Flail Chopper

Okay, I know this is HAY TALK, but it does say right in the byline that this is a Hay, forage and SILAGE forum, so don't BAPTACTMABTLCOO me. (that is forum lingo for: Buy A Plane Ticket And Come To Maine And Beat The Living Crap Out Of Me.)

 

Anyway, I was thinking about all my options and it seems a flail chopper would work best for me. Honestly haying just is not working. It is tough to get endless days of sun in Maine most years, and there is the multiple-machinery issue, and my attempts at getting people to custom hay it has been horrible. One year the guy hayed it on the last day in July and never took 2nd crop. Another guy took half the hay and left me all the crap on the outside windrows. Another guy promised to always get second crop and never showed up again, and finally the guy that did, stole every bale.

 

I AM DONE WITH CUSTOM HAYING!

 

I am not upset, I think I am just asking too much at  a 50/50 split. If it was just one guy I would think maybe he was a loser, but with me having trouble with so many, I think a 50/50 split today is just not feasible for them or me. Furthermore if I enter another agreement now it will lock me in with just another haying contractor when what I really need is all my grass ground, and not just 50% of it. I have a growing flock of sheep and need more.

 

So I was thinking about getting a flail chopper. I talked to the equipment dealership and they said a new one was $18,000. That seems kind of low so, is that correct? Of course I don't need new, I only have 120 acres in fields, so a used one would do, but I am not finding any around here. I suppose I could truck one in from out of state, but what would the transportation charges be? And finally the ones I do see here are stuffed along the rock walls. I suppose I could pay scrap price for one, drag it off the rock wall and rebuild it, but I don't know if that is worth doing?

 

I got to do something!!

 

Any thoughts on this?

Flail Chopper