Just might need a bagger again

[Don-Wi]

We chopped off 8 loads of corn today, all off a 5-6 acre field that gave us a total of 10 loads so far, with only 6 rows left. Looks to be like it'll be a pretty good season.

At the rate we're going, we'll have the other silo almost full with the corn we have left here, plus the 10 or 15 acres up the road. PLus we have 4th crop, which we're thinking about chopping just to get it off. It's looking really nice, espescially after the thin and short 3rd crop that I cut but we never bothered going after it after it got rained on. It was a good long rain though, and we needed it so no complaints otherwise. The alfalfa came right through the cut stuff like it was on steroids. (ok, so we fertilized after 2nd crop, but there never was any rain to wash it in till after cutting 3rd)

I also have to say that the poly lining I put in the spout is a great thing. I did have to take the spout off though and cut some out, then put some of the steel lining back in at the base and overlapping the poly. I was kinda worried about it and shoulda done it in the 1st place, but I didn't think of it at the time. What happened was trhe feed got jammed under the poly in the spout. I took it back off tonight (that's one heavy & akward SOB) and fixed it good this time. I cut off the bottom part of the original metal lining that was in there after the second pair of holes, cut off the poly after the 1st set but before the second set,(about 6" overlap now) and put it under the steel and bolted it tight so it can't come out unless it's unbolted.

Shouldn't have any more problems with that now, and it looks really nice. Dad's gonna try to finish fixing the fence tomorrow so the girls can go out to pasture, then we can clean out the cow yard and set up on the second silo. Try to get that filled in the next week or so, and then popssibly rent the bagger in about 1 1/2 weeks.

I've got a couple days vacation I can burn, so I'll probably take wed-thurs off, don't work fridays, so we'll have 5 days to cut the 4th crop, chop the rest of the corn, switch heads, and chop the 4th crop as well, provied nothing goes wrong. (always does, doesn't it?)

Gonna be a fun month!!!

Donovan from Wisconsin

 

[Brad in WI]

I also work in a machine shop in the valley and also help out some friends on their farm, I know about breakdowns and vacation days. Hope everything goes well for ya and hoping for good weather and excellant machinery for this time of year.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I talked with a friend, after church, last Sunday. He crop farms west of Mondovi. He said the corn is probably the best that rhey have ever had.
SDE

 

[Don-Wi]

If I remember right, You work at A-Z right? I hear they're pretty busy right now, but I think just about all shops are like that right now...

I hear ya on the good weather. Next weekend I got some tickets to the Eve of Destruction at WIR and there's rain in the forecast. Kinda bummed about that but what ca ya do?

Hopefully the machinery holds up. I replaced just about all the chains on the old fox now, including new gathering chains last season after breaking one the year before when we rented a bagger. Of course it breaks close to noon on a Saturday, and nobody around has that type of chain anymore. We improvised but it worked. Also lost the clutch on our chopper tractor that same season so we had to put it on the bagger and the rented 986 on the chopper. Just couldn't go as fast with the 986, but it worked.

Donovan from Wisconsin

 

[Brad in WI]

My friends are changing motors from one Uni chopper to another. Have to get it done by friday and things are not going as well as planned. I would help them out but I have my paying job that needs me more. I will try to get some pics next weekend of our setup in the field. Nice setup that ya got there. Here is a couple of pics of hay that we did early this year.

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As you can see their equipment is not as nice as yours but it still gets the job done. (most of the time)

 

[Don-Wi]

Must be that they're the right shades of red & green huh? Otherwise I guess I took a picture of the good side...

We've got a 970 gehl wagon and an older wood-sided Meyers we picked up for $500 w/out a gear, and then the other 2 wagons we use from time to time are the neighbors older Miller wagons. Trying to go without using theirs this year though, just a hasle trying to use them when they're beat up and worn out. They ussually have truck tires on them though, so they always have atleast 1 flat if we do need to borrow them...

I think the Gehl wagon is the newest thing in the forage lineup, otherwise the rest is from the mid-late 70's other than my 1600- that's a 63. I think even the 986 IH we rent from time to time is late 70's/early 80's...

Donovan from Wisconsin

 

[Brad in WI]

I have no experience with a Massey but I really like the Olivers and Whites from that era. I am an IH guy but I would love to have my buddies JD 4430. Their equipment does not look horrible but they all have mechanical problems that seem to get overlooked by them daily. The IH 3788 2+2 overheats just hauling wagons if you have to run it for a long period of time or pull it hard and the big JD has shifting cable trouble and a cab that is falling apart with very few gauges that work. All of the tractors have to be filled with oil before starting because they WILL be low on oil.

 

[Don-Wi]

I suppose that would be some trouble then. I try to keep up with the maintnance on them, but sometimes it's hard. Right now I gotta change the oil on the 285, 1st change since an overhaul this spring, and I think it's a little past the 50 hr mark. tach broke though so I gott get that fixed.