I'm beat...

[Anonymous-0]

I baled 6 loads behind the baler today, and unloaded 2 more this morning while waiting for the rest of the help to arrive. I figure I loaded close to 1000 behind the baler, and another 320 onto the elevator today - how bout you guys?

Best part was, I've got the best driver ever, and I'm getting married to her next year on May! She's really getting the hang to over-steering to get everything on a corner etc...

Worst part is I'm completely drained, my nose is full of extremely black boogers because it got about 2" of rain on it and it was cut on Memorial day, and I'm just plain sore. Only got about 1 1/2-2 loads to go tomorrow before I go to work in the afternoon. Then 1st crop is all off the field! Should get close to 1750-1800 bales total off about 30-35 acres or so. Shoulda been much higher, but some was a little shorter and then the rain just didn't help one bit. Lost quite a bit because of that.

Now fter I finish baling, I get to hook onto the plow and turn under a couple acres that wasn't too hot and turn it into a corn field.

I'll try to get a picture of our baling rig tomorrow, it's our Massey 285 and #12 baler. 4 16' wagons and 2 18's too.... I got 2 running gears that I'm planning to build more racks on sometime in the next year or 2...

Donovan from Wisconsin

 

[Anonymous-0]

Congrats on the wedding

 

[Anonymous-0]

Glad that was you and not me, I couldn't do it anymore. When you get older, you'll be looking for a kicker baler or a bale accumulator. Congrats on finding a good woman. Chris

 

[Anonymous-0]

Sounds like a woman that deserves a nice John Deere 4430 or 4440 with cab and A/C. You better watch out advertising her skills like that on this forum. Someone will be offering her better working conditions and you'll be out of a driver.

Congrats on finding a good one.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Massey 285, I always liked them little mules. Cant beat baling with the wife. As a kid, my now 90+ year old neighbor and his wife always baled together for as long as I can remember, she'd drive the 880 oliver and he would stack the bales, they did this well into their 60's. I used to stop and ask if they needed help and they always said they were fine, but thanks any way. Note for you, that team work is the reason they have been married more than 60 years and are so heathly and in love at 90 +.

 

[Anonymous-0]

This time of year can be very busy, with the planting behind us, but then it is spraying, cultivating, cutting, raking, and baling hay either small squares, or rounds, I always say by the fourth of July things quiet down a bit until small grain harvest. Sounds like a good farm woman you have there. My wife does all the farm work here also, and maybe better than me, especially the livestock chores, picked her up 40 years ago and still going strong.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Hi Don;
You've sure been working hard. Can I ask why you dont have a bale sledge towed behind the baler, and use a flat-8 grapple on your loader? They sell pretty cheap these days at farm sales.
Over here there is very little hay made into small bales today, no-one wants to maul bales by hand anymore. Some stack their 8's into 7 high stacks and then use a trailed stack collector to move them to the barn.
Always interested to see & hear how you guys do things over there.
David

 

[Anonymous-0]

Don

Congrats on the upcoming nuptials! She sounds like a keeper!

It sounds like the Massey is home and the engine is now officially broken in.

Did you see the pictures I posted a while back on my 1014? Repairs are still slow as I am waiting on parts, but its at least a couple of weeks till we start knocking hay down up here.

John

 

[Anonymous-0]

Sounds like the little woman to keep.

ALL the farm women I hired over the years kicked the men's a$$ every day on the job and went on to be supervisors.

I was raised on the 80 pounder round bales. Grass was the worest to keep on the rack in fields with water ways and ditches. The orange hooked to JD looked uneven. The hand clutch was a hot one in heavy hay. Used on a JD B for many years. A true pain without live pto. Each bale tractor had to be out of gear and clutch engauged. Made for long afternoons.

 

[Anonymous-0]

That's a good day's work and then some. Last year we baled and unloaded around 3,400 bales in three days with three people and that was enough. Years ago we had a neighbor who claimed that he loaded 2,000 bales a day by himself for three days in a row but even if they were only short 40lb bales I don't think there were very many balers 40 years ago that could knock the bales out that fast. We've got a Hesston 4590 baler which is a 100 stroke per minute machine and baling on racks 350 bales an hour is doing pretty good and it takes three good guys on the racks to keep up for any amount of time.

 

[Anonymous-0]

sounds like you need to get some bale baskets instead. they are a little pricey though.
i have chance to buy 532 ford baler w/o kicker i hope i can get a basket to pull behind it.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Well ya can always go the way my freinds that I help did. By 2 IH (hesston) inline balers with the throwers and 16, yes 16, large thrower racks. When you cant get the help just fill them all up and get them in the shed till you can unload. Yes, I know takes cash. I guess if it's working keep using it.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Alfalfa around here is looking pretty good. The guy who rents our small corner lot just cut first crop today and boy is it thick, especially for 3rd year. No winter kill at all.

My BIL with the 1600 Oli just started baling so I'll help him out with at least a few loads just to remind myself why I became a machinist!

Take care,
ll

 

[Anonymous-0]

neighbor came and cut my grass today. i have taken a cutting of hay off of my pasture last 2 years.
i think about wed i'll get a refresher lesson in mowing hay. those bales came in really handy last winter with the mud. i didn't have to get tractor out and try to keep from getting stuck.

 

[Anonymous-0]

If we had a little mroe money, we'd probably have bought a good used round baler a few years ago now. It's a whole lot cheaper for us to just build a new wagon every now & then on an old running gear and keep the Massey 12 working.

Plus with the small squares, we don't have to worry about the tractor starting in -30 weather, or it breaking down any other time. We do buy quite a bit of hay, and most of that is in big squares. They cost us too much to have ours done by a custom baler, but it is fast if the rain's coming...

Donovan from Wisconsin

 

[Anonymous-0]

It's more or less broke in. Didn't get as many hours of hard labor as I would have liked, but pulling the our 1014+2 is definatley a load in thick hay.

Your 1014 is a slightly different animal. Once they came out with the 1014+2, it didn't have the fingers in the auger like the 1014's, and there's just a few other small differences.

Probably another 3 weeks and I'll be knocking down 2nd crop. I think we may just get a 4th crop this year being that I cut so early for 1st crop... We get a 3rd crop pretty much every year, unless we get really bad luck...

For now, I have to cultivate the pumpins tomorrow, my brother and I have about 2 1/4 acres this year. We got some herbicide spray (called Curb-it) that's supposed to be ok with any vine plant such as pumpkins and squash, but it's a pre-emergence so I have to knock down what weeds are up then go at it with the little sprayer we bought to go behind the garden tractor.

Also gotta change the oil in 2 tractors, plow a small field, and try to get it in within about 1 week.

Donovan from Wisconsin