenience...
My back-up is an older 5' Bush Hog brand rotary cutter. The right side unbolts, and were designed this way for mowing hay. It lays it out in a nice windrow. Doesn't chop it all up, but does seem to break the stems some, to aid in drying. Not near as well as the MoCo, but does suffice if needed...
Also the "conditioned' hay seems to be more palatable for the horses, especially the first cutting.
Bought a new tedder 5 years ago. And as FWJ stated, well worth the money. Especially with the horse hay. I want to make sure the hay is dry. No green gobs to mold..., or heat up, and burn the barn down.
My hay is a mix of Rye, alfalfa, and red clover. The 1rst cutting of the rye grass takes much longer than the alfalfa & clover to dry. So I need to fluff it, or get it turned over to dry...
I started my seeding prep. right after the last cutting numerous years ago. I disked over it twice a couple days after a decent rain. Just dry enough to cut decent with my M-F 3 pt. disk, set at full cut. Once longways with the field, then at a 45 degree angle. It helps you keep track of where you're at when seeding... It cut it just enough to open the ground a bit.
I'd checked into "frost seeding", and it worked well for me. I broadcast my particular hay seed mix during the last two weeks of March in this part of the country. Just when it freezes enough to honeycomb the ground at night, but thaw on top, through the day. It pulls the seed right into the ground.
You can "google" it, and will probably find numerous pages on it...
For my purposes, mixed hay is what I'm shooting for.. Something they can munch on, when they are hungry.
If your going for maximum yield, then soil tests are a must.. I can get a soil test for $12.00, and tells me exactly what I need. I just need to let them know what crop I am planting. And your county extension agent can tell you your seed rate too... We're fortunate round here to be able to contact them via the internet..
And as others mentioned... You have to make it when the conditions are right, not at your convenience...
