haying 101

[dan_d]

So assuming I get my baler working, this will be my first time doing hay on my own... so where do i start? I know what I'm *supposed* to do, but all the little details, tips and tricks, etc are beyond me! Here's the extent of my knowledge (don't assume I know anything not explicitly in this list ):
- Pray for sunny weather
- Mow (in my case I for sure can borrow a sickle mower, and might be lucky enough to borrow a hay bine)
- Pray for sunny weather
- Wait a day or two, then rake
- Pray for sunny weather!
- Wait another day then bale (small squares in my case)
- Get the wagon out and get the hay into the barn before it rains!
- Repeat with remaining fields

A few specifics I was wondering about
- any particular pattern I should mow/rake/bale? ( i guess having the baler stick out the right side limits my options somewhat...)
- how slow should i bale?
- any tell-tale signs that the hay is (not) ready to be baled?
- since i'll be doing most of the work myself, i guess I shouldn't cut more than I could bale and bring in in a single day? Not really sure how many bales that would be...? I can get ~120 bales on the wagon, but realistically how many loads should I expect to do in a day? (I'm in decent shape, but no superman by any means! )

More generally I'm just looking for common pitfalls to avoid, and any other tricks of the trade (specific tools I should have handy? ) that you veterans might have would be very greatly appreciated!!

Cheers,
Dan

 

[Rara Avis]

There are whole books written about this stuff...

John Deere - John Deere Publishing

This is a good one...

Hay and Forage Harvesting
"Real world" evaluations of the many different ways to improve hay and forage harvesting and storage efficiency.
Book ｩ 2004 FMO14105NC US$ 40.95
Instructor Guide FMO14505T US$ 52.95
Student Guide FMO14605W US$ 17.95

 

[dan_d]

hah, who would have thought... I kinda assumed that the old guys just learned this stuff workin in the fields since they were little kids, and passed it on to their kids, and so on and so forth. I guess I might want to hit up amazon.ca and see what's around!

DD

 

[zzvyb6]

I started out by working as an 'apprentice' for a real dairy farmer. I just wanted to hang around the machinery: helped with repair, maintenance, setup. That allowed me to gain some trust. Then I was allowed to borrow his equipment. It came back in the same shape or better. In fact I bought his mower and rake when he upgraded.

The safety aspect of this is usually under rated. Every machine in your view wants to kill you. The best advice ever given on haying was to cut, rake and bale at the same speed as a horse team powered deal would run. If you are in a hurry, things will break, your eagerness will disappear, your family will suffer and you will get hurt (dismembered is the most common post mortem).

Somewhere in your list you forgot to mention raking...

 

[Mickey_Fx]

Been some years since I've done any haying. Like you Dan, I had to learn on my own, on the job experience.

Looks like you've got the basics down in the correct order. Hope you are not really going to be doing the complete job on your own. Sounds like weather is a real issue in your area. Up until the picking up the bales, it can be a one man job but you do need help picking up the field and getting it into the barn.

Timing is everything and this goes for the grass maturity as well. You can't take your time to the point where the grass is past maturity if you are wanting decent qlty hay.

Is your field fenced in? If so, the outer row needs to be done in the CCW direction so the implements can get close to the fence. Come baling time, you'll have to moves some bales to accommodate the equipment as you make that CCW pass.

As for baling speed. Somewhat depends upon you equipment. Do you have the power and is equip in decent shape to adequately handle the job. Wind rows need to be of adequate size so hay is entering the baler at a decent rate. Plunger speed also comes into the picture. The faster the plunger the more hay you have to have entering the baler to keep feeding it. You need consistent feed rate if you want consistent bale weights. I had a 50 HP tractor and a new JD336 baler and was pumping out bales at a rate of about one ever 10 sec.

Good luck.

 

[Negligence]

You don't have time to read a book, it's time to cut now! (at least in my area, just waiting for a break in the weather). Here's some quick articles that help out:

Making Horse Hay Part Three: Hay Cuttings by Cherry Hill

Haying FAQ

Make sure all your implements are in working order. You should cut/rake/bale a test patch before you cut your entire field. If your baler breaks, you'll only lose 1 acre as opposed to many.

Make sure the hay moisture level is appropriate before you bale. Since you're just starting out, a moisture tester would be very helpful.

I really hope you're not stacking and unloading by yourself... you will want to pay for some extra hands, trust me!

Do some searching for other threads on haying, there's a lot of good tips.

 

[dan_d]

thanks for the info everyone!

@zzvyb6: I did mention raking.. "- Wait a day or two, then rake" Thanks for the safety reminder tho. I definitely stop everything before trying to fix/dislodge things, and have had a few reminders to be especially aware when turning corners so you don't catch your implements in the rear tractor tire!

@Neglicence: good call on the "small patch" test... this baler has been sitting for at least 10 years (and possibly longer since the nieghbour only remembers the previous house owners brining in the baler, and doesn't know how long it sat before they came!). I've probably made it tie 60+ knots by now (micro-bales of course!) but i should really get the rake out and cut a few strips just for test-baling purposes. Even if it doesn't dry, the wife can still feed them out so it wouldn't be wasted!

Dan

P.S: eeesh, just found this in one of those links... 3AM?!?

Once the hay in the windrow is determined to be at the appropriate moisture level, the hay should be baled with the aid of the morning dew to help hold the leaves on the stems. This may require the hay grower to get up at 3 AM and bale for the few hours when baling is optimum.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I only put up hay for a few years and it was back in High School, but here's what I learned that wasn't mentioned.

Cutting is pretty straight forward. You cut hay and put it in winrows. Just plan ahead as you are cutting and try to plan your baling route as you are cutting. I always cut with a swather that winrowed as it cut, and we never did rake. We did make an effort to keep the winrows pretty uniform to make baling easier. If you're in a thicker part of the field take less of a swath. If you are in a thinner stand, use the whole width of the header. I know Dad always started on the longest side of the field and ended on the shortest. He said it was because the last pass is always crooked and he wanted the crooked row to be the shortest.

Baling is where the real lessons are learned. Moisture is a big deal! Wet bales will spontaneously combust. Dry hay will lose all its leaves. (We usually did Alfalfa hay.) We'd let the hay dry out and then do as was previously mentioned... baled with the evening or morning dew on it. Most of the baling is done in poor lighting as a result.

Ground speed is important while you are baling. Too slow and you end up with loose bales that are hard to handle. Too fast and you plug up the baler and break stuff. Dad always said to go fast enough that the baler just almost looks like there's too much in it right before the plunger sweeps the hay away. It's an art. Just plan on the first crop being hard to handle.

This is just my own personal opinion, but I'd much rather leave bales in the field than standing hay or downed winrows. Standing hay matures and loses nutrients. Downed hay just gets harder to bale and leaches nutrients the whole time it's on the ground. Bales will also bleach and leach nutrients, but it's only the outside of the bale. The inside of the bale stays good and green.

 

[Rara Avis]

hah, who would have thought... I kinda assumed that the old guys just learned this stuff workin in the fields since they were little kids, and passed it on to their kids, and so on and so forth. I guess I might want to hit up amazon.ca and see what's around!

DD

The fine details you learn from a human being...hopefully on your equipment...

 

[dan_d]

Well, I'm upto about 1000 bales as of yesterday (don't know for sure, my bale counter is messed ) , and here's some of the stuff i've learned so far:

- Weather sucks!
- Don't do anything before the dew is off the ground (don't forget to check the shady edges of the field!)
- Tractor brakes will not stop a loaded hay wagon going downhill...
- Can't bale near/after sundown
- Weather sucks!
- Bring lots of tools: screwdrivers, needlenose pliers, vice grips, hammer, punch, sockets, the works. And a good knife to cut out failed knots.
- Have lots of flywheel shear pins handy
- Always have a (full!) spare can of gas around
- Weather sucks!
- I need a more permanent sun protection solution... my umbrella only lasted about a week!

- I also need a rear-view mirror; my neck is *killing* me from looking back at the baler for hours on end!


Hopefully this will help someone later on!

DD

 

[Jordanbear]

Sounds like you've done pretty good.

I was going to add a note about the 'crick in the neck' problem from spending hours watching the machine behind the tractor but you have discovered that one on your own.

Do you ted or just let it sit? Usually we ted the hay a couple of times to facilitate drying.

I spend more time glued to the weather forecasts this time of year than any other time.

How is it that 30% chance of a shower can equal "rain daily for 12 days in a row"

 

[dan_d]

I raked the hay once the afternoon/evening before or day of baling, except for the stuff that got rained on which got raked a second time... The worst one is when they call for chance of scattered showers. Not enough rain to fill the well, but just enough rain to screw everything up for hay


Yesterday was the best day so far, since I got the neighbour to run his 14ft haybine over a couple of fields... he put it into 7ft rows, which made raking and baling go so much quicker! Since monday was so hot, he cut monday morning and I was able to rake and bale tuesday afternoon! I am so totally getting myself a haybine

Oh, and one more thing i thought of... you really need 3 ppl to make this work right: one driving the tractor and 2 on the wagon grabbing bales and stacking!

DD

 

[Negligence]

Love the umbrella LOL...

Glad to hear you made out OK for your first time. This season was my first try at haying too, and things went alright. Got about 40 round bales done up, need 80 more plus a thousand + small squares. What happened:

- Broke about 8 rake tines in the field
- Instead of mowing, spent about two hours unclogging the haybine after going through thick clover patches. I couldn't cut the whole field cause it took so much time
- I made some windrows too thick for the round baler to pickup
- Had a broken knife guard on the haybine, so I've got small amounts of standing hay all over the field

But for my first time, it was good. No complaints, it was fun! The old farmers around me think I'm crazy for jumping in with no experience, but ya gotta learn somehow...

Haybines are good, especially for drying quicker and sizing your windrows to how you want. A good 9ft one won't set you back to much ($2-3000) and will definitely help. I see your in Ontario too... we need all the drying help we can get!

About the dew: sometime it is preferably to rake while there's still moisture on the hay. It helps prevent too much leaf loss.

 

[Brent.Roberts]

Dan

Be careful cutting test strips and baling wet hay. Everything in the chute that comes into contact with wet hay will rust. I've worked out a way of putting a rope on the twine and pulling them out when I have wet hay inside.

 

[Brent.Roberts]

The info on the link


Making Horse Hay Part Three: Hay Cuttings by Cherry Hill

provided by Negligence is on the money. Tjhis is full of solid advice.
But there are many things on the page however that are stated but not explained. You need to read this VERY carefully and question or search out the meaning of some of the things they say

 

[Brent.Roberts]

Dan

If you're using lots of shear bins, something is out of whack. When I got my 315 baler, my local mentor said to call the local dealer and tell them you want John to come out and set it up for you. John came and I kept hearing him mutter stuff like " this is way off, he must have busted a lot of shear pins"

Later we discovered the tool box on the baler and sure enough, there were literally dozens of new and broken shear pins in there. I've now put about 3000 bales through the machine and have not broken one shear pin.

I'm too old and forgetful now to tell you how and what the guy teaked, but it worked. And when the thunderstorm is 10 miles away and you need to get another 100 bales in before it gets here, it's great to have the machine keep on trucking. I think the few hundred bucks I spent for that tune up was a very very good investment.

 

[Brent.Roberts]

I seem to have a lot to add to this thread but

this is the most important thought.

Don't drive downhill with a wagon behind the baler. The wagon will pass you.

This lesson was beat into me by my mentor. I'm in the Caledon Hills, part of the Oak Ridges Moraine, and you my be in a bit of the other end of the same moraine.

There is nothing to keep all the toys following each other. The baler is offset and going down the hill the wagon is pushing on the baler. So all it takes is a bit of moisture and the baler loses traction and the wagon pushes it out of alignment. Or you turn a bit, Or you touch the brakes a bit and the baler is suddenly going faster than the tractor. After the baler tongue hits the tractor tire the wagon keeps going. Without so much as flashing its intent with its high beams, it passes you on the hill.

If you think you had some delays doing shear pins, just imagine what it will be like trying straighten up that mess, while you strung and jammed together still on a bit of a slope, near the bottom of the hill, but not yet at the bottom, so everything is still under stress. Maybe the wagon will still be upright.

So the mentor guy told me, on your front field (with the big hills)
A L W A Y S go around the wrong way so you go UP the hills ONLY.

Consider yourself lucky the you didn't learn about this the hard way.

you can see some of the more moderate hills at
Duffys Lane Maple Syrup and Honey
The worst hill is not shown.

 

[dan_d]

Thanks for all the tips Brent! None of my hills are that long/steep but it didn't really occur to me that because of the alignemtn thing it wouldn't take much for things to go bad real quick! Just so I get what I think your're saying tho, i guess you mean I should find the 'flattest' way down the hill and use that each time before going back up?

As for the shear pins, I've maybe broken 3 so far, (pretty good i'd say considering this baler hasn't seen hay in the last 15+ years! ) but if I find myself breaking many more i'll probably have a closer look at things! I guess I should have said "shear-pins in general" tho, since its certainly better to have a few spares than to be stuck on sunday afternoon when all the stores are closed and rain is coming overnight!

And I've been wondering how to get those last two bales out of the baler since the very beginning... mind sharing your secret 'rope-twine' trick?

Thanks,
Dan

 

[Brent.Roberts]

The baler I have came with a thrower, basically a pair of belts the run continuously and when a bale gets pushed down the chute far enough, the belts fling it onto the hay wagon.

Almost everyone seems to leave the last couple of bales in them. But I figure if the bales are at all wet, they'll cause rust. And it does happen that we sometimes work into the early evening when the dew starts to collect on the hay and those bales are the last ones left in the chute.

So, I shut down everything, crank off the tensioner ( remember to count the turns so you can reset it ) I get about 15 feet of rope a good diameter rope so it won't cut your hand or chaff and break the binder twine. Run the rope threw both of the loops of binder twine, thread it out through the end of the chute / thrower and pull like ^%$#. At first you might only get an inch or so per tug, then it gets easier. Eventually I get a bale so it's near the belts of the thrower. I carefully lay the pulling rope on the chute so it won't get caught in anything, restart the tractor at idle speed, engage the PTO and then go back an pull the bale into the belts. The thrower graps in lobs it slowly about 4 feet. Shut down and repeat as needed.

I admit there is some danger. Don't get fingers caught, done leave your shirt hanging out. Take off you necktie etc etc.

A plastic lined chute that didn't rust would be really cool. You think anyone from New Holland reads this ???

 

[Mickey_Fx]

Here's a tip that save you some time and money. Don't always believe the manual when it comes to making adjmts. Find an experienced machanic for the equipment at hand and asked them about adjmts and how valid the manual is.

Had a new JD 336 baler and as soon as I did the first maintance after running 1000 bales throuh it I started breaking needles, maybe 4-5. Went back over all the adjmts made sure eveything was to the book but still breaking needles. Went to the dealer's shop and told their baler mechanic what was happening and was wondering what was going on. First question he asked was, "did you set the needle timing to the book? YES and rechecked several times. The responce was "that's your problem, the book is wrong". He told me what the timing should be and that was the last of the broken needles.