2008 Haying - Alabama Style

As you saw in my other post on "Who's cutting Hay" - the neighbor and I put 24 acres of Costal and 13 acres of MaxQ on the ground today. Expect to bail the Costal on Monday and the MaxQ on Tuesday.

Here are a few pictures of my MaxQ which looks to be about the same as last years hay. I believe I got 68 5'x4' rolls off 13 1/2 acres last year.

Ain't it fun cutting a stand of grass like that. Looks like it's going to make some pretty good hay.

man thats a nice stand of grass.sure makes you smile while your cutting an baling it.

I wish I could get a weather window to cut hay. I have hay that heavy, and can't get it cut.
Are the pictures the Max Q or the Coastal? I have no experience with either, but what I see looks like fescue?
Nice, heavy hay.

What is that doohickey on the front of the tractor?

man i love seeing that...i think we are gonna cut one of our hay fields tomorrow. this is always my favorite time of year

Are you going to enter the hay quality contest again this year?
(For those who don't know, this fella can grow some blue ribbon hay)

Joo,

I dropped by the Regional County agents home yesterday and picked up the core bit. Tomorrow when we bale, I will have Pop in the truck going around taken core samples as soon as they come out of the baler. I'll have it tested again and we will see how it turns out. $15 for the hay analais isn't too much, It helps me understand what I have to work with next winter.

And yes, last year I had some decent cool season grass hay. Last year I was lucky enough to have my hay win 1st place in it's class at the Alabama Hay Contest and 2nd place in it's class in the Sunbelt Expo in Moultire GA. As the old saying goes, even a blind dog finds a bone every once in a while.....

denoginnizer":2xg0voqu said:

What is that doohickey on the front of the tractor?

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Took the words outta my mouth. Actually, I thought it looked more like a thingamajig.

cfpinz":1m078073 said:

denoginnizer":1m078073 said:

What is that doohickey on the front of the tractor?

Click to expand...

Took the words outta my mouth. Actually, I thought it looked more like a thingamajig.

Click to expand...

Dang the suspense is killin me.

denoginnizer":13jl214s said:

cfpinz":13jl214s said:

denoginnizer":13jl214s said:

What is that doohickey on the front of the tractor?

Click to expand...

Took the words outta my mouth. Actually, I thought it looked more like a thingamajig.

Click to expand...

Dang the suspense is killin me.

Click to expand...

Can't tell from that distance. Looks almost like a bar to tow the tractor with a truck or something.

denoginnizer":1q0mnlfq said:

What is that doohickey on the front of the tractor?

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Doohickey ? You are gonna be suprised !

cfpinz":1q0mnlfq said:

Took the words outta my mouth. Actually, I thought it looked more like a thingamajig.

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Thingamajig ? Might want to put those words back.

denoginnizer":1q0mnlfq said:

Dang the suspense is killin me.

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Don't let it, lifes too short.

TexasBred":1q0mnlfq said:

.... Looks almost like a bar to tow the tractor with a truck or something.

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Sounds like an accident waiting to happen.





Here is a closeup picture of the doohickey / thingamajig / suspense killer / towbar -





Ther tractor belongs to my neighbor who is also my custom baler. The "doohickey / thingamajig / suspense killer / towbar" is actually a homebuilt lift for a hayfork. If you look closely you can see that the left & right sides of the frame are from an old bushhog. The frame holds the hydraulic cylinder which lifts the hay fork. The lift pivots on the brackets on the front axle.

Will ya'll sleep better tonight ???


Oh by the way, We got 85 5'x4' rolls of Costal Hay off 24 acres. That's about3.5 rolls per acre. Tomorrow we will bale the MaxQ.

I was wondering about that thing-a-ma-bob on the front of the tractor too.

Ya'll fogot what-cha-ma-call-it. :lol:

as i see it theres 3 things a what ch ma call it a thing a ma jig an a thing a ma bob.an i think yall have covered everything.

Well I be hanged....if the thing works don't guess it matters what you call it. :clap: :clap:

Oh by the way, We got 85 5'x4' rolls of Costal Hay off 24 acres. That's about3.5 rolls per acre. Tomorrow we will bale the MaxQ.
Nowland Farms


Nowland: that looks more like ryegrass hay on a costal field. It is just a little early for costal hay at my house. I cut most of my ryegrass 3 weeks ago and it was blowing down then.
that cutting of hay you showed looks to make some great feed. I think you caught it just right.
I plan to try and get some "N" out this week and pray for rain.

Thanks for the explanation, I was up all night wondering about that critter. If you by chance could get a picture of it in operation, I'd sure like to see it.

Update - Tuesday May 20th - with a 50% chance of thunderstorms today we were hoping to get the hay baled & in the barn before the rain started. GOD had pity on us and allowed us to finish the haying before the rain. The last bale went into the barn at around 3:30pm and the rains started around 6pm

Raked MaxQ ready to bale -





Custom baler working on the MaxQ -





Mr Smith, 74 years old raking more MaxQ -




Me in the Kubota picking up the bales while the baler finishes the last of the MaxQ -




Things worked well, we had the custom baler running the baler, Mr Smith on the rake, the baler's nephew running grunt, a neighbor on her tractor gathering up hay, me gathering hay and stacking in the barn, and my Dad & 3 year old nephew working in the barn pulling bored core samples which I will have tested.



Oh by the way, the 13.5 acre field of MaxQ yeilded 96 rolls of hay.

Here are pictures of the hay stacked in the barn and side shed.

man those windrows was nice an fluffy.those bales sure look nice an tight.i know you was glad to have the hay baled before it started raining an in the barn.