lavacarancher
Well-known member
Everything started out just fine. Had 2 inches of rain Tuesday, got to the ranch Thursday and hooked up the hay mower to the big tractor and a brush hog to the 3000. Put my friend on the 3000 and sent him to the East field to mow siena(sp) beans and goat weeds while I attacked my new T85 hay field. Got everything adjusted and finished the 14 acres in about 3 hours. I then moved to the North hay field where Bohia infests the whole field. Had to drop down to third in some places but managed to get about 10 acres cut before dark. When I got back to the house my buddy informed me that the 3000 quit running. Quit running, I asked? We just put fuel in it this morning. He says "no, the engine runs but the tractor won't move". OK, been here before. Lost the torque limiter again. Took the hay mower off the big tractor and went to the field to pull the 3000 out. Spent 30 mins or so trying to get the differential lock undone so I could move it. Drug it to the house, unhooked the brush hog and connected the hay mower back to the 1486.
Now ready for in the morning. Went to town to arrange for the shop to pick up the 3000 - in two months. Came home and went back to the North field. Bohia still wet with dew and is cutting a little better but still can't run over 4th. Made about three rounds when a loud bang happened so I turned around just in time to see the PTO shaft go sailing off across the field. Good thing I was looking otherwise would never have found it. OK, back to the shop in town to get the shaft put back together. They need to make one - two weeks! "You don't have one already made up"? "Nope"
OK, now I'm down one tractor and one hay mower. It's OK because I've got more hay on the ground than I can rake and bale on Sunday.
Got up early Saturday morning to grease the rake and replace a few teeth. By 1:00 pm I'm ready to go to the field. T85 looks ready to bale so my bud starts raking with the old, gasoline NAA (old faithful). He gets about a third of the field put in windrows and I've just about caught up to him with the baler (my new baler, by the way) when I see him stop and get off the tractor. I say "self, this ain't good" and I'm right. The rake is broke. Take it to the house. Find the roll pin tying the counter shaft to the belt pulley has sheared. Can't get the pulley out, can't get the shaft out, can't get the PTO undone. Get the blue wrench out and cut the U-joint so we can get the PTO shaft out, then the counter shaft, then the pulley. By now it's 3:00 pm and the John Deere (rake is a John Deere) dealer is closed (everything closes at noon on Saturday).
The count is now one tractor, one hay cutter and one hay rake. But, hey, it's ok because the baler has a pick up reel on the front, right? So I continue to bale using just the baler - no rake, no wind rows. It's working, slow but its working. Then, all of a sudden the tractor starts to lug down and before I can turn off the PTO the tractor stalls and the baler is smoking. I disengage the PTO, start the tractor again and kick out a 2 foot partially formed roll of hay before the baler catches on fire. I have no idea what's wrong with the baler but the count is one tractor dead, one hay mower dead, one hay rake dead and now one $40,000 baler dead. Took it back to the house with the door open, parked it, took a shower and we headed back to Houston before something else broke. I really need those fifty or so bales of hay to make it through the Winter.
So all you folks who want to start a little farm or ranch, raise a few cattle, make pets out of them so they can hurt you, please take heed. Life in the country is grand. (NOT)
Now ready for in the morning. Went to town to arrange for the shop to pick up the 3000 - in two months. Came home and went back to the North field. Bohia still wet with dew and is cutting a little better but still can't run over 4th. Made about three rounds when a loud bang happened so I turned around just in time to see the PTO shaft go sailing off across the field. Good thing I was looking otherwise would never have found it. OK, back to the shop in town to get the shaft put back together. They need to make one - two weeks! "You don't have one already made up"? "Nope"
OK, now I'm down one tractor and one hay mower. It's OK because I've got more hay on the ground than I can rake and bale on Sunday.
Got up early Saturday morning to grease the rake and replace a few teeth. By 1:00 pm I'm ready to go to the field. T85 looks ready to bale so my bud starts raking with the old, gasoline NAA (old faithful). He gets about a third of the field put in windrows and I've just about caught up to him with the baler (my new baler, by the way) when I see him stop and get off the tractor. I say "self, this ain't good" and I'm right. The rake is broke. Take it to the house. Find the roll pin tying the counter shaft to the belt pulley has sheared. Can't get the pulley out, can't get the shaft out, can't get the PTO undone. Get the blue wrench out and cut the U-joint so we can get the PTO shaft out, then the counter shaft, then the pulley. By now it's 3:00 pm and the John Deere (rake is a John Deere) dealer is closed (everything closes at noon on Saturday).
The count is now one tractor, one hay cutter and one hay rake. But, hey, it's ok because the baler has a pick up reel on the front, right? So I continue to bale using just the baler - no rake, no wind rows. It's working, slow but its working. Then, all of a sudden the tractor starts to lug down and before I can turn off the PTO the tractor stalls and the baler is smoking. I disengage the PTO, start the tractor again and kick out a 2 foot partially formed roll of hay before the baler catches on fire. I have no idea what's wrong with the baler but the count is one tractor dead, one hay mower dead, one hay rake dead and now one $40,000 baler dead. Took it back to the house with the door open, parked it, took a shower and we headed back to Houston before something else broke. I really need those fifty or so bales of hay to make it through the Winter.
So all you folks who want to start a little farm or ranch, raise a few cattle, make pets out of them so they can hurt you, please take heed. Life in the country is grand. (NOT)
Make sure you bring plenty of money back from Houston for the farm. 
