The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor

[Hay Dude]

Sad that trespassers are always a problem all over the country.

It’s always one of 2 types:

1. Kids on bikes, jeeps, quads
2. The “this land is your land, this land is my land” commies who think that all land is owned by everyone.

The kids are annoying, but you understand their immaturity.

The second type you just want to belt in the mouth.

 

[EddieWalker]

Back in CA, there was a guy who's family used to own a bunch of land we hunted on. His dad sold most of it, and he lived in the family house with a couple of acres. He acted like his family still owned the land and was a constant problem during deer season. Since the used to own it, he felt he had the right to hunt on it even though the new landowner told him to stay off of it and even built new fencing to keep him out.

 

[LouNY]

That's a huge difference. Where those rocks just laying there? Here in East Texas, rocks have to be brought in from Oklahoma and Arkansas. And they are expensive!!!!!

Lots of rocks around here and they are still very expensive, the repair and maintenance cost of working around the danged things is immeasurable.
I see videos of farmers in different areas and they are talking about 7-10 mph tillage, in my area 3 mph is good any faster you will spend more time repairing and replacing parts then working.
The saying around here is slow down and keep your butt in the comfortable seat and get the work done, or go up a gear, go faster and spend all your time working on the equipment.

 

[deserteagle71]

That's a huge difference. Where those rocks just laying there? Here in East Texas, rocks have to be brought in from Oklahoma and Arkansas. And they are expensive!!!!!

If you need some rocks, please stop by. I have multiple piles on my place just like this that I had to pull out of the ground so I could mow. No charge!

 

[scootr]

Clearing a 5 acre field of surface rocks for mowing > 2.5 buckets

 

[dodge man]

If you need some rocks, please stop by. I have multiple piles on my place just like this that I had to pull out of the ground so I could mow. No charge!
View attachment 1948836

Those look like cairns (sp?)

 

[LouNY]

Clearing a 5 acre field of surface rocks for mowing > 2.5 buckets

Many years ago picking the rocks on an 8 acre field was two days of trudging back and forth along side a flat wagon tossing stones on then pushing them off in the corner of the field. Several loads per day, and that was just picking 6 inch and bigger. The wonders of mouldboard plows and spring tooth harrows.
The use of heavy cultipackers behind chisel plows and no till planters was a god send.

 

[Jason05216]

I don't know if you've every watched the Millennial Farmer on Youtube but I'm amazed at the size of the rocks they keep pulling up in their field when they plow. The size of some of them is really surprising.

 

[LouNY]

I don't know if you've every watched the Millennial Farmer on Youtube but I'm amazed at the size of the rocks they keep pulling up in their field when they plow. The size of some of them is really surprising.

Yes and look at the amount of broken shanks from hitting them and they just have a few scattered around.

 

[Hay Dude]

Makes me more grateful I am no-till and mostly farming land that’s been farmed for over 200 years.

 

[hayden]

Be glad you aren't in New England 200 years ago.... I have probably 10 miles of stone walls on my land, all built from stones pulled from fields as they were cleared 200+ years ago. And you still can't dig a hole anywhere without hitting more of them..

 

[Molalla1]

It’s always one of 2 types:

1. Kids on bikes, jeeps, quads
2. The “this land is your land, this land is my land” commies who think that all land is owned by everyone.

The kids are annoying, but you understand their immaturity.

The second type you just want to belt in the mouth.

HD, I believe I've posted this before, we had this trouble a few years ago but most that were trespassing were young adults . . . my son stopped it in very quickly . . . his presence and calm demeanor (he is 6'5" and around 250 lbs.) stopped it.

 

[RayIN]

Years ago, when I was in high school; my neighbor complained to one of his neighbors about the son riding his dirt bike in the newly planted field between them.
The boys dad was very confrontational and told my neighbor to shove it.
Well, the next day my neighbor drove his big JD with 3-bottom plow attached over to talk with the man again.
When the man once again got confrontational, my neighbor climbed on his tractor and left, as he did he lowered the plow and drove across the mans front yard. He said it left perfect furrows__.
The boy stopped riding his dirt bike on others property.

 

[deserteagle71]

Be glad you aren't in New England 200 years ago.... I have probably 10 miles of stone walls on my land, all built from stones pulled from fields as they were cleared 200+ years ago. And you still can't dig a hole anywhere without hitting more of them..

In September I went back to Pennsylvania and drove by what used to be our old farm and saw that at least one of the ancient rock fences is still there. When I was growing up there in the 50s every field was surrounded by these fences. About 30 years ago people began selling the fences - big demand for those rocks on in Japan, I was told.

My siblings and I with one of the fences. Date is at the top of the photo:

I'd hate to estimate how many tons of rock we gathered from those fields in the years I lived there!

 

[Hay Dude]

In September I went back to Pennsylvania and drove by what used to be our old farm and saw that at least one of the ancient rock fences is still there. When I was growing up there in the 50s every field was surrounded by these fences. About 30 years ago people began selling the fences - big demand for those rocks on in Japan, I was told.
View attachment 1958408

My siblings and I with one of the fences. Date is at the top of the photo:
View attachment 1958409

I'd hate to estimate how many tons of rock we gathered from those fields in the years I lived there!

Man I wish you woulda told me. I would have bought you lunch.

 

[Hay Dude]

Getting the wood chips cleaned up. I decided to fork them up and throw them around the fence to help (a little) with keeping weeds down.

When next hay season rolls around, I think I cleared enough brush (approx 30 x 800, or a little more than a 1/2 acre) to make an additional 1 or 2 bales at each cutting. Also, the gate you see is now useable. That gate will make my like so much easier. I always wanted to be able to have access to this field by this gate. If you see the green serpentine stone pillars across the street, you get an idea of how close it gets me to the main farm driveway.

Below: Moving some of the small granite boulders I found in the bramble to openings where 4 wheelers or super-truckers might want to enter field with the HLA log grapple.

 

[Hay Dude]

Rearranging the shop & cleaning up/repairing the baler.

Trying to go “bumper to bumper” with the IH-7500 against the 655E. Every inch of space is needed.

 

[Dryland Farmer]

Rearranging the shop & cleaning up/repairing the baler.

View attachment 2080382



Trying to go “bumper to bumper” with the 655E. Every inch of space is needed.
View attachment 2080384

Be careful! Don't bend the front weights on the tractor.

 

[Hay Dude]

Be careful! Don't bend the front weights on the tractor.

Yeah they bend like aluminum. lol

 

[number two]

Never a dull moment!
Do you get any time off for Christmas?
Good Luck!