A local farmer gives me a better bale price if I take it off the wagon in the field. I stored 380 bales this year for my wife and daughter's 2 horses. With a friend's trailer I can bring in 50 bales at a time Not a full load. My barn is 24' by 36' w/ 4 stalls. I use one of the 12x12 stalls for hay storage and got about 300 bales in there before putting the last 80 bales in my 10x20 tent. The barn is just over 2 years old and I still need to work on the drainage in front (among all the other pending jobs including finishing the barn). Our summer in NY has been so wet the one time I tried to get the trailer to the barn I sunk it in the mud/clay pit in the front. Found working by myself it was best to put up to ten bales at a time in the loader to move them from the trailer to the barn. Not a full bucket load. After the pile started to grow I got smart and realized that instead of taking of a bale and climbing the pile it was much easier to climb the pile then pull off the bales 10 feet in the air. The pile is about 15 ft at it's highest point! Having a tractor to carry and lift sure was a BIG help!
Storing hay
- Thread starter Coville
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DOUBLEG
Member
I am also learning in my old age. Right now I am working at building a set of bucket pallet forks for my tractor. That way I can use them for lifting bales into the hay shelter. We stack them about 10' high.
We pick up the bales right from the field which isn't too bad with a carhauler trailer. But getting them stacked is a pain and I mean pain. I am still recovering from my back going out.
Think about building or buying a set of forks.
Good luck.
We pick up the bales right from the field which isn't too bad with a carhauler trailer. But getting them stacked is a pain and I mean pain. I am still recovering from my back going out.
Think about building or buying a set of forks.
Good luck.
Spark_man
Bronze Member
I hire 2 teenagers and pay them $10/hour. Loading and stacking 300 bales of hay doesn't take more than about 2 hours. $40 is a lot cheaper than a day laying on the floor with a sore back!
Egon
Epic Contributor
The only good hay/straw bale is one that does not have to handled by hand!
Forgot to mention the 50 bales I got that were reject by my wife AFTER they were in the hay stale. It did give me some good loader practice. I loaded up 10 bales at a time, then had to dump them over the electric fence. Good practice keeping the bucket level as it goes up 8 feet in the air. Didn't want a bale in my lap or damaging the fence. Farmer didn't charge me and didn't want them back. Wasn't worth his time and effort to sell as mulch. Anybody want some mulch hay?
Egon
Epic Contributor
Ues it for bedding.
bloody_peasant
Silver Member
Egon said:The only good hay/straw bale is one that does not have to handled by hand!
Ugh, no doubt, that was one job I hated as a teenager, picking up bales and throwing them up in the barn for less than $3 / hour yuck
and I've got pretty bad hay fever too double yuck Dirty, sweaty, covered in hay dust, and snot, no fun.
junkman104
New member
I used to get 50 cents and hour to throw bales, mmmmm that was a long time ago.
Thurd Ferguson
New member
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2006
- Messages
- 17
- Tractor
- JD 2210
I was paid 5 cents a bale back in the 80's. Hayfever too, just like bloody peasant covered in sweat and snot.
Not anymore, though.
Not anymore, though.
Spark_man
Bronze Member
Builds character - that's what my dad told me and that's what I tell my kids. In other words, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!
$3.00 per hour - now your just dating yourself
$3.00 per hour - now your just dating yourself
Timber
Veteran Member
Dam am I having childhood nightmares. I so hated hay delivery day. We got them by the semi load and conveyor them into the loft but you still had to pack them in. I wish I got paid. I'm itchy just thinking about it
Farwell
Veteran Member
We didn't grow hay but the neighbors did and I was first in line when it came to helping out pitching bales. I loved it. The thought of getting paid to work the hay fields never entered my mind. That was around 45 years ago, back when a neighbor pitched in to help if it was needed.
Farwell
Farwell
roermo
Gold Member
in the late 60's I was 12 or so, went to the uncles farm, bucked hay onto the wagon then to the barn, had to dodge the bull, then we got lucky had a barn loft 15 ft up that the bails had to make its way to. But we had a conveyor belt that took it to the loft, we made stairs of the bales to get to the top. We also made a game of how many black snakes or corn snakes we could find. The best part was the great country meals we had which made the 2 cents a bail a bit easier to sallow.
TBigLug
Bronze Member
Man, you were making $10.00/ hour in the '80's stacking hay! That's good money back then. I pay $8 - $10 for my help nowadays.
pitt_md
Veteran Member
The only good hay/straw bale is one that does not have to handled by hand!
There is a reason to have/use big round bales or large square bales. you can't lift them by hand so you have to have a tractor.
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AKfish
Super Member
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2004
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- 5,420
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- Alaska
- Tractor
- JD 5115M; JD 110 TLB; JD 4720; Ford 9N; JD X300R
Don't forget the black ants that seem to migrate to every bale laying in the field!!
Nothin' like throwin' the bale overhead to stack higher on the wagon or in the barn and having a cascade of black ants down your shirt and all over your head...
We got 6 cents a bale - split 3 ways. And we had to pick them up in the field and haul them to the barn and stack them either in the barn or build a stack outside between the buildings.
One stack was next to a pig brooder house and there were probably 30 sows with small pigs... we'd catch a little pig (electric fence) and haul 'em up a couple bale levels and just hold 'em --- whoee; you've never heard such a ruckus with 30 sows roarin' around the side of that stack! (The things that a 13-year old will do...)
Forks and a big wooden pallet. Can haul 20 small squares into the barn.
AKfish
Nothin' like throwin' the bale overhead to stack higher on the wagon or in the barn and having a cascade of black ants down your shirt and all over your head...
We got 6 cents a bale - split 3 ways. And we had to pick them up in the field and haul them to the barn and stack them either in the barn or build a stack outside between the buildings.
One stack was next to a pig brooder house and there were probably 30 sows with small pigs... we'd catch a little pig (electric fence) and haul 'em up a couple bale levels and just hold 'em --- whoee; you've never heard such a ruckus with 30 sows roarin' around the side of that stack! (The things that a 13-year old will do...)
Forks and a big wooden pallet. Can haul 20 small squares into the barn.
AKfish
bbowman
Member
I made $1.50 an hour and glad to get it...thought I was making a fortune!
That was a while back!
That was a while back!
Sniggle
Silver Member
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2008
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- 233
- Location
- Jefferson County, WV
- Tractor
- 2003 Kubota B7800 (new to me @ 435 hours
The last few years I have used my horse trailer to haul 50 bails at a time....meaning I had to handle them twice + drive time.
I found a local farmer who will bring a hay cart right to my hay barn full of 150 bales...I just have to unload and stack. The hay is not quite as good as the other hay I was getting but the savings in handling time and drive time more than makes up for it.
I do still need to replenish the horse barns hay storage every couple of weeks, but that is accomplished with 2 quick trips with the loader.
I found a local farmer who will bring a hay cart right to my hay barn full of 150 bales...I just have to unload and stack. The hay is not quite as good as the other hay I was getting but the savings in handling time and drive time more than makes up for it.
I do still need to replenish the horse barns hay storage every couple of weeks, but that is accomplished with 2 quick trips with the loader.
