The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor

[dodge man]

Nice to see your “new” dump truck getting used. I’ve wondered about it. I’m sure you’ll get the last few things sorted out.

 

[Hay Dude]

Nice to see your “new” dump truck getting used. I’ve wondered about it. I’m sure you’ll get the last few things sorted out.

I am going to revive that thread now.

 

[Hay Dude]

I see lots of different configurations of hay truck & trailer units going down the road. One type I seldom see that caught my eye is a typical tandem axle truck pulling a “wagon” type trailer. The trailer will usually have one axle aft and one axle fore. Kind of like a hay wagon. This would put more weight on the trailers axles and less ”pin weight” on the truck axles.

Looks like it would be nice to not have a trailer with jacks to worry about and could be pulled by a tractor as well



The other of course is a typical tandem pulling a typical excavators trailer

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

That's a lot of hay. Lol.

My first thought, after having to run double 28's for freight, is that they sure are a joy to back up while the rig is all hooked up.

 

[sixdogs]

Back to the highly desired “off farm” work

Weed wacked this pond yesterday. Luckily I had help. Me, myself and I all did it together.


First I got as close as I could with the F. I mangaged NOT to get stuck or put it in the water. Afterall I am a “professional”
View attachment 831347



Then “WE” weed wacked the rest. My wife always said I could do the work of 3 men….

View attachment 831348


This is a great customer. They have common ground that needs regular cutting, a 12 acre hay field, fields cut with 15’ mower that cannot be hayed, and the annual pond cut.

All adds up to a decent amount of gross income added to the bottom line.

Your wife's right.

 

[MoKelly]

This is a great thread. Thanks for taking the time to post all the pictures and information.

I have nothing good to contribute but it’s fun to read.

Here is my small field after it was hayed (not really hay but just grass mowed and baled). My neighbor feeds it to his cows.

 

[Hay Dude]

That's a lot of hay. Lol.

My first thought, after having to run double 28's for freight, is that they sure are a joy to back up while the rig is all hooked up.

Yeah definitely doubles are tough to back up.
I was thinking a 24 foot flatbed tandem axle truck pulling at 24 foot trailer. That would get me to 24 bales. This would only be a single trailer. Thinking about a wagon/front dolly style trailer or just a typical tandem equipment trailer.
Typical equipment trailer much easier to find used.

 

[Hay Dude]

Up this morning to load up 16 bales for the hay yard. Here I am going out to get bales in the Challenger. Straight ahead, you can see a stack of 2nd cutting. Off to the left, there’s some older first cutting.

Once I arrive and park, I am unloaded with a Cat articulating loader with a 4 prong bale spear.
Then I cut the strings.

Damn, this is nice hay. I should have saved these for feed bales….

The round bale guys will tell you that square bales don’t store well outside, but if you stack them properly, they can hold up for months outside. This bale has been outside since June and even the edges could still be fed.

Once I got back, I had to move equipment a few miles. Since I worked alone today, I had to “hoof-it“ down one of our historic back country roads to get the tractor.
This one goes right through the site of the Revolutionary War’s Battle of the Brandywine. We lost that battle. The British brought in their “Queens Rangers” to that battle. From what I read, they were a fearsome bunch of thugs.
I love brisk walks and running.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I have to do a lot of that jockeying equipment, truck's and trailers to and from the field to the barn or other fields as my crew have grown up and gotten jobs and or in the case of my youngest boy is busy with school and sports and it's not to bad other than when I'm pressed for time or trying to beat the rain, but there comes a time in life that you realize that things like the weather is one of the things that you don't have any control over, so you learn to go with the flow.

 

[workinonit]

I do that a lot for my buddy that farms my place. He's a two man operation and his son is in school as well. A couple of us help him when he is combining. Drive the grain trucks and wagons and move equipment.