The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor

[Slowpoke Slim]

Back onto some real steep ground today mowing with the Challenger.
This place is STEEP. Like pucker steep.


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It can be hard to get the visual perspective of just how steep a slope is with pictures. I've tried several times myself and failed. But that does look steep to me. I think I would chicken out and go straight up and straight down the slopes there, even though it usually makes the passes less efficient.

 

[Xfaxman]

It can be hard to get the visual perspective of just how steep a slope is with pictures. I've tried several times myself and failed

Here is one of mine with a hanging chain to show true vertical:

Just to be clear, I only hung the chain there for the pictures and removed it after the pictures.

 

[Gator6x4]

Here is one of mine with a hanging chain to show true vertical:

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Good tool/device. If mine I would also add a rod with green-yellow-red sections for the chain to slide across which would give me instant visual recognition if I should continue going forward or turn down hill and call it a day.

 

[scootr]

This is a great idea... I'm going to mount a little chain under the front of my canopy.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

Wanted to step in here and say it again:

Thank you all for contributing and also uploading your cool pictures.

Reading this thread and seeing your pictures is a real treat, and we all appreciate you very much.

 

[aczlan]

The big dairies (3000+ milking cows) around here are starting their 3rd cutting. Drove by a few fields yesterday that they had finished cutting (haylage) some chopper tracks and a lot of truck and dump cart tracks and ruts in nice hay fields.
The smaller beef operations are just getting started on 2nd cutting and are being a lot nicer to their fields.
It is amazing the amount of ground the big boys cover in a day.
Of course with triple headed mowing units covering 26 to 36 foot width at a pass, then the big mergers putting 12 swaths into one windrow for that big self propelled chopper to pickup it doesn't take much time to cover a good piece of ground.

They are probably also doing haylage, so they don't need anywhere near as much dry time as putting up dry hay does.

Well, I FINALLY finished 1st cutting

Only about 3 weeks later than normal.…..
Strangest summer, so much rain.

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Awesome, we just finished as well, a whole 18 5x4 round bales from the last pieces that were too wet to cut last time, small potatoes but the cows like it.

Aaron Z

 

[Hay Dude]

Little different twist today. Customer with a meadow buried deep behind a nice development. Lots going on. Tree limbs trimmed, brush to cut, field to mow, inlet/outlet structure to clear.

We cut the phragmites in the basin once a year.

Believe it or not, this is pretty steep. Not too bad, but steep enough to keep you taking it nice & slow.

Makes for a great customer. Lots of different tasks and we keep expanding the scope of what we do for them.

 

[Hay Dude]

Kicked off 2nd cutting a few days back. Weather has been great for about a week.
Here we go again!

Long way to go until completion, but have to start somewhere, right?
Listened to the Phillies/Brewers game in the cab for entertainment.

 

[Hay Dude]

We have an intense manhunt for an escaped double murderer going on right around the hayfields I farm. Showed up today at a customers place and there was a 1/2 dozen state police vehicles. Men in tactical gear with AR-15 or M-16 frames.
Apparently I was on the local news when I showed up in my Massey Ferguson with the hay mower.

On the way I home cops had roads closed all over our little town.

People are freaking out.

 

[K5lwq]

We have an intense manhunt for an escaped double murderer going on right around the hayfields I farm. Showed up today at a customers place and there was a 1/2 dozen state police vehicles. Men in tactical gear with AR-15 or M-16 frames.
Apparently I was on the local news when I showed up in my Massey Ferguson with the hay mower.


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On the way I home cops had roads closed all over our little town.

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People are freaking out.

It would be a shame if he ended up in the middle of one of your big square bale. Or would it….