The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor

[BackRoad]

Always amazed at how quickly the days grow shorter here in PA.

Just over 12 hours of sun light now, but it's sure seems like it's getting dark early...

 

[Hay Dude]

Always amazed at how quickly the days grow shorter here in PA.

Just over 12 hours of sun light now, but it's sure seems like it's getting dark early...

Indeed my friend. It feels like it gets dark more like 10 minutes earlier each day than 1.
Weather not looking good. Not a lot of rain, but much cooler and cloudier. i think I was spoiled by the last 15 days.

 

[ning]

The length of daylight changes the most rapidly around the equinoxes (next ones Sept 22 2024, March 20 2025).

(Example daylight length graph typical around 39°N; at 39°S the shape of the graph is the same, it's just shifted 6 months)

In the same amount of time - about two months - around the solstices (June 20 2024, December 21 2024, June 20 2025) there's about (on this graph - at about 39°) a 45 minute change in day length while around the equinoxes there's about 150 minutes. The closer to the poles you are, the higher the amplitude of the graph - at the polar circles the graph will go from 0 to 24 in six months (with the peaks and troughs just touching the 0 & 24 briefly - being tangent) while beyond the polar circles the peaks and troughs are actually clipped, to the point that it's practically a step function at the poles, each day being either daylight or not-daylight).

 

[Hay Dude]

Mowed more hay than a man should have to today. Here’s a few pics.

This is one of my bigger fields. Probably about 80 acres. Takes a while.

I have to get my tree stand cleaned up & ready. Bow season is here. LOL

Finished the day doing some bale stacking

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Cutting 80 acres in a day is unheard of down hear, that's getting after it.

 

[Hay Dude]

Mixed bag today.
Started off just fine. Moved to another field to drop another 35 acres. Here I am at first light getting ready to roll.

Made 2 passes and heard metal on metal racket, then smoke. I immediately dumped the PTO. Turns out a bearing nuked for the conditioner rolls on the front mower. The race and the bearings were gone in a split second.

I mowed for about 4 hours with the side mower only.

I’m so short on time, I made the call for the parts delivery, and decided to go back to where I was yesterday and continue some more baling. It was almost 12 and I had planned on leaving anyway.

Back to baling. Very sunny and 80+ might be my last baling day for a while. Rain predicted early this week.

Anyway, here’s some raking & baling pics…

Note bales behind me in side-view mirror.

This was about 3PM. Back in the raking tractor. I’m gettin there, but a long way to go.

Average bale weights were ~1750 @ 80% pressure.

Tractor & Baler really need a bath don’t they?

All baled up and heading back to mowing.

Bearings are installed (did both sides), so I jumped in the Ram to go back to do some more mowing until dark.

More tomorrow!

 

[number two]

Long day for sure!
Wonder how many socialists would work that hard?

 

[Molalla1]

Long day for sure!
Wonder how many socialists would work that hard?

 

[Locoweed]

Work????

 

[scootr]

When you have to work that hard at earning a living, taxes on the fruits of your labor seem criminal. Hang in there