Haying on a 30* slope: Can a Grillo 110 cut it?

[NGOG NRYTHRNG]

More great info. Thanks guys.

leonz:
Terracing is not going to work for the layout of the dam. I suppose it might have worked if built that way from the start, but it is not an option now.
You are right about the $$$$ outlay for that small acreage.

rickyd79:
The cracked transmission housing issue is huge. Maybe farmerboybill, Joel, or another seller can comment on how frequent it is seen. Sounds like a deal killer, since Grillo must know about the issue to have a policy of not covering the problem. Too expensive to gamble on it.
Interesting re: Grillo and Caeb baler. Thanks again.

David Cockey:
Gas makes sense from a weight standpoint, but in my fantasy I would be using the machine for almost everything it can do, so diesel would pay off in the big picture.

Ok, I am going to have to rethink the whole thing. At this point animals are starting to get more attractive (not in that way). Maybe some Dorpers could keep the dam trimmed. Goats are too hard to keep contained, but I have heard good things about “hair sheep”.

If the animals work, then I can just use a CUT for the rest of the field. It may take a dedicated walk-behind sickle bar to get the immediate areas around the pond, but that would be cheaper than the Grillo. Not sure what to do with mutton, though.

 

[farmerboybill]

More great info. Thanks guys.

leonz:
Terracing is not going to work for the layout of the dam. I suppose it might have worked if built that way from the start, but it is not an option now.
You are right about the $$$$ outlay for that small acreage.

rickyd79:
The cracked transmission housing issue is huge. Maybe farmerboybill, Joel, or another seller can comment on how frequent it is seen. Sounds like a deal killer, since Grillo must know about the issue to have a policy of not covering the problem. Too expensive to gamble on it.
Interesting re: Grillo and Caeb baler. Thanks again.

David Cockey:
Gas makes sense from a weight standpoint, but in my fantasy I would be using the machine for almost everything it can do, so diesel would pay off in the big picture.

Ok, I am going to have to rethink the whole thing. At this point animals are starting to get more attractive (not in that way). Maybe some Dorpers could keep the dam trimmed. Goats are too hard to keep contained, but I have heard good things about å¡—air sheep?

If the animals work, then I can just use a CUT for the rest of the field. It may take a dedicated walk-behind sickle bar to get the immediate areas around the pond, but that would be cheaper than the Grillo. Not sure what to do with mutton, though.

When I read your post a couple weeks back, my first thought was "This guy is gonna get hurt". You can make your machine stable on that bank, but you still have to be behind it. That's a LOT of stress on your knees, hips, and ankles. I also don't think the Molon rake is going to perform as you think it will, throwing hay up a slope like that. You're gonna be fighting that rake HARD as it's trying to "rake" its way down the hill while throwing the hay UP the hill. I've watched videos of Europeans making hay on mountains, and have never seen them throw the hay up the hill. The Brielmower is neat, but it's also not available in the US & something like $25,000 according to Joel.

I contacted Joel and he said that he no longer recommends the 71" mower on the G110 because he had one transmission develop a hairline crack when the customer hit an unmovable object on the very end of the cutterbar. I'd be curious to see what would happen if someone did the same with a BCS. The sickle mowers are made mostly for haying. They can tolerate being used in rough terrain, but they will have more problems than if used in known areas clear of obstacles. Sickle mowers have nearly completely disappeared in large scale agriculture - Maintenance, speed, and effectiveness being the biggest reasons. Other than combines harvesting small grains and soybeans, the disk mower has completely taken over in the past 15 years.

Since balers were discussed, I'll throw in my 2 cents, even though you never said you were gonna buy one. I have sold a couple balers, and they are a neat unit, but they are very hard to justify for acreages of 2 acres or less. That amount of material can relatively easily be gathered by hand and pulled to shelter on a tarp or flat rack, or made into a stack on site & tarped. A Molon rake is a much better investment for areas this size, as it quickly piles the material to aid in gathering. The baler is better for areas 3-10 acres (maybe up to 20 acres for someone really committed to doing it), but is still very cost prohibitive. For personal use, even 10 acres can be done reasonably by gathering the hay loose. Really, one should only buy the baler if they need to move the hay far, or are selling the hay for profit..I dunno how round bales would be accepted by a potential buyer, btw. A $10,000 attachment that does the job a little better than a $25 pitchfork is just difficult to justify. It's more a want-to-have than a need-to-have. They are cool, though. A friend of mine has one and it's really neat to run. If you're going to buy a baler, buy a BCS 852.

With what you're looking to do, I'd buy some electric fence wire and get a herd of goats. Better yet, I'd research local native prairie plants, and plant them for a no-mow, no-animal option. Just burn the dam off every couple years to keep the weeds and brush from taking over. I think you'll find the cost and aggravation of dealing with haying or animals might not be worth keeping your "Agricultural tax valuation".

 

[NGOG NRYTHRNG]

farmerboybill:

The cracked Grillo transmission makes sense now: leverage on the wide sickle bar plus a tree = snap.

You and others have talked me into trying animals for the dam. At this point, electric fencing and someone else animals that they bring/remove on a set schedule, combined with leasing out the flatland for haying is the plan.

Burning in Texas is frowned upon and may attract gunfire, so not going to go that route until my suit of hydraulically powered tungsten-beryllium battle armor is perfected.

I have run the numbers on acquiring equipment for a small haying operation versus losing the agricultural tax valuation and it is close to a wash depending on your variables, but it does not take time into account. That said, once it is gone it can take many years to get it back, and it adds value when selling the land.

Thanks for the detailed reply.

 

[farmerboybill]

Another option if escape is of concern would be to tether the goats/sheep/llamas. You can set a series of stakes into the dam and run the goats on a leash. You can either run a zip line between taller posts, or just move the leashes from post to post as necessary. I'd still put up a perimeter fence, but it'd be more to deter predators than to keep the animals in.

 

[Ferrari340]

I mow steep hill sides with a BCS 749 with Honda gas engine, 12 x 6.5 tires, and dual (5" per side) wheel extensions. I usually use a 59" dual-action sickle bar mower.

The Honda gas engine has several advantages.

• Lower initial purchase price. Given how little fuel it uses at partial throttle while mowing I don't think would ever be better financially with a Diesel.
• Less weight on the back of the tractor trying to lift the mower.
• Lower engine replacement cost if necessary - $850 with electric start.

I like the wider track with the wheel extensions for both stability on hill sides and for less tilting going over bumps. Since the tractor has a differential maneuvering has not been an issue.

Hi David, I am also thinking of upgrading from 10" wheels. Are 12" much better on uneven ground? I find the 10" ones cause the tractor to bounce around a bit on uneven ground...