What size/type Massey for square hay baler?

   / What size/type Massey for square hay baler? #21  
OK, that makes it easier. Robert can give precise info since he knows that general area. If you can reliably get 3 cuts @ 2t/ac making 50# bales then you'd need to hay about 15ac. It could be more or less depending on the ground, rainfall in a particular year and management practices. Id go w/ a bit more since year to year youre never sure whether the weather will cooperate and those unforeseen problems that crop up from time to time. Id rather have more hay than less going in to winter w/ animals to feed. Its better to have some to sell than be forced to buy in late winter/early spring. Anyway, assuming 15-20ac a MF 3625 or 35 w/ in a 12x12 would be good. Having the extra gears will make life easier when mowing & baling. With that small acreage you can also get by nicely w/ a haybine (vs discbine) + theyre much less expensive to buy. I also contend in the long run theyre less expensive to maintain if youre careful. The extra hp (assuming the 3635) would get consumed in the baler...being able to bale faster. Also in future if you wanted to switch to a small discbine you could w/o the need to upgrade the tractor.

I have similar size ground in TN and figure in an avg year w/ close management Ill get 3 cuts. The first 2 should come in at 2t/ac or better. The 3rd will probably avg between 1-2t. Im basing this on current conditions -- right now the hay contract isnt mine and the guy doing it is putting out minimum effort/resources and getting 1.5t/ac and 2 cuts. I bought a TN75 16x16 + a good used pair of MF 725 haybines. In the spring Im going to look around for a used Lely 300 or a new Vermeer TR90 (these are combination tedder/rakes). I havent decided on a baler yet but the inlines are interesting. I have some time though before I have to make up my mind.

BTW out of curiosity I priced a 3635 configured as closely as possible to my TN. The price was similar and I think there was some room to negotiate. A 3635 2wd, 12x12, 2 remotes was basically $25k.
 
   / What size/type Massey for square hay baler? #22  
What type of hay are you planning on growing? I didn't even get a second cutting last year because it wouldn't stop raining. This year it hasn't rained much so I don't know how much if any second cutting there will be at all. This is with grass hay though, if your going with Alfalfa (which would be a strange choice for horses) then you can get multiple cuttings.

To average 3200 bales I would want at least 35 acres dedicated to hay. You should easily average 2 tons (100- 40 pound bales) per acre with minimal effort on first cutting. If you have a good year put an ad up at the local feed store or TSC and you will sell it. If storage isn't an issue, put it in the barn and advertise it around March and you will get a decent price.

Remember, if you cut your hay acreage to the bare minimum for an average year then you will be in trouble if your hay crop gets rained on.
 
   / What size/type Massey for square hay baler?
  • Thread Starter
#23  
Thanks again guys...

Yes, we will do our best to have more then what we need to make sure our horses are taken care off correctly over the winter, The numbers I gave were a "round about" just to give you all something to go by. We wont need to sell any hay if we can't, like I said the loads of hay are just to give me a break and do some driving, I like to drive to relax, but there will be no need to make the extra money (well you know I mean, extra money is always great, we just wont need it to live).

Robert... Yes we are going to be growing Alfalfa, BUT we will be planting the Alfalfa on the same field as Timothy. The hope is if the seasons works out like we hope we should get our 1st cut of Timothy, then the 2nd should be a mix of T&A, then who knowns what the % will be "if" we get a late 3rd cut... I could be wrong on my % of Timothy/Alfalfa numbers, correct me if I am.

With everything said about making sure we have what we need for our horses, I would make sure I do have more then we need... In other words I would go with a 10/15% higher number in acreage in hay then I think (or you all tell me) that we need.

Storage will not be a problem, if there isn't a barn that we can store every bale in, then we will build what is needed, we will not let one bale sit out.

About equipment... Maybe we will get the tractor used (chances are that will be new also), but all other equipment will be new. I know there is some great used stuff out there (maybe I can find some equipment with very few run time), but when it comes to any type of equipment I "must" depend on and can't handle a long time break down, I have to start off new, I just don't want someone else's problems.
 
   / What size/type Massey for square hay baler? #24  
If you are going to do Alfalfa/Timothy make sure you do a soil test and get your ground ready ahead of time.

I don't have a lot of experience with Alfalfa/Timothy as I am just playing around with a small field of it this year basically to learn a few things by trial and error. So I really am not much help in this field.
 
   / What size/type Massey for square hay baler? #25  
Also, if you plan on buying all new equipment for your operation I would appreciate it if you would buy me a New Holland TS 115A for all my help. It might even get you a better discount on your other equipment if you buy from New Holland :D

If you do I will even come over and help supervise;)
 
   / What size/type Massey for square hay baler? #26  
>>I didn't even get a second cutting last year because it wouldn't stop
>>raining. This year it hasn't rained much so I don't know how much if any
>>second cutting there will be at all. This is with grass hay though,
Wow...I thought you lived in ideal hay country. Thats terrible! Even w/ severe drought the 2nd cut on my hay ground will be OK...not as good as spring but OK. In those years of drought couldnt you just irrigate right out of that big lake next to your fields??

>>If storage isn't an issue, put it in the barn and advertise it around
>>March and you will get a decent price.
Best idea!!
 
   / What size/type Massey for square hay baler? #27  
Robert_in_NY said:
Also, if you plan on buying all new equipment for your operation I would appreciate it if you would buy me a New Holland TS 115A for all my help. It might even get you a better discount on your other equipment if you buy from New Holland :D

If you do I will even come over and help supervise;)
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
 
   / What size/type Massey for square hay baler?
  • Thread Starter
#28  
Thanks I'll let the wife know about the New Holland TS 115A, I'm sure she wont have a problem with that ;) . Don't get me wrong, we don't have money to say, buy and buy and not worry about where it goes. We just happen to get lucky with the land we bought here and will make one heck of a profit from it.

By the way, mistype above from me...

Alfalfa will be the 1st cut.

T&A the 2nd cut.

I think I will keep our plans on 2 cuts only per year, just to be safe... I know (well I hope) 2 cuts could be bailed... No matter what I do not want to buy from someone else.
 
   / What size/type Massey for square hay baler? #29  
I wasn't assuming you had money to burn. I was only trying to help you get a better deal on some New Holland equipment;)
 
   / What size/type Massey for square hay baler? #30  
jimg said:
>>I didn't even get a second cutting last year because it wouldn't stop
>>raining. This year it hasn't rained much so I don't know how much if any
>>second cutting there will be at all. This is with grass hay though,
Wow...I thought you lived in ideal hay country. Thats terrible! Even w/ severe drought the 2nd cut on my hay ground will be OK...not as good as spring but OK. In those years of drought couldnt you just irrigate right out of that big lake next to your fields??

>>If storage isn't an issue, put it in the barn and advertise it around
>>March and you will get a decent price.
Best idea!!

I can irrigate some of my fields but I don't have a pivot or even any fields good enough to set up an irrigation system. In this area it is usually too wet or two dry. The last two years have been great for first cutting because it didn't rain for weeks. However, it didn't rain a lot during the spring either so most of the grass shot up to a head and we didnt get a lot of tonnage. Even now it still refuses to rain.:(

I do know as soon as I break down and sink a lot of money into an irrigation system it will rain for the next ten years:rolleyes:
 

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