equipment purchases

[Dave]

I remember the days before I had a decent loader tractor. I use to wear out wheel barrows. Now I so rarely use one that I have to think hard to remember where it is. About 7 years ago after years of fighting with old worn out tractors I bought a new tractor. So I have a trouble free tractor. All of the implements I own were bought at auctions. They cost me thousands less than new and work great. In fact the only one that cost me over $500 is the manure spreader. It still had the factory paint on the inside of the spreader and only cost $800. Taking your time and making do with what you have will work until you can find a deal on the next implement. I don't make hay because for me and my area I can buy hay cheaper than I can make it 4 years out of 5.

 

[TexasBred]

That's why I said "many" and "most the time". You would be surprised how many bales I feed with a $2k 98 Chevy and $350 bale buggy. ;-)

All these snappy little hay spears that are mounted on the back of 3/4-1 ton trucks has eliminated the need for a tractor or anything else for a lot of small operators. Most can be put on quickly and removed quickly. I prefer a tractor and can find hundreds of uses for it.

Those truck mounted one work great except for putting a bale ring over a bale.

dun you need to get out there and practice hooking that ring with the spear and dropping it over the bale. :lol2:

 

[dun]

dun you need to get out there and practice hooking that ring with the spear and dropping it over the bale. :lol2:

I tried but when the ring is only lifted half as high as the top of the bale it's tough. A nieghbor made some little 3 foot by 4 foot bales and they would have been easy, trouble is they were so small he could just barely get his truck spear in the very top of them.

 

[TexasBred]

dun you need to get out there and practice hooking that ring with the spear and dropping it over the bale. :lol2:

I tried but when the ring is only lifted half as high as the top of the bale it's tough. A nieghbor made some little 3 foot by 4 foot bales and they would have been easy, trouble is they were so small he could just barely get his truck spear in the very top of them.

There has got to be a way. :lol2:

 

[dun]

dun you need to get out there and practice hooking that ring with the spear and dropping it over the bale. :lol2:

I tried but when the ring is only lifted half as high as the top of the bale it's tough. A nieghbor made some little 3 foot by 4 foot bales and they would have been easy, trouble is they were so small he could just barely get his truck spear in the very top of them.

There has got to be a way. :lol2:

Oh there is. If you're young enough you can tip the ring on it's side, roll it over to the bale and flop it down. That's how they do it around here. I prefer using the loader on the tractor, much easier on my back.

 

[TexasBred]

Oh there is. If you're young enough you can tip the ring on it's side, roll it over to the bale and flop it down. That's how they do it around here. I prefer using the loader on the tractor, much easier on my back.

Got that right brother. :nod:

 

[Isomade]

An arm bed is the only way to go. I can unroll, drop in ring, drop in cradle, or over fences.

 

[KHereford]

Read the book by Dr. Gordon Hazard, I wish would have when I started. He runs 1800 stockers with a part time hired man and a Dodge dakota pick up. It really depends on your management. I have fiends that went broke buying equipment, they owed more on the there machines than they did on there cattle. It has been said many times and proven over and over, the more equipment you put between your cattle and there food the more it cost. I am only 33 so I realize Im not going to be able to unroll bales by hand and put feeders over bales forever but it saves me money now. In the end we still sell cattle by the pound and I have never seen a cow gain weight by standing next to a tractor, my goal is to take the cow to the food not the other way around but sometimes its not possible.

 

[1982vett]

An arm bed is the only way to go. I can unroll, drop in ring, drop in cradle, or over fences.

Bet you can drop it ON the fence too.... :lol2: :lol2:

 

[TexasBred]

An arm bed is the only way to go. I can unroll, drop in ring, drop in cradle, or over fences.

My dad always said "If you want to find a quick easy way to do something, hire a lazy man". :lol2: :lol2: :hide: