Small fields equipment suggestions

Hello All.

 

I'm a longtime lurker and thought it was time to jump in with a question or two if you all wouldn't mind....

 

I own a small farm (300acre+/-) in the Northern Ozarks and about 80-85 acres of it is fescue/orchard grass. For the last few years I've had other people cut it on shares. This never seems to work out.... They either never show and I end up bushhogging it, they show up at the end of August for a first cutting when the fields look horrible, or they get part of it done, disappear, and never come back. It's pretty aggravating. What I have got off the fields I have sold easily and for a good price. I decided I'm fed up with trying to find someone dependable and I'm just going to get my own equipment and do it myself. There are some good deals showing up with it almost being mid-summer and some of our area dealers are wanting to move inventory off their lots. I've ran the numbers and they work, especially when I throw in my neighbors who are in the same boat I am. I've already had three tell me that they would be happy if I did their fields.

 

Here's my pickle. I grew up doing this, but it was in flat Illinois fields with a LOT less equipment options out there. I'm finding myself a bit overwhelmed and thought I would ask for some opinions from people who were not trying to sell me something.

 

I want to do small squares and I've been looking really hard at a MF 1838 inline baler. There's a lot of things I like about it. I'm pretty much settled on that one.

 

I'm liking what I see with a Class 450t rake too. I watched one the other day and liked it a lot. It looks solid. I've never used a rotary rake but I like what I see. One guy was saying you can use it as a halfway decent tedder too. ok.

 

I am still a bit lost on the cutter though. I know I want a disc mower, but I don't know about conditioning/not conditioning fescue or trailed/side mount. I was looking at a trailed MF 1359 because it was a holdover from last year and the price was great, but I'm not so sure if that is what I need. The side mount Class Disco 3150 looks awful nice too, as do the Kuhns. My fields are made up of small farms from the mid 1800's- 15 acres pieces being the biggest. In the Ozarks, what is "flat" is cleared and what isn't has White Oaks and Hickory on it, so the fields follow the topography or they parallel the creeks down in the hollows and they can be a bit irregular. I'm thinking a 9-10' bar with my fields being as they are and my tractor have 70hp at the PTO. I thought that 1359 would do okay following the roll of the land but am open to suggestions. If the side mount would get the job done, that would save some $$$ for sure.

 

I'd really like to know what people with more experience than I have think of the different pieces I'm looking at. I'm very open to suggestions too. Sorry for being long winded on my post. Thanks so much for reading.

 

 

Small fields equipment suggestions