Haying tips?

[WTA]

Anyone got any tips for hooking up my baler to the tractor to minimize the rocking back and forth?
Lots of other questions too. This is really my first year doing this with all of my own equipment so I'm sure I got a lot to learn.

My equipment is:

New New Holland TD95D. Tires are are all loaded.

Hesston 4570 square baler with hydraulic tension, quarter turn chute and moisture meter in the bale chamber.

NH 116 16 foot hydra swing haybine. I finally got that thing running right and figured out. The last owner replaced all the knives and guards on it but didn't know a thing about adjusting it properly.

NH 56 side delivery rake

NH 1002 bale wagon. It gave us some trouble at first but nothing a good cleaning and grease job didn't cure. Now I just have to bury a couple tall poles in the ground so I have something to lean the first stack up against.



About the rocking. I have the drawbar locked in place so it doesn't swing, Baler hitch bolted to the drawbar hole with the right size bolt to fill the hole, Running at rated RPM for it, 540. Don't know what else to do but I keep hearing if you have everything set right it shouldn't rock. It does it much worse on my neighbors big JD tractor though. Maybe it's normal.

We've had three long soaking rainy days in a row now and thankfully it started just minutes after I got the fertilizer out on my Bermuda. I went with the maximum rate too so it's going to be thick this month! I better get everything figured out now so I'm ready to go.

I've been wondering about the proper cutting height too for setting the swather at.
When I got it they had it set as high as it would go. I moved it down to the next to the last hole down. That cut about 3 inches off the ground.
I have a Giant Bermuda, Alfalfa and a Tiffany field and they are all flat and clean as can be. Should I go down as low as it can go or is there any benefit to doing that? I know I'll cut more and get a little higher yield but I also don't want to damage the crops in any way.

 

[Grrrr]

As for the baler rocking - I think it is perfectly normal behavior.

I don't think I have ever seen a tractor that doesn't rock a bit with a square baler behind it, even 100HP+.

Its normally more noticeable when you are not moving.

I will try and get a video of the neighbors Massey Ferguson 165 and their MF No 12 (I think) baler. I swear that thing lurches back and forward 3 foot each plunger stroke whilst it is stationary. You can hear the engine strain a little on each stroke as well.

I don't think there are really any tips to get rid of the rocking, except for making the tractor as heavy as possible. You could even try putting a oil drum full of concrete on the front if it really affects you.

Also, I don't know about the Hesston balers you have but I think the John Deere balers with the side mounted flywheels are better at not rocking then the New Hollands with their front mounted flywheels that do little to stop the rocking motion.

 

[Wildcat Ranch]

I have never heard that a baler shouldn't rock the tractor. That plunger IS going front to back and your on rubber tires. We have a 467 baler. (if you have read of my prior posts, I thought is was a 468) There is absolutely no play in the drawbar or the pin that it hooks onto. Whether it is on my TN65 which is 2wd and does not have filled tires nor weights or its on the 5425 which is 4wd, has loaded tires and has a loader, It will rock both tractors, especially if they are in park and its not being fed any grass.. It does rock the TN harder through..

We had sent in soil from one field to get it tested last fall. Fertilized accordingly and this year, we got approx. 3.5 tons an acre of grass/clover/vetch hay.

And one more thing, make sure your bale wagon is adjusted properly!! I have a 1002 also and didn't take the time to adjust it before taking it out to the field and couldn't figure out why I was having so many problems getting the bales up.. One of my main problems was the hinged 'flapper' on the pickup. Once I adjusted that it picked up beautifully! Lesson learned....

 

[slowzuki]

For height of cut, partly depends on what plants you have, the main reason to adjust is rocks. If you have lots of rocks the higher the better. Takes a lot of hay to pay for broken stuff.

The rocking, all balers rock. There is a perfect feed rate of hay at which they don't rock much, but they sure do still rock. Can feel it in a 10,000 lb tractor.

Tight pins help, a full wagon behind helps. The tight pin is bad in hilly or bumpy ground, it can get bent and impossible to remove.

 

[jimg]

Ditto on the rocking baler...my 326 can really put it to my 'big' TN75 if theres no hay going thru the baler.

As Ken said cut height depends on field condition and also the plant youre cutting. I cut at 3.5" which gives good regrowth (better than if I cut it very low as is the custom around here). This is esp important since w/ the last spring cut most of the time a very dry and hot summer is just around the corner. Id rather take in a bit less hay for better stand longevity.

ETA: I think its interesting Hesston recommends bolt/nut torqued to spec vs drop pin for the baler/tractor hook up. I dont exactly understand that.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

The last research I read said that grass hay should be cut at 4" because the grass stores the energy within the first 4" for the regrowth. If you cut lower then 4" you will take some of the stored energy and reduce the next growth.

Alfalfa is different, If I recall you could cut Alfalfa at 2" but I cut mine at 4" as it is a small patch and I don't want to adjust my cutter for one little field.

As for baler rocking, if you get a big enough tractor you won't notice the rocking "as much" but it is still there. There is no magic setting to remove the rocking effect other then shutting off the pto.

 

[WTA]

About the only obstacles in my field are turtles and frogs. I hit a big old aligator snapper the first time I used that swather and I have no idea how he got all the way up to the rolls but it was LOUD when he went through! No real damage was done at least. A pin on the drive chain for the roller broke is all. I had a few spare links in the tool box.

That's good to know about the rocking on the baler. Hesston has a ball swivel on the tongue to allow flexibility and they recommend bolting it on, which I do. It works great really. On my TD95D, the dealer kinda got on my nerves about hitching it because the drawbar on my tractor is a little over 18 inches high and nonstandard. The baler needs to be on a standard height drawbar of about 14 inches I believe. It would not adjust low enough to get the pickup where it needed to be. New Holland has a dropped hitch available but my dealer tells me it's only available in Italy or something.

How much sense does that make? The correct height drawbar by American standards is only available overseas but the one we get is the correct height for an overseas tractor. I will bring that up with New Holland in my next letter to them for sure.
I ended up making my own drop hitch. I cut one off an old trailer hitch and welded it on my drawbar to the proper height for the baler. The NH one, if they would sell it to me, would have been a bolt on part.

As for the swather I guess I'll leave it at the height it's set at now. My alfalfa and Bermuda have pretty fast regrowth as is and I don't think the per acre yield increase will be all that much dropping it another inch.

 

[Wildcat Ranch]

The last research I read said that grass hay should be cut at 4" because the grass stores the energy within the first 4" for the regrowth. If you cut lower then 4" you will take some of the stored energy and reduce the next growth.

I have read the same thing for grazing pasture also. Starting this year, we let the sheep graze until the grass is around 4", after they are moved to another field, we run through with the mower set at 5 1/2" (the highest setting) to cut down anything that they didn't eat and then they don't climb back on for 3-4 weeks. The fields are staying much greener and healthier!

 

[WTA]

I wish my horses would listen to me and stop at 4 inches. They take it to the dirt before moving on. I'm thinking about starting to graze them in the Bermuda durring it's 28 day growth period. I need to get the grass tested first though. I'm sure it's way too hot for any animal to graze on right now. 60 pound of N per acre after each cut will do that.

 

[jimg]

>>About the only obstacles in my field are turtles and frogs. I hit a big old
>>aligator snapper the first time I used that swather and I have no idea
>>how he got all the way up to the rolls but it was LOUD when he went
>>through!
Same here...exc it was a turtle that almost went thru the baler. Pickup didnt have enough 'catch' to get him to the packers. I wound up putting him in my pond and out of the way. He was pretty big too! Just as glad he didnt wind up baled.

>>Hesston has a ball swivel on the tongue to allow flexibility and they
>>recommend bolting it on, which I do. It works great really.
I like the swivel ball but sure dont get the bolt/nut thing. Its like wearing a belt and suspenders and seems a hassle to put on and off. Is it really that likely the baler and tractor will come unhitched????

>>On my TD95D, the dealer kinda got on my nerves about hitching it
>>because the drawbar on my tractor is a little over 18 inches high and
>>nonstandard.
Thats surprising!

>>How much sense does that make? The correct height drawbar by
>>American standards is only available overseas but the one we get is the
>>correct height for an overseas tractor.
Not much

 

[jimg]

>>we got approx. 3.5 tons an acre of grass/clover/vetch hay.

Wow, thats a bunch of hay! I thought my 2.5T/ac this spring was a lot. How many cuts do you take and is this irrigated land?

 

[Wildcat Ranch]

>>we got approx. 3.5 tons an acre of grass/clover/vetch hay.

Wow, thats a bunch of hay! I thought my 2.5T/ac this spring was a lot. How many cuts do you take and is this irrigated land?

We have not moved the irrigation onto that field, haven't and probably won't. We only got one cutting off of it this year.
We are trying out buckwheat no-till drilled in one of a pasture fields. We are irrigating it right now. Buckwheat supposedly is ready to cut in 5 weeks. After that, we will try grazing the sheep on it.

 

[WTA]

You must have been getting some good rain. Untill this week we hadn't shut off our irrigation for almost 45 days. Not at all! I still haven't gotten the electric bill and I'm kinda scared about it.

Wildcat Ranch: Do you have the manual for the 1002? The only problem I'm still having with my wagon is the pickup on it. It picks up the bale and lays it over but I have to have my son walking next to it to help the bale move onto the first table with a broom stick. It almost never gets it on it's own. That flapper on mine has a heavy hinge spring on the part where it swivels but the spring isn't attached. It just pivots freely and the spring part doesn't move. Should it be pulling that spring? Any tips you have for properly setting up the pickup would be greatly appreciated.
I did go and weld a wheel on to the front outboard corner of it. The bouncing up and down made me nervous about it breaking something. It doesn't bounce any more. I set it at the height listed on the label there. I think it was 4 inches but can't remember.

 

[jimg]

Wildcate: How many cuts in the regular yr? From the sound of it you must be not too far E of the Cascades in the rain shadow? When I was over in Ellensburg, WA all of their hay was irrigated and I think a single cut affair. Much of it was Timothy put in small sqs that went to the far east.

 

[Wildcat Ranch]

You must have been getting some good rain. Untill this week we hadn't shut off our irrigation for almost 45 days. Not at all! I still haven't gotten the electric bill and I'm kinda scared about it.

Wildcat Ranch: Do you have the manual for the 1002? The only problem I'm still having with my wagon is the pickup on it. It picks up the bale and lays it over but I have to have my son walking next to it to help the bale move onto the first table with a broom stick. It almost never gets it on it's own. That flapper on mine has a heavy hinge spring on the part where it swivels but the spring isn't attached. It just pivots freely and the spring part doesn't move. Should it be pulling that spring? Any tips you have for properly setting up the pickup would be greatly appreciated.
I did go and weld a wheel on to the front outboard corner of it. The bouncing up and down made me nervous about it breaking something. It doesn't bounce any more. I set it at the height listed on the label there. I think it was 4 inches but can't remember.

The last rain we had was about 3-4 weeks ago. We went all the way into June with rain.. It was nonstop!

Yes, I do have a manual. I had the same problem with mine. Does it seem that some bales struggle to even come up the pickup? If you look where the hinged spring connects to the flapper. There should be 2 settings, one with it lower to the ground (Tighter if the flapper is in the up position) and one with it higher making the chute wider. As soon as I adjusted that setting, the bales slid over like like the table was waxed!! I was grinning from ear to ear until my pto shaft busted apart.... The previous owner had welded a few extensions on the chain that moves the bales on that first table. He did have to notch the first table on the pickup side so that they could pass through. I fabbed a double acting hydraulic cylinder on my pickup. Its really nice but it needs to be single acting. I don't know too much about hydraulics but to make a double acting cylinder into a single, you take the hose off one side, drain the oil and then cap it? I will probably be adding that wheel on the pickup as well. If I am not making myself understandable, I could get you some pictures later on.

 

[Wildcat Ranch]

Wildcate: How many cuts in the regular yr? From the sound of it you must be not too far E of the Cascades in the rain shadow? When I was over in Ellensburg, WA all of their hay was irrigated and I think a single cut affair. Much of it was Timothy put in small sqs that went to the far east.

We only get one cutting unless we irrigate but we don't have too much water available. Last year, we tried irrigating everything and the well started to go dry. This year, we are keeping it to one field.
If you are familiar with the cascades, we are about 2 1/2 hours NW of sisters.

 

[zzvyb6]

I added a caster wheel to my bale pickup when I got it, then added the single acting cylinder in order to shake the bale onto the cross conveyer when one sticks in the chute. To make the cylinder single acting, just put a breather cap on the port not being pressurized. You can get them at TSC, etc. If the bales don't want to walk smoothly across the 1st table, those on the main (2nd table) may not be pushed on far enough. Adjust the first table lift link to have them pushed on further. Be careful not to go too far in case the 2nd table lift interferes with and hits it. I also added a 1x4x 5' board to the first table rack up front with cable ties. This also helps push the bales onto the 2nd table a bit further and also does not interfere with the rack lifting. Having well formed bales contributes to smooth operation of the stacker. This means square shape (no bananas), tighly packed (not flimsy), and smooth edges (sharp cutoff knives). Having the right ground speed and pto rpm is important, too. The manual suggests optimum values....

 

[Wildcat Ranch]

I added a caster wheel to my bale pickup when I got it, then added the single acting cylinder in order to shake the bale onto the cross conveyer when one sticks in the chute. I also added a 1x4x 5' board to the first table rack up front with cable ties. This also helps push the bales onto the 2nd table a bit further and also does not interfere with the rack lifting.

The set screw that holds the bar that pushes the bales over onto the first table broke off on me when I was almost done with a load so the bar fell down and was not doing what it was suppose to. To finish up the load before heading back to the shop, I would just tap the lever and the pickup would toss then over onto the first table. On one bale, I had yanked the lever a little harder then what I should have and the the bale ended up on top of the bale that was already on the first table.

My second table does have surface rust and I can see that they don't slide willingly but by adding that 1x4 in there, doesn't that lift the bale higher and the conveyor chain won't be as eager to move it across?

 

[WTA]

I would appreciate some good pics of how that flapper is supposed to work when you have time. It sounds like mine is upside down and backwards. No suprise considering who worked on it last.

 

[Wildcat Ranch]

I'll try to get them when I get home this afternoon.