Hay Season 2016

[skyhightree1]

I just wanted yall to know how much I hate making hay but I am doing my pastures because I know where the stuff is to avoid in them. Heres some pics oh yea I spent 8 hours working on my haybine so I could cut about 4 acres today it started to rain when it had a 10% chance go figure so I tedded what I had down and will continue to cut off and on till its done then I will mark the obstacles so my hay guy can start doing it. I had about 9 roller jams since its so tall it kept winding on the reels.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Sure wish I had that much grass to worry about. Pick the crap up and put it in the corner of the field. A piece of old chain caused a bunch problems in my new mower.

 

[skyhightree1]

Sure wish I had that much grass to worry about. Pick the crap up and put it in the corner of the field. A piece of old chain caused a bunch problems in my new mower.

got t post marking cut on/off valves for the waterers.. the cross fencing is there too I will take that up though.. I tell u if you ever lose something a cutter will find it, about 35 more acres like that

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Wish my hay looked half that good. This cool wet weather is really holding us back, nights in the 40's (frost last week) and days in the 60's doesn't grow grass real well also doesn't dry anything out.

 

[skyhightree1]

Thanks yea that can make it difficult hope it gets straight for you.

 

[Clodhopper]

We got to bale the rest of our triticale a couple weeks ago now. We had 20 in one patch, 15 in the other. The 20 made 132 6x5's, the 15 "only" made 60 (it lays wetter, and also had some wheat mixed in with the triticale). The 20 had growth like I never seen, it was shoulder high and I'm 6'2". Needless to say, I'm happy.

 

[John SD]

Got the tractors hooked on to the swather, rake, and I got the baler out today. Hay looking pretty bleak unless something changes soon. Today I moved 15 old crop bales for my cousin that is still feeding hay. But they are horse people and feed hay year round :roll:

 

[skyhightree1]

Well the pasture I cut the 4 acres got me 16 5x4 bales and that stuff was thick jammed up the rake a couple times and baler once. I definitely realize why I gave up haying.

 

[Lazy M]

Just finished first cut. Made 486 4x6 bales off around 200 acres cut.. a little disappointed in the yield but I only fertilized about half the fields this year.
It's been a grind but feels so GOOD to have it done. Next up is moving the bales into the barns and hooking up the Bush hog..

 

[greybeard]

just starting to see the first hay being cut here. I usually already have mine bought, but gonna take a chance and wait, since this first cutting is probably going to be worse than usual from all the rain and flooding.
Yall's above looks great tho!

 

[skyhightree1]

Still cutting my pastures

 

[Nesikep]

Same haybine we have.. well.. ours is a 472.. has 3 batts on the reel... would really like to get a 9' though.

I have the last hayfield cut and laying, I can bale tomorrow night I think.. otherwise I think I'm going to swath graze some of my pastures

 

[skyhightree1]

That's a 472 I like it cause the gates are 16' and I don't have to straighten the tongue to go through them. Nesi I cut this weekend because it had 10% chance of rain all week now it says 50% tomorrow and I just cut that stuff yesterday so it wont be dry enough to bale till tomorrow.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Don't believe the weather liars. If you wait for rain it eventually will. You sure have some grass Sky.

 

[M.Magis]

I spent a couple hours last weekend in the 95 degree heat putting on the stub guards I had sitting in the garage for my 488. Mowed all my hay this past Friday and determined they cut like SHYT. I still get rooster tails out on the end, and everything else looks like crap. They're probably worn. I paid $7 for the whole set at an auction, so I'm just out my time. Almost finished all my hay yesterday, then at the very end the baler would clog up no matter what. I think I have some bent L shaped teeth causing it. I'll just cut them off this afternoon to finish and replace later. At least I hope that's the problem.

 

[skyhightree1]

Don't believe the weather liars. If you wait for rain it eventually will. You sure have some grass Sky.

True.. Yea I got a lot more to cut too and this is just off a pasture.. the hayfields are cut on a 50/50 split .

I spent a couple hours last weekend in the 95 degree heat putting on the stub guards I had sitting in the garage for my 488. Mowed all my hay this past Friday and determined they cut like SHYT. I still get rooster tails out on the end, and everything else looks like crap. They're probably worn. I paid $7 for the whole set at an auction, so I'm just out my time. Almost finished all my hay yesterday, then at the very end the baler would clog up no matter what. I think I have some bent L shaped teeth causing it. I'll just cut them off this afternoon to finish and replace later. At least I hope that's the problem.

M.Magis I understand the issues trust me I kept getting clogs in the haybine if I ran with any speed or just when really thick spots. I had to open the rollers all the way up and its not really crimping the hay just spitting it out so I had to tedder it so it would dry

 

[Nesikep]

Mine cuts pretty good except in lodged stuff... had it's work cut out for it today, I cut down a field where the OG was 5 ft high, a few bits of mustard were 8' high, and the alfalfa, had it not been mostly lodged, was 4' high.. the real trouble was when the rollers would try to suck it up before the knives had cut it and it had to pull like heck on it.. it's the field I'm swath grazing.

Straightening the tongue doesn't bother me.. easy enough to do.. but the 7' swath doesn't leave much room to get our 282 baler between the rows, especially if the 1/4 turn chute lets one flop back or in the corners.

I see yours has met a few fenceposts on the far side too.. Ours still has the guard there unlike yours, but the door is long gone.. I had some wet alfalfa get wrapped up in the belt, and it sure made a slippery mess.. didn't want to power the paddles in heavy stuff until it dried off

 

[skyhightree1]

Mine cuts pretty good except in lodged stuff... had it's work cut out for it today, I cut down a field where the OG was 5 ft high, a few bits of mustard were 8' high, and the alfalfa, had it not been mostly lodged, was 4' high.. the real trouble was when the rollers would try to suck it up before the knives had cut it and it had to pull like heck on it.. it's the field I'm swath grazing.

Straightening the tongue doesn't bother me.. easy enough to do.. but the 7' swath doesn't leave much room to get our 282 baler between the rows, especially if the 1/4 turn chute lets one flop back or in the corners.

I see yours has met a few fenceposts on the far side too.. Ours still has the guard there unlike yours, but the door is long gone.. I had some wet alfalfa get wrapped up in the belt, and it sure made a slippery mess.. didn't want to power the paddles in heavy stuff until it dried off

I like the serrated blades mostly what do you use? Yea I just want to go through the gate and keep cutting without doing anything extra. Yea its met some fenceposts :lol2:

 

[Nesikep]

I have the serrated ones as well..

My dad was hard on it, he always wanted clean fencelines and to get every last straw into the swath.. he's hit the irrigation mainline and put holes in it like a sewing machine a number of times, as well as knocked the edge of the machine on posts... I keep about 2 ft away which gives me some room for error.
They're good machines if you keep the rollers out of the sun.

 

[rockroadseminole]

We have been getting our pasture cut by a guy 50/50 split. I'm considering just paying him to bale it for me this year (I'm thinking we are in for a dry fall) and keeping all of the rolls. What kind of prices are y'all seeing for custom hay work? Per roll, leave it in the field work. My guy is wanting $20 per roll (2 roll per acre minimum). I think that's pretty fair, but have not done that before.