What a great feeling!

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

We got our grass cut today! Such a great feeling... it was waist high and we tried to get it cut last week but not enough dry days. We are at the mercy of our custom cutter, and he got right on it this afternoon. Last year, we had such a severe drought that we only got 66 bales off of 20 acres. This spring, we are grazing more cattle so we only set aside 18 acres to cut. Looking at the volume of grass I sure hope we can get a lot more! I am just so excited to get some hay cut! We were so short last year, and hope we can make it up this year... just had to toot our horn! :banana: doing the happy dance!

 

[Banjo]

We got our grass cut today! Such a great feeling... it was waist high and we tried to get it cut last week but not enough dry days. We are at the mercy of our custom cutter, and he got right on it this afternoon. Last year, we had such a severe drought that we only got 66 bales off of 20 acres. This spring, we are grazing more cattle so we only set aside 18 acres to cut. Looking at the volume of grass I sure hope we can get a lot more! I am just so excited to get some hay cut! We were so short last year, and hope we can make it up this year... just had to toot our horn! :banana: doing the happy dance!

Livin the dream...

 

[bigbull338]

man that meadow looks super thick.yall should make alot of hay.we are only at the mercy of the custom ppl to cut rake our hay.as bought a 5 by 6 baler to go back to baling our own hay.hope next year to get the cutter or rake or both.

 

[OldCrow]

man that meadow looks super thick.yall should make alot of hay.we are only at the mercy of the custom ppl to cut rake our hay.as bought a 5 by 6 baler to go back to baling our own hay.hope next year to get the cutter or rake or both.

bigbull,

If there is one thing I suggest it is not getting a one sided 4 or 5 wheel rake, I went cheap and I didn't realize the mistake I made until using a neighbors v-rake. We have a john deere 510 baler that is very picky so that is also part of the problem. It likes a good even windrow. One problem we had was no sway chains so not only were the rows uneven(clumpy) you have to drive the tractor like a racecar on a road course. Also we had to make extensions(rubbing tires) because the angle wasn't right and it wouldn't gather hay properly. Quite a bit slower to. You probably already know this but just trying to save some headache. Around here a good used v-rake goes anywhere from $1250-$1800 and the 4 or 5 wheel goes for $400-$600.

Firesweep,

Good looking thick hay. We cut a rye field last week and baled it for baylage. Never dry enough to get it out the conventional way and if we waited much longer it was going to be straw. We had to pay a guy to bale it since ours couldn't but it was worth it instead of watching it wither away.

OldCrow

 

[bigbull338]

thanks old crow.we used to run an 8 wheel 3pt rake then changed to the 8 wheel caddy rake.now we will step up to a 10 or 12 wheel rake.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

For anyone looking at rakes, the Kuhn speed rake,for the money is IMO the very best you can buy.

 

[dcarp]

I'll second the Kuhn speed rake recommendation. I had a Sitrex, it drove me crazy. Traded it for a Kuhn and I love the Kuhn. I set it about 6 in wider than the baler pick and the baler gather wheels roll that in on the edges. Usually can make a flat bale just driving straight down the windrow. Depending on the type of grass the rake will almost make a square windrow.

Glad you are getting some hay, will feel even better when you 're moving the bales to line em up.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Well fs, how many bales?

 

[bigbull338]

the kune speed rake is the only rake im considering.because i like the way it hooks up an the way it folds up.plus it has 2 valves you can open or close to use 1 side or the other.an the wheels can be taken off an slide farward if you want.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Well fs, how many bales?

We just got home (we were at shows today- Morrisville and Ash Grove), but they finished the 4.8 acre plot (to the right of the pictured field, no rye just hop clover and fescue) and it gave us 18 bales. The 13 acres is not quite done (I think they are finishing it in the morning), but it is already at 44 bales and still a few more I am sure (that field was planted in annual rye and orchard last fall, and we grazed it over the winter to it started in the spring with not much blade). So not bad. I will give a final count when they are done.
All I can say is it is such a good felling having hay in the field! Oh, and these are 5x5 bales.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

good deal, i should be started but we have been busy, and it's been hard cut hay around the rain, i hope to start in the next couple of days.

 

[chippie]

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Yea, that is exactly how I feel right now! Happy days... we ended up with a total of 69 and a half large rounds (actually 4 x 5, not 5 x 5 like I thought). 18 off a less than 5 acre plot and 49 1/2 off the 13 acres. We will have to do a second cutting, if we get enough growth. But a lot better than last year!
We went and picked up 150 small squares out of the field a few miles down the road, orchard grass bales (with a little plantain weed mixed in), got it for $4 a bale. I think we did pretty good! Getting stored up for this winter.... good feeling!

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Glad it's done for this round. What are you small squares weighing?

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Glad it's done for this round. What are you small squares weighing?

They were averaging 70 to 80 pounds! Big for out here. It was hot, humid and bucking hay in that weather and our age was not fun! The younger kids would roll them off the truck for us when we were loading them in the shop, which helped a bunch. Just glad we got it in!

 

[SRBeef]

the kune speed rake is the only rake im considering.because i like the way it hooks up an the way it folds up.plus it has 2 valves you can open or close to use 1 side or the other. an the wheels can be taken off an slide farward if you want.

If you have a good New Holland dealer nearby you might also want to look at the NH 1022 Procart V wheel rake.

http://agriculture.newholland.com/u...Deluxe-Carted-Wheel-Rakes/Documents/H5920.pdf

It has the same way to use either or both sides and the front wheel can be locked up. The NH also has each wheel independently floating which should follow my rough ground better than when wheels are paired up and if one goes up the other must go down...

A key in any equipment purchase is a good dealer nearby. I just bought a NH 1022. Now all I need is the rain to hold off for a while so I can use it. The weather forecast for the next week is chance of rain, day and night, 40-80% percent chance, every day until next weekend. Not good hay weather. Long term forecast calls for a change next week. Fingers are crossed. A lot of corn not yet planted around here.

We go from one extreme - dry and no hay last year - to the other wet wet wet and can't make hay...

Jim