Update on My first year Baling Hay

Hey guys, I just wanted to come back and make a quick update on my first year baling hay with all our new to us equipment. This is a follow up to this post. http://ift.tt/2dmj7jb

 

So just to recap,

• I first bought my tractor a 1968 JD 3020 in September of last year. I have put 100 hours on this tractor in a year. I know not all that much but this is the first year.
• We bought a New Holland 617 Disc mower at auction sight unseen and ended up having to rebuild the gear box but still go out cheaper than buying one at a local dealer.
• We got a Haymaster 8 Bale accumulator, unfortunately my land isnt flat enough to use this as much as I would like so I need to find another option. Looking at Steffen
• Bought a Hesston 2 basket tedder, I sure wish I bought a 4 basket.
• The Baler is a NH 575 and I drove about 2hrs there and back to get it at a really good price.
• I got a NH 256 rake from FarmerCline and it has worked with out issue this far.
• I also picked up a Steffen 6515 Bale grapple at auction but have yet to use it.
• In addition I also added a few running gears that need to be built out into wagons still.

I made some modifications to my tractor this year, I switched it over to a 12v system, I moved the loader hydraulics off the rear ports, I finally identified the loader after chipping some paint off its a STOLL, and after contacting Stoll I found the Model is a super 2 Loader. Now my Loader is frankenstein, it is a Stoll Loader with a NH quick attach and a Kubota Bucket, more on why later. I also added a new power distribution block and switch panel so I could add some LED light Bars.

 

The past year has been particularly interesting, the company I was working for closed its doors, the parent company offered me a position to relocate to another state but after moving my daughter around multiple times in her life I made the decision to seek other employment. As a kid who moved a lot I know what its like to make new friends every few years. After 6 months of unemployment, while working on my Disc mower and buying parts at a local AG dealer I decided to see if they were hiring. My background is in Service Center managment so long story short I now manage a Service Center at a tractor dealership. I know I am new to AG and am learning the tractors and equipment but running one is basically the same concept as the other service centers I have managed in the past. I have learned a lot working there and go out and work with the mechanics as much as possible. Since I make a bit less than I was my equipment buying has slowed a bit but this is how I ended up with a Franken-Loader.

 

Now on to the hay, after using some weed killer that was a little bit, well, indiscriminate on what it killed, our first cutting was basically a total loss, I think we got all of about 50 bales total. We wont be using that again. We re-seeded all of the fields it was used on and we ended up with a fair second cutting. The Disc Mower, Rake, Tedder and Baler all work very well. The first cutting a shear pin broke on my knotter on the baler but that was a simple fix. During the second cutting a bolt fell out of the needle to plunger safety catch on the 575 and I had to do some panic or alternative repair to get it up and running since it was Sunday. The following day I ordered the proper stuff to fix the problem. It took me some time to get a decent bale out of the machine. I attribute it to a learning curve, figuring out what does what to adjust density length etc. I learned that the windrow size/uniformity and land speed drastically changes the bale as well, I am still working to get that perfect but they are pretty good now. I know there are plenty of how-tos and information on learning this but I am the type that learns by experimenting so this was best for me. Our yield is very low but out of the fields we cut at Second cutting we got about 1000+ bales at about 50lbs a bale for most, some are heavier. 

 

I still need to pickup a decent accumulator, looking at the Steffen 1550. I still need to make some repairs on the JD, I need to rebuild the steering, reseal the front pump, rebuild the brake booster, replace the hyd lines on the loader and I really want to paint it. Then I want to make some more modifications to it such as a joystick remote with a third spool, take my existing loader control valve and use it to add another set of rear Hyd ports.  I also need to finish building the Hay wagons from the running gear that I got. We are also having to add on to our barn for more hay storage and equipment storage. I would like to pick up some more land to do and our neighbors are already asking if I can cut and bale their hay. Some want a 50/50 some want to pay per bale. Next year should be a decent year, We have the no till seed drill rented in November and are going to resew a couple more fields.

 

We have been picking up hay out of the fields for years and have known that hay is hard work for a long time. This is the first year we cut and baled with our own equipment. I have to say that I like it. Its hard work, but to me there seems to be a peace when working the equipment and a different sense of satisfaction when its all done. Again thank you everyone for your input, guidance and assistance.

 

Just for fun here is a video of my drone following my tractor while raking the field. Dont poke fun, I missed some hay but I was trying to watch the drone. https://youtu.be/bSESW0LbIVo

Update on My first year Baling Hay