TexasMark hay????

[Tx Jim]

Yes JD 330 rd baler is open throat. I'm glad you're making progress although no offense intended it will surprise me if your hay is dry enough not to turn "tobacco brown". How long was it lying on the ground?

 

[wmonroe]

Does the Branson have a cummins in it? A 4 cylinder?

 

[flusher]

Looks like crimping that long stuff isn't working too well and you may end up mulching it and writing this episode off to experience.

Before throwing in the towel, I'd try to chop it up with my 6-ft wide brush hog set with the rear 2-3 inches higher than the front. Wouldn't hurt to do a test run to see if there's any benefit.

In the past you could buy Bush Hog brand hogs that had a removable left side for mowing hay. It worked pretty well, but tended to chop the hay too much if you weren't careful.

Good luck

 

[Texasmark]

Does the Branson have a cummins in it? A 4 cylinder?

Yes. It's built under Cummins license by Komatsu Heavy Equipment in Japan. It's the Cummins B 3.3 NA, 3.3 Liter Naturally aspired 65 brake HP. Komatsu is the other yellow equipment you see beside Catepillar at construction sites. Cummins is international and have numerous reliable licensed mfgrs in the world.

It really helped make the sale.

Mark

 

[Texasmark]

Looks like crimping that long stuff isn't working too well and you may end up mulching it and writing this episode off to experience.

Before throwing in the towel, I'd try to chop it up with my 6-ft wide brush hog set with the rear 2-3 inches higher than the front. Wouldn't hurt to do a test run to see if there's any benefit.

In the past you could buy Bush Hog brand hogs that had a removable left side for mowing hay. It worked pretty well, but tended to chop the hay too much if you weren't careful.

Good luck

I tried about 50' of that and it just didn't work. Just made the mess worse.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Texasmark]

Yes JD 330 rd baler is open throat. I'm glad you're making progress although no offense intended it will surprise me if your hay is dry enough not to turn "tobacco brown". How long was it lying on the ground?

Actually I don't remember. Prior to the one rain, it was subjected to about 3 days of hot dry weather. The rain came and went. I got back on it second day after the rain and started scattering it. Did that every day keeping it flipped and keeping the tedder crimping the stems. Last few days have been hot and dry with a big southerly wind and have kept it fluffed up.

I had a problem with a jam on a bale I did early in the day, day before yesterday and couldn't tie it. So I dumped it. Yesterday I put it on a hill and rolled it out to rebale it and it was going through a sweat but not that bad. I think it'll be ok. It's definitely not "tobacco grade"......I have done that before trying to beat a rain when it would have been better to just let it rain on the stuff and bale afterwards.

This stuff is really leafy and the leaves were cracking and falling off while baling they were so dry. Some of the stems were a little damp but the majority were dry. The majority of the stems average the diameter of a yellow pencil.

 

[Texasmark]

Jim,

Some pics I shot today. Been baling for the third day now. Got-R-Done. In answer to some of your questions, pics not baloney. Called my buyer today and he came over and looked at it and took it all at my price....I was reasonable and he was thrilled. Chance of rain is 33% for this evening and the humidity supports the claim. Happy camper; hays in.

I realize that this verbal exchange is between the two of us but you know as well as I that there are folks out there that may not participate in the discussions, but none-the-less glean information from them. This is for them too and part of the reason for going to the trouble with pics and all.

#1 Is my fire extinguisher. Put it in the cab as if the bailer were on fire I didn't want to have to go into the fire to get the extinguisher like you would have to for the ones JD mounts on the front left side of the baler.

#2 Is just showing the innerds of the bail I told you I dumped due to a clog and rolled down a hill.....no tobacco.

#3 Time to clean the chaff out of the baler.

#4 and 5 True 4x5 bale dimensions.

Regards,
Mark

 

[Tx Jim]

I agree the stems appear small for a Sudan type hay. Bales look good and I'm glad you got it sold. And of course I'm glad you made ALL THAT $$$$$$$. On the tobacco hay it will take several weeks for that to appear if in fact it does but I doubt that it will from your description & from viewing your photo's.

 

[wmonroe]

That's good you were able to get it baled up and sold. It looks better than I expected from following what you had said so far.

 

[Texasmark]

That's good you were able to get it baled up and sold. It looks better than I expected from following what you had said so far.

Thanks. Me too. Thought for sure it was a total loss and just the opposite happened.

What amazes me about hay is how fast it can cure under the right conditions. I mean in 2-3 hours on a hot sunshiny day with good wind blowing it can go from no to yes.

On the learning something every day, I now know that on a heavily loaded field, all you need is your tedder and baler; no rake, no windrows and better packed bales, easier to keep them squared off too. Funny, a guy down the road that does 300+ 5x6 rolls for himself annually does the same thing. I saw it driving by his place yesterday. Shucks had I known that beforehand I wouldn't have sweated it......"sweated" it. Grin

Thanks,
Mark