Haying

[cowboydoc]

Thanks Hillbilly that means alot coming from you.

Youare,
Round bales are definitely easier. I still make quite a few square bales but feed round bales as much as possible. Back home in Idaho square bales were no big deal because we had stackers and everything was stacked outside. Here in the midwest I have yet to see a hay stacker, machine kind anyway /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif. Also all the square bales have to be stored inside. 50,000 square bales is really something! I wouldn't even attempt that!

 

[Molerj]

Fifty thousand, geesh that is a whole lotta bales. That must be some big operation.

 

[Bird]

In my part of the country there's lots of the round bales put up, and just a few of the little square bales. But last month I was passing through the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles and it appeared that they were mostly putting up BIG square bales. I couldn't be sure, just driving through, but it appeared to be alfalfa (quite a lot of irrigated fields). That's something I've never seen done in my area and I wonder why the difference; cost of equipment? easier to stack to haul or store?

Bird

 

[Phred]

Bird,

I am told that those big alfalfa bales are prefered by many big dairy operations. Equipment cost is very high, therefore you need many acres to make it cost effective. The real plus is that they stack efficiently on a flatbed trailer, and you can use equipment to move them around. The small bales are to much work, and the big round bales do not stack well for long distance shipment.

Cowboydoc,
Great job!
What size is your round bailer? Looks like ~4x5?
How many pto hp does it take to run that thing?

Fred

 

[Bird]

About what I suspected, Fred, that the equipment would be expensive.

Bird

 

[cowboydoc]

Hi Fred,
Thanks for the compliments. Yes you are exactly right about the big square bales. The round baler will do a 6 foot bale. I think you have to have a 75 hp minimum tractor to run it.

 

[ddl]

My Brothers farm in S.Dak. and i think it is still the midwest and they stack the big round bales into stacks three wide five long and three layers. Once stacked, a haymover , abed with chains backs up to the stack, up the bed and off to the farm yard to unload. Tractors with loaders do the stacking and once on the ground in the hay yard, a tractor with a loader move the bales a round into the hay feeders. I Iowa you must remember that every thing is on a smaller scale. Most farmers that use round bales have the wagon that holds six to eight bales and they pull them home.

I do think it is hard to remove the man from the farm and it looks like what you did was more fun than work. That is one of the reasons that I do spring tilling, I get to play in the dirt.

Dan L

 

[cowboydoc]

ddl,
Yes you are right about removing the farm, or in my case the ranch, from the man. I can't imagine living any other way. Yes it's alot of work but it is fun too.

 

[RichZ]

Richard, great pictures!! And very timely for me, because I'm hoping to start preparing my first hayfields! I just got my King Kutter rotary cutter, thanks to John Miller's help. Saturday, John and I are going to an auction where I hope to pick up a manure spreader (thanks for your advise, as usual). My friend, who I will be doing the haying with has a square bailer that we have to get repaired. As usual, I'm sure I'll get more great advise from you! You read my mind on this one!! Thanks!!!!!

Rich

 

[cowboydoc]

Rich,
Be on the lookout for a mower conditioner. JD makes a 1219 model that is not too expensive if you can find a used one. Definitely much better to go with a moco if you can find one. Also be on the lookout for a good rake and hay wagons. On your square baler if you've got help you can do hay really easy. You can just hook one of the hay wagons onto the baler. Then you have one guy just picking the bales off the baler as it makes them. Alot easier than having to go back and pick them up off the ground. Look for a 640 jd model hayrake. They are the best hayrake that jd ever made in my opinion. You can usually find them for around $500-1300. Happy Hunting!