farmersamm
Member
The field has rebounded nicely from the disastrous weed infested mess last year.
The field has rebounded nicely from the disastrous weed infested mess last year.
Steve in VA
Well-known Member
- Location
- Natural Bridge Virginia
Looks like mostly Johnson grass with a touch of purple lustrife. What weeds were you dealing with and what did you do?
farmersamm
Member
I had a field full, and I mean FULL of Goldenrod. And a ton of Blackberries.
The late season mowing last year seemed to mostly eliminate the problem. No chemicals, and left 6" stubble so the Johnson Grass could grow a bit going into Winter before it went dormant.
Ray,IN
Well-known Member
- Location
- S. Indiana
It took several mowings to get rid of the Goldenrod in one of my fields. I'm going to have to spray them around the perimeter of the field where I cannot mow. Goldenrod has a root system that spreads underground.
560Dennis
560Dennis
- Location
- Madison,Ohio
Keep after it ,you’ll get turned around ,It taken us quite awhile . Found sheep 
are very good at weed reduction in what I read and organic matter increases in soil with other cover crops. Keep something growing on it at all times Don’t give it a chance to come back . good story
are very good at weed reduction in what I read and organic matter increases in soil with other cover crops. Keep something growing on it at all times Don’t give it a chance to come back . good storyfarmersamm
Member
Everything is laid down, and looks very nice. The stuff that was cut yesterday is on the point of baling, although a bit damp on the underside of the swaths........but close. Beautiful light green.
The remainder was cut this late this morning.
Planning on baling tomorrow.
Rain is ongoing just a few miles South of us, looking to be moving towards us. The 7 day forecast changed late this morning. This came out of nowhere.
I just don't give a damn anymore.
The little girl hasn't gotten out of bed for 4 days. She's completely changed personality. Bit K'kins when she went to pick her up.
Lost the use of his legs suddenly about 8 days ago, and it got to the point he could only move his head. I was going to tend him until the end, but she felt he was miserable, and we should let him go. Vet came out, and botched the job. He died in agony. I can't get the sight out of my head.
Meanwhile...........the little cat is in bad shape. She's not snapping out of it. Either are we. Took me till Tuesday to get enough gumption to get to work. So...........I really don't give a damn about anything right now.
The remainder was cut this late this morning.
Planning on baling tomorrow.
Rain is ongoing just a few miles South of us, looking to be moving towards us. The 7 day forecast changed late this morning. This came out of nowhere.
I just don't give a damn anymore.
The little girl hasn't gotten out of bed for 4 days. She's completely changed personality. Bit K'kins when she went to pick her up.
Lost the use of his legs suddenly about 8 days ago, and it got to the point he could only move his head. I was going to tend him until the end, but she felt he was miserable, and we should let him go. Vet came out, and botched the job. He died in agony. I can't get the sight out of my head.
Meanwhile...........the little cat is in bad shape. She's not snapping out of it. Either are we. Took me till Tuesday to get enough gumption to get to work. So...........I really don't give a damn about anything right now.
Steve in VA
Well-known Member
- Location
- Natural Bridge Virginia
Crap, brother. That's horrible. My deepest sympathy.
I'm here via message if you want to talk through anything. I'll listen.
I'm very sorry for the loss of your dog. They are the best creatures on the planet. As the husband of a vet, I do want to say that I have heard many times about difficult eathanasia, and it seems to me that it can often be associated with an animal that is grievously debilitated. I don't know the whole story of this one, but the fact that the vet came to your home to do it says to me that he or she is probably on the side of the good guys. People don't go to vet school because they enjoy making animals suffer.
SleepyFarmall
Member
Keep your chin up, Sir. Hard to know what to say in times like this. Michael
farmersamm
Member
Thanks for the nice replies. I'm usually a grouchy guy, and didn't expect anything nice.
Baling is going terribly, as I figured it would.
Limited to between 6:00AM to 8:00AM. After that the temps go up, and the dew burns off the windrows. Then the baler won't start a bale...........as usual.
Number of bales during these hours is limited. Have to hand rake the windrow for about 30' in front of the baler to make it into a very tight ropy narrow/high windrow. This is the only way to start a bale. So........there's a lot of wasted time. I'm running around maybe a bale every 6 minutes or so. At this rate, it's gonna be maybe 8 hours run time.........at 2 stinkin' hours per day.
Bales are high, and tight. You could probably break your hand if you hit one. No way to get your hand in, even at the outer diameter. Very nice bales. But I really can't take this damn baler anymore. If I had the money, I'd send it off to auction, and buy a Deere.........or (dream on) a Krone. Can't pull the money out of retirement savings. She'll need it when I'm gone.
Set the rake to make smaller windrows this year..........to no avail. However.....I'm packing the bales to the max. I hate to do it, because I feel it's hard on the belts......but it's more hay in a bale.........less bales to fight when starting them. Have to keep them to a 4x5 size because we still don't have a running loader. Can't feed the larger bales without a loader...too hard to flip the feeder back over a taller bale. My feeders weigh in the neighborhood of 300#, and if they get hung up on a high bale, it's murder. The insanely tight bales will still come out to the same number of feed days as a lighter bale, but involve less handling/baling due to the reduced number of bales. This is crazy!!
It's a damn shame. This baler is in factory new condition, after the rebuild. It's been completely rebuilt, from the wheels up. I've watched countless videos of guys using this model, and they all are baling relatively tame stuff........Prairie Hay (what we call Native grasses here). They work fine on this sort of stuff. But what few videos I've seen of folks baling anything stemmy........they have trouble starting bales. It's just not a good baler. Damn shame.
Only thing you see around here is Vermeer, and Deere.......I guess that's for a reason. Used to be all you saw was Hesston, and Deere.
Old man I knew.....he's gone now, used to run an old Hesston all day long. Haygrazer, Millet, Oats, and Prairie Hay. Never a problem. But, the old coot wasn't big on maintenance, and used to start peoples fields on fire due to bad bearings. Finally burnt that old Hesston to the ground. It was the one time he couldn't kick the bale out in time.
I remember an old story about him. There's --------- at the door, telling the property owner that "a guy might want to call the fire department". I guess you could see the smoke coming up off the field behind him as he stood there. This was before widespread use of cellphones. That old man was a real piece of work.
Baling is going terribly, as I figured it would.
Limited to between 6:00AM to 8:00AM. After that the temps go up, and the dew burns off the windrows. Then the baler won't start a bale...........as usual.
Number of bales during these hours is limited. Have to hand rake the windrow for about 30' in front of the baler to make it into a very tight ropy narrow/high windrow. This is the only way to start a bale. So........there's a lot of wasted time. I'm running around maybe a bale every 6 minutes or so. At this rate, it's gonna be maybe 8 hours run time.........at 2 stinkin' hours per day.
Bales are high, and tight. You could probably break your hand if you hit one. No way to get your hand in, even at the outer diameter. Very nice bales. But I really can't take this damn baler anymore. If I had the money, I'd send it off to auction, and buy a Deere.........or (dream on) a Krone. Can't pull the money out of retirement savings. She'll need it when I'm gone.
Set the rake to make smaller windrows this year..........to no avail. However.....I'm packing the bales to the max. I hate to do it, because I feel it's hard on the belts......but it's more hay in a bale.........less bales to fight when starting them. Have to keep them to a 4x5 size because we still don't have a running loader. Can't feed the larger bales without a loader...too hard to flip the feeder back over a taller bale. My feeders weigh in the neighborhood of 300#, and if they get hung up on a high bale, it's murder. The insanely tight bales will still come out to the same number of feed days as a lighter bale, but involve less handling/baling due to the reduced number of bales. This is crazy!!
It's a damn shame. This baler is in factory new condition, after the rebuild. It's been completely rebuilt, from the wheels up. I've watched countless videos of guys using this model, and they all are baling relatively tame stuff........Prairie Hay (what we call Native grasses here). They work fine on this sort of stuff. But what few videos I've seen of folks baling anything stemmy........they have trouble starting bales. It's just not a good baler. Damn shame.
Only thing you see around here is Vermeer, and Deere.......I guess that's for a reason. Used to be all you saw was Hesston, and Deere.
Old man I knew.....he's gone now, used to run an old Hesston all day long. Haygrazer, Millet, Oats, and Prairie Hay. Never a problem. But, the old coot wasn't big on maintenance, and used to start peoples fields on fire due to bad bearings. Finally burnt that old Hesston to the ground. It was the one time he couldn't kick the bale out in time.
I remember an old story about him. There's --------- at the door, telling the property owner that "a guy might want to call the fire department". I guess you could see the smoke coming up off the field behind him as he stood there. This was before widespread use of cellphones. That old man was a real piece of work.
farmersamm
Member
We never were a big operation. Used to bale 400 bales per year Haygrazer, and 200 bales per year Prairie Hay. All with a little NH 846 chain baler. It just kept spitting out bales. But nowadays, that type of baler won't make a commercially viable bale........too loose.
Are you selling hay or feeding it to your own animals. It's not commercially viable only if you're trying to sell hay. If you're feeding it to your own animals, they won't care which machine baled it.
Personally, I'd go with a Claas Rollant design.
farmersamm
Member
We mostly feed nowadays, but used to sell surplus........although that's not possible now while the loader's down.
farmersamm
Member
This is an absolute nightmare. The hay continually gets sucked in between the belts, and the stripper roll. IT'S A COMPLETE SHUTDOWN FOR LITERALLY HOURS. It's doggone near impossible to get the hay out, and the belts are crossing, and flipping. At least one belt has to be disconnected, and flipped back over..........needless to say......this is ruining brand new belts.
Fed up with it. Gonna make a tool to pry the hay out. I don't see any alternative. And HOPE IT WORKS.
If we get through the season, this machine is getting sold. I've seen absolutely tons of bad reviews for this machine in dry stemmy hay.........WHICH IS MOSTLY WHAT I BALE. I'll take it to an auction because I can't look someone straight in the face to sell it to them.
As of now, if you're careful........................
Rake the beginning of the windrow into a rope half as wide as the pickup, or narrower, no more than a foot high. Any excess hay tossed onto the adjacent windrow.
Lightly spray the rope with water, using a little 1 gallon weed sprayer.
2nd gear at 1000rpm until the core forms.
Once the core forms...............it's 6mph with no problems.
K'kins helped on Sunday, and raked one too wide, and high. I'm still working on getting it unplugged from that mess. It was my fault, knowing it didn't look right when she raked it. Within 20 feet, the belts crossed, and plugged. It literally happens within seconds.....no reaction time.
If the special tool works..............we's back in bizzness(sigh)
Fed up with it. Gonna make a tool to pry the hay out. I don't see any alternative. And HOPE IT WORKS.
If we get through the season, this machine is getting sold. I've seen absolutely tons of bad reviews for this machine in dry stemmy hay.........WHICH IS MOSTLY WHAT I BALE. I'll take it to an auction because I can't look someone straight in the face to sell it to them.
As of now, if you're careful........................
Rake the beginning of the windrow into a rope half as wide as the pickup, or narrower, no more than a foot high. Any excess hay tossed onto the adjacent windrow.
Lightly spray the rope with water, using a little 1 gallon weed sprayer.
2nd gear at 1000rpm until the core forms.
Once the core forms...............it's 6mph with no problems.
K'kins helped on Sunday, and raked one too wide, and high. I'm still working on getting it unplugged from that mess. It was my fault, knowing it didn't look right when she raked it. Within 20 feet, the belts crossed, and plugged. It literally happens within seconds.....no reaction time.
If the special tool works..............we's back in bizzness(sigh)
farmersamm
Member
Nothing terribly fancy, essentially a pick axe sorta thing. Pound it into the plugged gap, and rock some of the wedged crop out. This loosens it enough to be able to use a thinner piece of metal to push the rest out. It's still a miserable job.
There's a 3/8" gap between the belts, and the stripper roll. The belts are pulling hay into this gap. I believe I could make a removeable filler strip to close the gap, but it would entail some welding on the sledge frame. This would require removing the sledge roller frame. Any welding will cause distortion, which would have to be dealt with by using heat on the opposite side of the frame. This can't be done with the frame up against the bale chamber. So, it sucks big time.
Ridiculous design. The hay is shoved up against the top, where the belt runs over the roller. As the belt, which is new, and aggressive, moves the hay upwards..................it gets sucked in between the belt and the top roll(stripper roll) in the core forming area.
This is the roller that carries the belts. It's absolutely asinine to have that huge gap between it, and the other roller. Before I rebuilt the baler, it had slick belts.....completely worn out. So, naturally I never encountered this problem before. The slick belts couldn't shove the crop through the gap.
The discussion pertaining to rollers starts at 6:00 minutes. Hay going between belts, and stripper roller. Includes references to bale starting issues.
The discussion pertaining to starting dry hay rolls, and belt issues, starts at 10:30 minutes. Includes trying to modify the rollers to start dry hay.........which in this case worked. My baler doesn't have enough clearance between the rollers to add any square stock.
Best balers on the Planet............yeah
Last edited:
New Holland has a good reputation around here. But I don’t have any experience with them.
Started with a well worn 605F Vermeer for many years, got a Vermeer Rancher last year. That was a bit of an upgrade…..
I can relate to tough baling with the old one. It didn’t like the over ripe reed canary grass, especially the few times it got real dry.
Paul
Started with a well worn 605F Vermeer for many years, got a Vermeer Rancher last year. That was a bit of an upgrade…..
I can relate to tough baling with the old one. It didn’t like the over ripe reed canary grass, especially the few times it got real dry.
Paul
farmersamm
Member
Was 2 for 5 today. Made 2 bales, plugged 3 times. Pics tomorrow.
A little aside...................................
I have never put up wet hay, I just don't do it. And, I've never had problems.
On Sunday, earlier this week, we tried running hay through the baler between 6, and 8, in the morning. It had a fairly good amount of dew on it. Started fine, baled fine, exceptionally tight bales. It's something I've never considered, and never thought to be a good idea.
WELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We have some HOT bales. Very HOT.
Put one in the feeder this evening. Put your hand in about 6" on the end, and it's pretty doggone hot. Like nothing I've felt before. In the past, I've put some Haygrazer up where the bottom of the windrow was still a bit green........bales got warm, BUT NOT HOT.
None of these have been put in a row up in the storage lot. They're still out in the field, standing where they dropped. Hopefully, they'll reach a peak in 7 days, and go down from there. Hopefully.
I came across an excellent article on the subject. No internet crap, just a good paper from an Ag University.
From the above paper............................
In the same paper are some ideas on how to build a bale thermometer using a compost thermometer. I'd considered using a compost thermometer, because I'm not paying 300 stinkin' dollars for a fancy electronic one. I wondered if the flimsy shaft on a compost thermometer would be able to get in a bale.........................this paper gives the answer.............NO. The pictured probe, using such a thermometer, is an easy build.
Also.............I'm wondering about using an IR thermometer. I have a couple that I use for monitoring steel temperatures, oil sump temperatures, and bearing temps. I might just be able to drive some 1/2-3/4 Sch40 pipe into the bale, and point the laser at the far end inside the pipe to get a reading. Be a darn sight easier than taking time to make a probe for an analog thermometer. Turn a pointed plug to fit inside the pipe, and weld it in. Make it doable to drive in without filling it with hay.
One last desperate effort..........................
I bought the POS NH650 due to an emergency. Had, same as now, hay in the field, and no way to bale it. Rush decision, BAD DECISION. I'd never buy another NH baler if my life depended on it.
Anyways.....................for now, I'm stuck with this piece of scrap metal.
I NEED TRACTION ON THE SLEDGE ROLLERS.
I can't weld any round, or square, stock to the remaining rollers..................they're too close together, and they're too damn thin. Start putting cleats on a thin roller, and it could either dent, or collapse, under the increased local stress when rolling a tight bale.
like I say..............I'm desperate.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Dura-Gr...erior-Concrete-Sealer-S-CT-DURGRY1G/318499170
$150 is cheaper than another used baler, and IT JUST MIGHT WORK. I can't imagine it would be very durable inside a bale chamber, but if it lasts for a few hours run time, per application, that's a bunch of made bales when this machine runs at top speed. It's supposed to cover 400sf/gal......that's a lot of paint for a coupla rollers. Might get at least 3 applications from a gallon.
THEY KNEW THIS BALER WAS A POS WHEN THEY PUT IT ON THE MARKET............PICS OF INFO IN THE MANUAL LATER.........
A little aside...................................
I have never put up wet hay, I just don't do it. And, I've never had problems.
On Sunday, earlier this week, we tried running hay through the baler between 6, and 8, in the morning. It had a fairly good amount of dew on it. Started fine, baled fine, exceptionally tight bales. It's something I've never considered, and never thought to be a good idea.
WELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We have some HOT bales. Very HOT.
Put one in the feeder this evening. Put your hand in about 6" on the end, and it's pretty doggone hot. Like nothing I've felt before. In the past, I've put some Haygrazer up where the bottom of the windrow was still a bit green........bales got warm, BUT NOT HOT.
None of these have been put in a row up in the storage lot. They're still out in the field, standing where they dropped. Hopefully, they'll reach a peak in 7 days, and go down from there. Hopefully.
I came across an excellent article on the subject. No internet crap, just a good paper from an Ag University.
From the above paper............................
In the same paper are some ideas on how to build a bale thermometer using a compost thermometer. I'd considered using a compost thermometer, because I'm not paying 300 stinkin' dollars for a fancy electronic one. I wondered if the flimsy shaft on a compost thermometer would be able to get in a bale.........................this paper gives the answer.............NO. The pictured probe, using such a thermometer, is an easy build.
Also.............I'm wondering about using an IR thermometer. I have a couple that I use for monitoring steel temperatures, oil sump temperatures, and bearing temps. I might just be able to drive some 1/2-3/4 Sch40 pipe into the bale, and point the laser at the far end inside the pipe to get a reading. Be a darn sight easier than taking time to make a probe for an analog thermometer. Turn a pointed plug to fit inside the pipe, and weld it in. Make it doable to drive in without filling it with hay.
One last desperate effort..........................
I bought the POS NH650 due to an emergency. Had, same as now, hay in the field, and no way to bale it. Rush decision, BAD DECISION. I'd never buy another NH baler if my life depended on it.
Anyways.....................for now, I'm stuck with this piece of scrap metal.
I NEED TRACTION ON THE SLEDGE ROLLERS.
I can't weld any round, or square, stock to the remaining rollers..................they're too close together, and they're too damn thin. Start putting cleats on a thin roller, and it could either dent, or collapse, under the increased local stress when rolling a tight bale.
like I say..............I'm desperate.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Dura-Gr...erior-Concrete-Sealer-S-CT-DURGRY1G/318499170
$150 is cheaper than another used baler, and IT JUST MIGHT WORK. I can't imagine it would be very durable inside a bale chamber, but if it lasts for a few hours run time, per application, that's a bunch of made bales when this machine runs at top speed. It's supposed to cover 400sf/gal......that's a lot of paint for a coupla rollers. Might get at least 3 applications from a gallon.
THEY KNEW THIS BALER WAS A POS WHEN THEY PUT IT ON THE MARKET............PICS OF INFO IN THE MANUAL LATER.........
I'm trying to understand where the hay is wrapping. Is it going through the gap between the rollers where the arrow is and then wrapping around the rollers? If yes, which rollers are wrapping? All of them? Just the one that carries the belts?
Also, does this roller assembly move as the bale builds in the chamber or is it fixed in position?
How much gap is there between your belts? Gehl used bale starting fingers on their balers to help start the bale rolling. I'm wondering if you could add some steel, either rod or pipe, that extends down between your belts if this would help stop the hay wrapping.
See your pictures that I've edited with the red lines below. Imagine the red lines as steel rods welded to the roller frame and running between your belts. Maybe this wouldn't work, just a thought.
One last thing, do you crimp your hay? I'm thinking you don't based on your picture of your disc mower. I'm thinking if you did crimp it, your baler might have an easier time starting the bale rolling. My thoughts on this are that crimping smashes the stems and makes them more flexible, hence easier to bend and start to rolling inside the baler when you are starting a bale. I'm thinking that the reason you had no problem when you baled some hay with dew on it is because the dew made the stem softer and more pliable and therefore it would bend around easier and start rolling in a ball rather than being stiff and non-flexible. I would agree that baling wet hay isn't a good fix unless you are going to wrap your bales. Baling wet hay, you'll just end up with moldy and heat damaged hay.
Edit: No idea why there are double pictures.
Also, does this roller assembly move as the bale builds in the chamber or is it fixed in position?
How much gap is there between your belts? Gehl used bale starting fingers on their balers to help start the bale rolling. I'm wondering if you could add some steel, either rod or pipe, that extends down between your belts if this would help stop the hay wrapping.
See your pictures that I've edited with the red lines below. Imagine the red lines as steel rods welded to the roller frame and running between your belts. Maybe this wouldn't work, just a thought.
One last thing, do you crimp your hay? I'm thinking you don't based on your picture of your disc mower. I'm thinking if you did crimp it, your baler might have an easier time starting the bale rolling. My thoughts on this are that crimping smashes the stems and makes them more flexible, hence easier to bend and start to rolling inside the baler when you are starting a bale. I'm thinking that the reason you had no problem when you baled some hay with dew on it is because the dew made the stem softer and more pliable and therefore it would bend around easier and start rolling in a ball rather than being stiff and non-flexible. I would agree that baling wet hay isn't a good fix unless you are going to wrap your bales. Baling wet hay, you'll just end up with moldy and heat damaged hay.
Edit: No idea why there are double pictures.
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