Tuesday was a day to remember, or try to forget! I cut some hay on Sunday afternoon with plan to bale it in short order on Tuesday. Well, Monday went as planned, including tedding the hay. Then on Tuesday at noon I raked the hay--so far so good. Then I went to the field with the round baler (JD 530) and on the fourth bale it threw a belt, pulled the lacing out on one end. So, I had to go to the barn and install new lacing, AND re-install that belt through its serpentine configuration--a tough job for this eighty year old, but I made it. Then back to baling. After 3-4 bales a universal joint failed. (A very expensive one, I might add--$441.03!) Too late to repair that day, and Wednesday I was obligated to other things. So, I went and got my neighbor cousin's similar baler thinking I could roll the rest of it up pretty quickly. (He wasn't at home, but that has never been an issue between us.) Well, on the third bale it tore two belts, one mendable by replacing the lacing, the other was pretty much destroyed. Now what to do? I knew that he wanted to bale the next day, so after flying into a panic, I decided that I had to remove a belt from our baler and install it on his baler along with the one I mended. This I proceeded to do at first light on Wednesday, but I was very pressed for time. But, I managed to complete the repair job just in time to leave for my other obligation. Then, as I went to put the baler in the barn, the tractor wouldn't crank. What next??!! After spending some time diagnosing the problem, I found that a battery cable was bad and got a replacement for it. Oh, on Wednesday my neighbor cousin baled his hay without a problem, and as I learned on Thursday he was none the wiser!