The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor

[Hay Dude]

I know you asked @Hay Dude this question but I have some relevant experience...

We have a 15 acre field that was left go by the previous owner. We began brush cutting on it twice a year 5 years ago. We have no intention to hay ourselves.

That said, a neighbor came by and he asked if we would consider letting him hay the field. "Sure", was our answer.

I then asked him what it would take to get it to good hay. He said probably 30 tons of lime would be a good start. He guessed it would take another two or more years to get it into really good feed hay for his cows.

He has not yet started and we are still mowing with our 5' brush cutter. Yep - it takes a while.

Oh, and ours is all slopes.. some pretty steep. Maybe he decided it was not worth his time to bring the field to hay quality. The hills make the going slower on our machine as it is a Compact Tractor... only 33 ponies. A bigger machine would let us go faster

I have rehabbed many a field. I have seen some bounce back in one year. I have seen other remain stubborn for years.
The best suggestion I can give is intense mowing and making sure not to let weeds go to seed.

 

[Molalla1]

I have rehabbed many a field. I have seen some bounce back in one year. I have seen other remain stubborn for years.
The best suggestion I can give is intense mowing and making sure not to let weeds go to seed.

I concur . . .

 

[Hay Dude]

While you are mowing, get soil samples and send them to your local AG extension and see if you are acidic.

 

[Hay Dude]

Final push today to get the last fields mowed.

Thats a wrap on 2024 hay mowing.

Still have to rake & bale 2 fields, a lot more trucking and some large fields to be rotary mowed left. But it is nice to be done with disc mowing for the year….

 

[civilian]

Sure is nice reading your threads. Never been around the actual haying process, but you have explained in an understanding way. Makes it enjoying. Thanks. Jon

 

[Hay Dude]

Still plenty to do. I’ll be baling for another 1-2 weeks and trucking hay until the end of the year.
Then I have some field fertilizing to do.

 

[Hay Dude]

Did you ever get a scale for your loader?

No.
I really want one, though.

The Krone baler has a scale built into it, but the numbers are stored in the monitor. Helpful for tracking moisture & density. Really want a scale so I can track weight while I’m loading. That’s when it counts.

I’m looking at a 2nd loader tractor and a hay truck over the winter. Both would make my life so much easier.

If I do locate a loader tractor, I will install a scale on it. Might put a scale on the current Challenger loader tractor this winter, too.

 

[Hay Dude]

While waiting for the final fields to dry, it’s a good time to get some contract field mowing done.
This one takes over a full day. Challenger MT535B and Deere CX-15

It has some very steep areas, here’s some around a drainage basin.

You can really feel yourself at the tipping point, but it would probably slide before tipping.

 

[Hay Dude]

A little more mowing action on Friday. Steep roadside bank. Great supplemental income while waiting for hay to dry. I’ll do $40K in field mowing this year. My goal is to double that in the next 2 years and have a tractor dedicated to just mowing so the challenger I currently use is devoted solely to hay.

I’m really happy with the Challenger. Been a great tractor. Would like to buy another similar loader tractor to cut down on using it for so many tasks. I’d prefer to cut down on the hours it is used and spread the hours out over 2 loader tractors.

 

[Hay Dude]

Haying action yesterday (Saturday). I’m getting close to being done. Had 2 parcels to go. This one is about 16-18 acres under the power lines. Weather conditions were great. Made 15 really nice clean & green bales. Perfect for cattle hay.

This place is tough to get in/out of. Between the steep climb up a narrow path, pulling a 38,000LB baler and the railroad tracks, you have to be on your toes. I can just barely fit between the 2 posts and make the turn out on to the road.