Alfalfa Rounds For Dairies

We have traditionally sold our round alfalfa bales to cow/calf producers or feedlots. We now have access to a hay barn to store some of our best alfalfa rounds. Question is this - if we can get quality(150+ RFV) alfalfa put up in rounds and barn stored would these be marketable to dairies? Or are most dairies setup primarily for grinding and storage of large squares? How big of a factor is bale type for most dairies? I realize transportation of rounds longer distances probably wouldn't be feasible so market would be maybe 100 miles or less. I'd appreciate any feedback. Thanks 

Alfalfa Rounds For Dairies

Case IH RB 565 Baler

Hi, I'm looking for some feedback or experience anyone has with Case IH RB 565 round balers. We have been using custom harvesters to harvest our alfalfa for the last several years and we're now looking to buy our own line up of haying equipment. We're looking at both John Deere and Case IH for tractor, swather, and baler and would like to stay with one brand for all. 

 

We have heard good things about John Deere round balers but haven't been able to get much feedback on Case IH round balers, specifically the RB 565 round baler. Looking for good or bad experiences anyone has had or any feedback in general that might be helpful in making a decision. We'll be putting up around 300 acres of alfalfa and are planning on a 150 HP tractor to run the baler. 

 

 

Case IH RB 565 Baler

NH 311 super sweep deal breaker?

I have found a good deal on a NH 311 in great shape but it does not have the super sweep pick up. Is this a deal breaker? Will be doing a fescue mix hay mostly.

NH 311 super sweep deal breaker?

2006 RTV900 coolant leak

I recently bought a used Kubota RTV900 with a plow attachment to take care of a long, steep driveway this winter. I think it’s a 2006 and it has about 460 hours on it. The previous owner told me when I bought it that it needed an oil change but I know nothing else about how well it was maintained over the years. While going through the items in the maintenance schedule I discovered a problem with the coolant system. The coolant reserve tank was completely empty so I filled it and soon after noticed a spot of antifreeze on my garage floor. I had never noticed a leak before. I took the protective panel under the radiator off the bottom of the RTV and could see that the radiator itself, the drain valve, and all hoses and connections were dry and tight as far as the hose going into the engine block. I then took off the next protective panel that is right under the forward part of the engine. The engine-facing side of this plate was covered with a mess of oily debris that had to be scraped off and the engine itself was pretty dirty also. I cleaned things up with some paper towels and ran the engine to see if I could spot any leaks. After running the engine for only a few minutes, I saw a drop of coolant on the side of the crankcase right behind the starter motor. I wiped it dry, started the engine again, and the drop re-appeared after a few minutes. I was expecting to find that maybe the water pump was leaking, but I don’t see how that would cause the coolant to appear so far back on the side of the engine block. I can’t see anything else that might spray coolant onto this area. If the cylinder block actually has a hole in it I would expect I would see a lot more problems than just a slow leak of coolant. I am fairly handy but as I’m sure you can tell I’m new to engine work so I thought I’d see if anyone could help me diagnose this problem. Thanks.

Attached Images

	engine01 - overview with arrow.jpg (117.6 KB)
	engine02 - antifreeze on block with arrow.jpg (113.2 KB)

2006 RTV900 coolant leak

Vermeer 54xl Density Pressure Too High

I set my pressure at the green/yellow range, but after an hour or 2 of baling the pressure creeps up to red.  I can turn it down and lower it, but in another 30 minutes to hour of baling it is back in red and i can't seem to turn the knob to lower pressure.  If i stop baling for 30 minutes or so the pressure will drop back down into the low green or even lower.

 

Any ideas as to why pressure climbs after baling for a while, but then drops back down after letting it rest a while?  I rolled about 15 rolls with pressure right at the red, and a lower drive roller bearing went out, the 2 could be related and i dont want to damage belts or bearings with pressure to high.

Vermeer 54xl Density Pressure Too High

new holland 276 feeder tines

my old new holland baler is breaking the hay tines on the feeder bar, it is the steel pigtail tines at the left of the machine viewed from front, they are held on the feeder arm by a spring, it broke them soon after i got the baler, replaced the tines and cranked baler over by hand several times all looked fine tried some grass through it and it broke the tine again, cant see what it can be hitting, has anyone seen this happen before

 

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new holland 276 feeder tines

New holland 268 bearing kit?

My winter project this year is to redo a plunger assembly on my baler being as the clearance between the knives is a quarter inch or better. So I figured if I have to adjust it I might as well replace the bearings and rebuild it a little bit through the winter. Is there a kit you can buy that has all the bearings and stuff like that or do you have to buy them individually and if so is there a list of all the parts you need? I am NOT a fan of pulling everything apart and leaving its for a few weeks while I buy and wait for parts. I always end up losing a few nuts and bolts lol. I'd like to have all the pieces I need ahead of time. I'm trying to find a break down of the pieces I would need so I have them on hand. Is it a hard job to do? I'd obviously have to take my thrower off to pull the plunger out. That and it wouldn't fit in my garage with it on anyways...

New holland 268 bearing kit?

Winter repair projects-question for Krone1

 

Krone1-my right side lift cylinder on my krone 4 basket tedder has developed a leak which I plan to fix this winter.  My question is are these designed to have the packings replaced or not?  The reason I ask is that I don't see an exploded diagram of the interior of the cylinder in the parts diagrams and I don't see a part number for a packing set.

 

Assuming that they are repairable, the ends appear to have screw off caps as indicated by the breaks/lines in the photos .  Am I correct that you remove the hose fittings and then unscrew them?

 

The left lift cylinder is not leaking.  If one goes is it likely the other is not far behind or is there no sense in fixing both at the same time.  Been in use for up to 250 ac of tedding a year for 5 years. 

 

If repairable, do you have a part number for the packing kit?

 

Thanks.

Winter repair projects-question for Krone1

Winter repair projects-question for Mike10

Mike-I have a NH1409 discbine. that has a bent top shield.  I bought it new in 05 or 06.  deflection is a hair more than 2 ".  Occurs from it bouncing up and down as it has never been hit by anything.

 

my question- do I just remove it from the discbine, press it back flat and put a heavier piece of angle in it or what is the best approach?  Thanks.

Winter repair projects-question for Mike10

Custom rate for inline wrapper?

What’s the going rate for wrapping bales with a inline wrapper?

1.Wrapper only
2.Wrapper with a man to operate it.
3. Wrapper,man and skidloader.

Per bale plus the film cost.

Custom rate for inline wrapper?

Raking before heavy dew/chance of showers

Does anyone rake into windrows knowing you'll be teddering out again the next day?
3rd cutting OG. Cut Fri, should be dry by Monday, but there is a chance of light showers tonight. Clearing up tomorrow early.
Small field so I don't mind the extra passes. Pinwheel rake so no roping.
Seems like I read here that some people do this, but cannot find it via search.

Raking before heavy dew/chance of showers

Kneverland bale wrapper belts

I’m looking to replace the belts on my round bale wrapper. Dealer wants a small fortune for new ones. Does anyone know where to look for them?

Kneverland bale wrapper belts

Used 7215 inline baler

There is a used NI 7215 for sale in my area. I currently run a NH 311 that I have rehabbed to generally reliable production, but I am/have always been intrigued by these units. I only bale 2000/year, but might do more in the future.
My 311 has some worn knotter parts my mechanic says might be hard to find when they go. That worries me a bit.
This unit advertised as having-new knives, new rails, I get the new knives but wonder about wearing out the rails?
My needs are unique. I bale short, young grass hay primarily for our training barn. I bale only to fit our operation and reliability is priority. I can fix about anything if I have all winter in shop to figure it out, but fast field repairs are not my strength.
I have new feed and pickup rebuilds, plunger assembly and knotter original.

Stay with 311 and deal with future knotter issues or go with newer inline?
Thanks

Used 7215 inline baler

prowl H2O

Not sure if you can ask this on here? Has anyone found a  low cost place to buy Prowl H2O? The cheapest I have found was $37 per gallon plus freight. Which makes it about $45 a gallon. Any help?

prowl H2O

JD 467 Net Wrapper - Still Giving Me Fits

Hello everybody. Gonna throw this topic out again since I still haven’t solved the problem. A summary of the problem is:

- Baler forms bale perfectly, but occasionally the wrapping cycle does not work correctly. The “full bale” alarms sounds off and the wrap begins to feed into chamber, however the alarm signaling that the wrap cycle is complete does sound off. The wrap just continues to feed into the chamber. I then have to shut down the PTO, manually cut the wrap, turn pto back on to feed the tail end of wrap around bale, dump the bale, turn monitor off, turn back on and turn to channel 14 to retract actuator then reload wrap.

- usage has shown that this problem starts when about 2-3 inches of netting is left on roll. The odd thing is that it will wrap fine for 4-5 bales, then it will malfunction. It repeats this pattern until I finally get fed up with it and load a fresh roll. Once the fresh roll is in, it rock and rolls just as it is designed to.

- I have watched the excellent video on YouTube and have made adjustments as recommended. The brake pad that stops the belt pulley has been replaced and shims installed so pulley starts to spin around 50 pounds of torque. The shocks holding the compartment cover do hold the door up.

-I’ve spoken with the baler mechanic at our local JD shop and he thinks that the control monitor may be the problem. I understand that the monitor trips the cut-off knife so that could be the problem, but then I ask myself if that is the problem why doesn’t it malfunction with every bale?

Has anybody else ever run across this problem? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Chris Boenig

JD 467 Net Wrapper - Still Giving Me Fits

Bar rake Right hand delivevery

Hi there. Has anyone modified an old left side delivery bar rake to turn the hay to the right side? I would like to make a hitch and pull 2 rakes to make 2 swaths into one. If anyone has pictures that would be great. Thanks!

Bar rake Right hand delivevery

Viable seeds in baleage?

I have been feeding 1st cut hay on poor areas of pasture for years and had great success with the dropped seeds germinating the following spring and the trampled (uneaten) hay adding organic matter to the soil.  I now have access to alot of baleage, and I would like to use it the same way, but I don't know if the fermentation cooks the seeds beyond viability.  Does anyone know if the seeds remain viable in baleage?

Viable seeds in baleage?

Grass species

Since this is my first post, a little about me, grew up on a farm/ranch, 55 married into a ranching family and raise cattle and hay on a small farm in ne ok, nw ar. The wife and I are looking to expand our operation, but land prices here are prohibitive, so we are looking at some other areas, mostly central oklahoma where prices seem to be far cheaper.  My question is this, what are the main species grown in this area, I know bluestem is one, that provide quality cattle feed and are drought tolerant? The soil seems sandy in that area, and rainfall amounts are less than we are used to. Looking for answers for perennial cool weather grasses as well, though I imagine we'll be planting some wheat also. Thanks ahead of time.

Grass species

Tube wrapping dry hay

Long story short, losing some storage I rent for hay. About 50 5X6 bales worth.


Hay shed is full, pole barns are full. Is it a stupid idea to try and tube wrap some of these bales? It’s dry hay, couldn’t possibly ferment. Maybe only 2 wraps or something? Have access to a tube wrapper that’s a lot quicker than trying to throw a hoop barn up.

Tube wrapping dry hay

PTO speed blues

I have a Ford 260-C 4X4 industrial 1989. It came with an electric power reverser -which made it a great brush -hog tractor for me. However - the lock in switch(to engine)did not always stay locked on. Got it good and warm hogging - result _ reverser fried. No one has parts, no one rebuilds. 1st attempt was ford 4,000 manual tranny /clutch per Ford guys. It was sliding right in until it came to the pto gears. NOPE. Further Ford guy advice-3930 standard tranny (hydraulic reverser.) Slid right together, runs good HAPPY ! Put on Dyno - shows 2/3 rated horses -gearing only lets it run 2/3 speed PTO. I just run it wide open and drive a gear slower. Only took 2.5 years to complete. Any "simple" gear fixes, or just keep running the heck out off it ?? Grandson of Fordson , Ford/Ferguson, Ford dealer (from 1930 to 1950's) Glenn Carlisle (I drive Ford trucks, too ! )

PTO speed blues

Speed of skid steers

Got into a discussion with one of my son's about skid steers and the question came up on speed.  In regards to how fast you can go down the road/lane/etc. (with smooth dry conditions naturally ).  The newer tractors may have spoil us it seems going around 25MPH,  verses the old 5000 at around 15 (which was FAST compared to the Farm H at around 12MPH??).

 

Being there are some folks on here with experience with skid-steers, what is the top road speed? And is there a lot of differences between manufactures and new vs older models?

 

Larry

Speed of skid steers

Win a prize, First 3 to reply to this thread from the new server

Will be shutting down the forums in an hour or so. Be one of the first 3 to reply after we are on the new server and I have a prize for you.

I want to know how long it takes for the ip addresses / dns info to propagate and this will help. Open to all members/ mods included.

Win a prize, First 3 to reply to this thread from the new server

JD 535 gearbox seal replacement

The front seal that leads to the PTO shaft is leaking. Can I replace it without pulling the box? Maybe screw a couple screws into the old one for something to hold onto, pull it out and press the new in?

 

JD 535 gearbox seal replacement

Bale command plus issue

NH 7060 with the bale command plus monitor.  I had moisture in the screen (use on open station) so I opened it up to dry.  Pulled the plug to separate the screen from the harness so they would lay out.  When I put it back on the tractor, nothing.  Opened again, and reset the plug, now working, but the horn blares constantly.  Closed it up, and with muffs, I don't hear it anyway. The unit works fine, but have to watch bale size, cause I don't hear the horn.  Any Ideas where to start to troubleshoot this?  The manual doesn't address this problem.

Bale command plus issue

Round Baler Rolls vs Belts

Let me start off with "I know NOTHING about round balers"

 

I was watching a video on Claas rollant balers and it made me wonder, are rolls better than belts?

 

Do they give longer more trouble free service?

Are the bales better formed, especially in the variable density ones?

 

I'm just curious and if some of you have used these systems don't be shy to express your opinion.

Round Baler Rolls vs Belts

Hay getting stuck in right side of feed box NH 276

I need to check feeder tine length. Adjustment makes no difference. Also wondered if pickup teeth are too short.
In the picture it's almost the full length, but it usually is just the left side looking from the front. This problem seems more pronounced in shorter hay i.e. 2nd and 3rd.
It almost seems like the pickup teeth are pulling it around and it gets stuck in guards too.

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Hay getting stuck in right side of feed box NH 276

Net Wrap Turns

Sooner than Hijack the OP,s thread I would ask how many turns you apply   net wrap to the round bale crops? , Varies with crop??.  Also if you wrap how many layers of plastic on the bale? . I know we did this before but times change 

Net Wrap Turns

Moving to a new server

I am doing one forum at a time. Working on netcookingtalk now. Waiting for nameserver info to propagate.

If all goes well with netcookingtalk I will be moving NTT later tomorrow. Which means the forums will be out of reach for 10 or 12 hours for most of us. Some can take as long as 24 to 48 hours to propagate. This is totally out of my control. It all depends on where you live and how often your ISP updates it's nameservers with updated dns info.

Moving to a new server

Getting into haying for self-sufficiency

Hello!

 

This is the second season we have owned a farm and first year we seeded 5-6 acres with orchard/fescue grass. It took and this year we had a 1st cutting and now a second cutting. We used no herbicides and still produced good, weed free hay (yes, I know, we are just lucky - a few docks but nothing else in quantity).

 

This year we had two different neighbors bale the hay, the first cut was very late because one of them had too many of his own acres to bale (I understand this) so we called someone else and this time we are on time. Our first cut looked really good but due to it being mowed late, it turned out to be too stemmy and was not useful for our own horses.

 

I love my neighbors, they are great people but I also understand my fields are not a priority. Since I do not want to depend on anyone next year, I would like to own my own equipment to mow/bale. I already own a nice, old Massey Ferguson 150 diesel tractor and would like to get the equipment to match it. Since I am not a commercial operator and the amount of acreage would mostly be 10 acres of orchard/fescue and teff in some fields, I do not want to spend an arm and a leg, used equipment is fine, I am handy with a wrench.

 

Question is - where do I start? Should I just go with a sickle bar mower for the cutting? Is that the cheapest/easiest option? I do not know much about haying equipment (obviously) but I do not want to make this too complicated (and expensive). Also, how do I know if a particular piece of equipment (like a sickle bar mower) will work with my particular tractor?

 

Thanks!

Getting into haying for self-sufficiency

First Casualty

I am letting our dealer do the 50 hour service on our 2016 1120D so they can also adjust the appropriate linkages - I've been losing a little top speed in the past few months. Still need to open the muffler and knock out any soot just in case.

Just as I am planning that, I was pulling logs to a pile this weekend. As I was unhooking the tow chain, I noticed the port side aft CV joint boot was ripped up. There was some grease visible. I know it is not a good idea to drive around too long with that joint open to dust, mud and water.

None of the others is torn and I am hoping it gets covered under the KCC warranty. We have treated the RTV well and haven't abused it in the woods so I can't imagine what did it.

Anyone else had a joint boot disintegrate?

First Casualty

Weed ID, hope I'm wrong

 

Found this weed a last year an destroyed it (wasn't found at that location this year).  This year found it again in several different places (they are in sad shape now).  But as I was heading towards one of my this year's victims to check their health, I notice something on my neighbors property.

 

 

These are pictures of the 'shorter' plant at about 6', the other plant about 15' away from this one is closer to 8' tall.  The ones I found on the edges of my hay field have all been between 2' and 4' tall.

 

I'm thinking that I'm dealing with a 'Japanese Knotweed', but hoping I'm wrong. Please, someone tell me it's something else, that's easily controlled.

 

Seems having a Japanese Knotweed is similar to having an STD (you don't want it, it can be a pain somewhere and you don't want anyone to know you have it or how you may have acquired it even  ).  Should I tell my neighbor (my BIL) or just make the plants on his property a possible victim also?

 

Larry

Weed ID, hope I'm wrong

bale netwrap bursting in Texas and Oklahoma

 recent years , netwraps  are bursting in Texas and Oklahoma ,but in Missouri 、Nebraska 、Kansas and South Dakota,the Netwraps are good ,not happen to burst, i have research the UV  data in NASA website,and the data of UV in Missouri 、Nebraska and South Dakota is higher than Texas and Oklahoma,so the netwraps  in higher UV states  are ok, but in Texas and Oklahoma are not good,so i want to know the reason of netwraps in Texas and Oklahoma every year happen to burst

bale netwrap bursting in Texas and Oklahoma

Vermeer 504 SI Hydraulic Density System

I recharged the density system on my 504 back in the spring after a fitting had became loose and it lost charge. It did fine 1st and 2nd cutting (about 350 rolls) running at 800-1000 psi. At about 50 rolls into the 3rd cut today I noticed that the gauge (also replaced in the spring) is not going back down to zero after a roll is dumped and the gate is closed. One density cylinder was not quite pulling completely back (retracted) after the recharge. Is this a sign of a bypassing cylinder? 

I have had no problems starting a roll like I think I would if there was pressure pushing against the starter roll.

Vermeer 504 SI Hydraulic Density System

NH 650 Wheel Axle assembly

After making the last pass in the field i noticed my drivers side wheel and tire on the NH 650 baler moving back and forth like the lug nuts were loose. I climbed off the tractor to find the bearing cap gone and the bearing apart. I believe the axle its self is okay, the bearing just needs replaced but the outer house that the wheel bolts to is busted up pretty bad. Is this a replacement part? I plan to start tearing it apart tomorrow.

 

Thanks for the comments.

NH 650 Wheel Axle assembly

startup speed

I just purchased a 2014 Kubota x900 and I have to build up RPM before it will engage transmission. Not a smooth startup and very difficult to connect to a trailer. Is this normal?

startup speed

504 Super I Bale Count?

I have a 504 SI with exact fill/auto tie. When I look at total count on the monitor it shows 0. In the service manual there is a confusing explanation that says "1 on total count means 10,000 bales. So this baler has somewhere less than 10,000 bales? Does this make sense to anyone? Do anyone know of a way to get a closer total count?

504 Super I Bale Count?

Alfalfa/Reedcanary

Anyone do a Alfalfa/Reedcanary mix.Read something about it a few yrs ago in Hay and Forage??

Reason I ask is I got a field that has pockets that water will sit in after heavy rain so Alf dies off in those spots Orchard also.

Alfalfa/Reedcanary

Plant it? Or leave it in the bag for now?

We've hit a dry spell.  I've got some fields prepped and ready to plant and they are dust.  Putting in new stand Timothy, and new stand Orchard Grass.  Very little chance of rain, and plenty of heat in the 10 day forecast.  The fall clock is ticking.  Maybe it wouldn't germinate until we get some moisture, but i'd hate to see it germinate just to die due to lack of moisture.  Would you plant, or wait?

 

Plant it? Or leave it in the bag for now?

Cuting height

The subject of cutting height came up on an article on the Cow calf weekly forum.  I would like to tell you folks of my experience.  I have received a lot of good knowledge from this group and would like to reciprocate.

 

Rotary swathers tend to scalp the pasture.  My experience with a pull type rotary swather did not allow me to raise the cuterbar enough to prevent getting into the white part of the grass.
I cut grass pastures native to Central Oklahoma.  Most of the grass is Bluestem and the accompanying forbs.  Due to my age and physical limitations to watch behind the tractor, I bought a couple of old OMC Sickle type self propelled swathers.   The headers have wide steel roller gauge wheels.  I set these rollers as high as they would go, approximately 8 inches.  My hay fields are small areas that the larger farmers will not rent.  I am in the middle of a housing boom invasion.  A 30 acre field yielded 45 bales on the first cutting at the new height last year.  The second cutting yield was 110 bales!!  This field never yielded more than 2 bales per acre with the rotary swather.  Instead of spraying herbicide for weeds, I now fertilize with 90 to 125 lbs/acre with a blended fertilizer 43-4-0.  This was made by blending 500lbs of 18-46-0 with 5500 lbs of 46-0-0.  The phosphate is used as a catalyst for the nitraogen.  More Phosphate does not appear to yield more forage.  I cut this pasture 3 days ago and the only weeds seen were a few small patches of silverleaf nightshade.  Nightshade is extremely hard to kill with selective herbicide.  I am planning on using a grass works weed wiper to kill the nightshade.  Any advice would be welcomed about eradicating the nightshade.
The wet spring we experienced this year did not allow me to fertilize,  so the yield is from the fertilizer I applied last year.  The 30 acres made 45 bales on the first cutting and 35 on the second without fertilizer this year. 

With my "new" sickle type swathers I have put my herbicide money into fertilizer and reaped a lot more rewards.   The article states what I had thought when reading about what happens when the green part of the grass is cut.  With no green leaves, photosynthesis cannot convert sunlight into nutrients and the plant has to use the reserves in the roots to make a new green leaf before it can begin to grow.  
The use of sickle versus rotary is the old way but in my case it saves fuel and spraying. 

Cuting height

Case IH 8370 Mower Conditioner

I'm contiplating on going looking at a Case IH Mower Conditioner. It's a Center Pivot, and I think it's 12 feet. What can anyone tell me, about this Mower, and Conditioner? Thanks in Advance.

Case IH 8370 Mower Conditioner

Video: Stress testing Kuhn products

 

Extreme abuse of Kuhn products for durability testing.  

 

Hey Kuhn, I got some fields you can try your stuff on.  I bet they will find the weak points quicker than you did there!

Video: Stress testing Kuhn products

Krone TC 320

Has anyone seen the Krone TC 320 on You Tube?  I think it's at a farmshow in Norway. I hope they bring it to the states. Cool looking machine.

 

 

Krone TC 320

Vermeer 554 XL

Hello everybody; Need some advice. I m ready to switch from small square bales to rounds but I know nothing about round balers. At auction looking at Vermeer 554 XL. Seems to be in good shape but the 2 center belts have a twist in them. looks wrong to me. Makes 4x4 bale? How much horsepower does it need? What are their good and bad points? 

Thanks in advance  MHG

 

Vermeer 554 XL

1069 Balewagon second table problems

I have a 1069 balewagon (460 gas) that I have been running for some years. I have always been able to keep the engine and other mechanical parts running good. The machine is pretty wore out and I am starting to have hydraulic issues. 

 

My main issue is on the 2nd table. It will lift when triggered but as soon as the trip lever clears the table it falls back down. I bought the service manual but still can't get it figured out.

 

Also, my bale loader works great, however sometimes it is really hard to lift and I have to lockout other hydraulics to get it to come up.

 

 

Any suggestions you guys may have would be great!

 

Jake

 

1069 Balewagon second table problems

Used a disc bine... never going back

When my wobble box bearings took a dump in my 469 (yes it's really old) I went on the hunt and successfully found the parts I needed. However, I have been borrowing my father in laws case 8309 and I now have zero interest in fixing my 469 ever. Despite using a Hydro 84, which is under powered for the 8309, the machine works wonderfully. I know most of you already knew all this, but if there are other hold outs.... it's time to see the light! Happy fall everyone.

Used a disc bine... never going back

Do I need to shred hay for horizontal TMR with a Silage Special baler?

With all the trouble with rain over the last few years, I am considering upgrading my JD 535 baler to a Silage Special and putting up baleage. I have a small Patz horizontal TMR with knives (not sure what good they do) and a tub grinder that I use to shred the hay before I mix.

If I buy a silage special baler, do I still need to shred the hay in the tub grinder before I mix with a horizontal TMR or does the baler cut up the hay enough that I can skip grinding hay? I would love to skip the tub grinder. I was going to upgrade my TMR to a vertical with knives, but I can not afford to upgrade both my baler and TMR at the same time as well as buy a wrapper.

Are there some balers (brand/model) that work better than others? I have small herd so I am looking for a baler less than 15k.

I see a lot of talk about silage special, crop cutter, bale slicers. What is the difference or are these just different names for the same thing.

Thanks in advance.

Do I need to shred hay for horizontal TMR with a Silage Special baler?

Drooping hay

I have a Vermeer 504super I it’s drooping hay out on each side of the rear while baling. Any ideals.

Drooping hay

Orchard grass stubble height

I have been cutting at 4" and have been very pleased with this. My mower is down, but I've got a friends 474 to use.
Problem is the shoe cannot be adjusted to my preferred height. Only able to get the pin in the second hole, meaning 2nd to shortest cut height.
Not going to mess with the shoe as it's pretty thin.
I'm very reluctant to cut this low. Seems like regrowth is just as important for the final (3rd) cut going into fall.
Frost likely in 2-3 weeks.
Is this a good line of though?
My mower should be ready Friday and there's still a window.

Orchard grass stubble height

bolt size to bolt down NH488 from floating

What's the bolt size to bolt the floating head down to the frame on the 488 haybine so it doesn't bounce when roading it? I remember Mike saying something about this awhile ago. None of the bolts in my misc. pile fit the threads so I want to pick one up that's the right thread, but need to know what that is.

 

The bolt goes through the spring bracket on the machine's right side and bolts into a threaded boss in the frame, locking the head down.

bolt size to bolt down NH488 from floating

Hay applicator small square baler

Hello: I'm fairly new with the Hay Talk forum. I never used a preservative on hay before and I'm very GREEN at it. I have a few questions. 1. What should your moisture be when you are bailing grass and alfalfa mixed? 2. I have a 4 acre field and I get about 200 bales first crop and its about 4 years old. So I'm getting 2 ton of hay on that field. 

Hay applicator small square baler

# FAIR CATTLE MARKETS

 

 

Video of Corbit Wall discussing the cattle markets and the attempt to have Trump at least notice what is going on with OUR market .

 

Just look him up on youtube at Feeder Flash good watch and good info.

# FAIR CATTLE MARKETS

Dry conditions

After having record rainfall amounts through winter and spring it has dried up. I need to cut but it’s so dry I have been waiting for some rain which doesn’t appear to be coming. So my question is has the hay lost nutritional value from being so dry and if so I assume I should wait for rain? Or should I go ahead and cut it? I will be feeding horses with it and it’s fescue.

Dry conditions

purslane

We have a newly established 20 acre grass/alfalfa mix hay field. Upon cutting, we discovered quite a bit of purslane.  How do we rid our field of this?  Any help is greatly appreciated.

purslane

Tips on third cutting orchard grass

Mowing with 477 haybine. Mow at 4" stubble. I'm tempted to windrow it , then rake two or three rows together so there's enough to tedder. With the exception of an isolated light rain wed. morning it is clear here till Sunday. Cool nights.
What do you do with 3rd? Have not done much, but fertility and rain is paying off this year. Not very tall but thick.

Tips on third cutting orchard grass

Weed ID... Is it dead?

What do you guys call this broadleaf?  I sprayed this field 2 weeks ago with 3 qt glyphosate and 1.5 pt 24D in prep for working and planting.  It was wheat stubble that filled in with lots of trash.  Good kill on most everything, except the broadleaf in this pic.  It's sickened down, with some burned leaf edges, but I'm not convinced my mix got it.

 

Weed ID... Is it dead?

Do I want to cut again?

Have some pasture as well as some grass waterways that could use a trim. Wouldn’t be a barn buster as far as quantity but the quality should be quite good. Question is, do I wand do mess with it? We are a few weeks from soybean harvest, so there is time. Don’t really need the feed but never hurts to have a few extra squares in the shed. We generally won’t get a frost for another week and hard freeze for about 3 weeks. What would you do?

Do I want to cut again?

Farmhand bale accumulator

I just bought this accumulator, the push off chain will not shut off and stay off. I get it stopped, start baling and it has moved around part way?

Farmhand bale accumulator

Heating Hay

Baled my last hay on 8/31.  Had a lot of crabgrass in it, base is OG.  Air temp today is 70.  Hottest temp I measured was 87.  Warmest spots have a little dust but not matted mold.  Would you worry?  Never had hay heat that long and it has been on a kicker wagon since baling.  

Heating Hay

Hard year again to make dry hay

Middle of August made 40 acre of 2nd crop, 1st crop was made late. Big square baler was lined up to bale but the day it should have been ready it wasn't a good drying day. Raked it up baled with preservative and hoped for the best because the next days all had chance of rain, pulled some bales out of the barn 2 weeks later and you can see on the sides of the bales where they were touching that the hay heated a little but was cool when we took it out. A neighbor had the same situation labor day weekend and he had his hay tedded out, close to ready to bale and rain in the forecast next day. When he moved bales over a week later same results. The horse farm up the road was shooting for dry hay last Saturday and they ended up having to wrap it all because it wasn't dry.

Hard year again to make dry hay

FRONT PROPELLER SHAFT CV BOOT

ANYONE KNOW OF ANYWHERE TO GET CV BOOT FOR FRONT PROPELLER SHAFT FOR 4 WHEEL DRIVE. 1100 rtv cw. MESSICKS IS 85.00 for one, sounds high to me

FRONT PROPELLER SHAFT CV BOOT

NH 575 pick up belt problem

My pick up belt came off last year, and that was a learning experience to re-install it! This spring I replaced the belt, baled about 300 bales, and parked the baler. I started it up Monday Tuesday evening and bam, the belt came off. I re-installed it, engaged the PTO and it came off again! Now the belt is in 2 pieces. Any ideas before I ruin another $50 belt?

NH 575 pick up belt problem

NH 268 Needle replacement issues

So I bought a one-owner 268 and it's ugly but mechanically very good condition. Been parked for 2-3 years in a barn.

I'm new (just off the turnip truck last night) to baling hay. I saw it run, ran it - all seemed fine.

I starts to hay...and the needles get broken. Now i've got 40 years as a shade tree mechanic and 20 years as a professional (cars, motorcycles, watercraft, atv, etc).

The knotters were gummed up (for lack of a better term) causing them to seize up part way thruough a knotting cycle, with the needles up..well, they took a fatal hit.

I got 2 new needles (not cheap...have hay laying in the field so you do what you gotta do). INstalled, I know they can be (need!) to be adjusted for how they enter the knotter.

Well...the right needle enters about 1.5" before the left one..and adjusted for as much clearance as possible (at the needle mount) it hits the knotter which is adjusted all the way back..so I'm suspecting the needle mount(s) are tweaked..hey, it's 40 some years old afterall.

So is it acceptable/common/not rare to have to 'adjust' the needle mounts via bending? And if so..how do you suggest I do that considering I need to keep the tabs in alignment to hold the needle and the total mvoement might only need to be 1/8" or 3/16? Better to grind the needle mount area?

Is there a measurement from some point to the needle tip that would aid me in getting the tweaking done right the first time in stead of trial and error?

NH 268 Needle replacement issues

Tedder Education/what to buy help needed

Just did my first haying, a third cutting in western PA.

Used an old (but restored) ferguson 3 point rake. Took 6 dry days to dry the hay...so need a tedder (as everyone told me...LOL)

I hear there are tedders that can also rake (not a big fan of the ol' ferguson).

35hp 4300 lb tractor (2018 kioti). Hay field is old horse pasture - not the smoothest flattest piece of ground around.

I know nothing about tedders other than there are several styles and some can rake also (which is my preference). Looking used. I have rear hydralics if needed.

What should I be looking for? Brand/model/size?

Tedder Education/what to buy help needed

Newholland 450 utility chain

What are you guys using to lube the chain that drives the string feed? Is there something that won’t attract grit? Anyone improved that system? Thanks.

Newholland 450 utility chain

John Deere Frontier rotary rakes

Does anyone know who makes the John deere rotary rakes? Look to me like its a pequea rake.
I was just looking at a 2213 frontier rotary rake yesterday. Seems like a heavy well built machine. Does anyone have experience running one?

John Deere Frontier rotary rakes

NH Hay Dog metal

Can you weld the ends of the hay dogs, to build up the worn part to reshape it? A lot of cast iron is not weldable. 

NH Hay Dog metal

Smutgrass control

Smutgrass has become a real problem in my pastures and in many area pastures. Have tried Valpar with limited success. Have tried to wipe with roundup. This wasn’t real successful either. Anybody have and suggestions on how to control this weed?

Smutgrass control

Questions on JD Balers and a Kuhn Rotary Rake at upcoming auctions.

As usual, now that hay season is over, the fall auction season is starting up and there are a few items I'm looking at.  The first auction is this weekend and has a JD 854SS round baler in it (pictures 1-3).  The second auction is on the 21st and has a JD 457SS round baler as well as a Kuhn GA4120TH rotary rake (pictures 4 and 5).  The dealers website states that the JD457 has 13k bale on it, no info on the JD854.  I won't be doing a large number of bales every year but would like to upgrade to a newer baler with a variable chamber... and the wider pickup would be nice (net wrap is pretty much a must have).

 

My questions for the round balers is that they both appear to have some type of rotor behind the pickup, but I'm can't tell if it's a crop cutting system or just a feed system to move the hay into the bale chamber.  If it's a crop cutter, can it be disabled to allow baling of regular hay and if so how well does it work like that?  I'll be baling dry grass hay, so will it cause any problems with leaf loss?  Also, what are the trouble spots I should be checking and how good/bad are these balers overall?  I will be checking to see if they both have the monitors with them.

 

The Kuhn rake looks in pretty good shape other than a couple of the tine arms have quite a bit of play in them, both rotating the way the cam would move them as well as endplay up/down/front/back.  I'm guessing there are some bearings in the hub that need to be replaced and I'm wondering how big (and expensive) a job that is?  I'm confident I can probably do the work myself if I have to, so parts price is my big concern.  Any experience with rebuilding the hub on one of these?

 

Thanks in advance for your help, Josh

 

Questions on JD Balers and a Kuhn Rotary Rake at upcoming auctions.

Hay rake 57 rolabar

I'm looking for a new or used V- belt pulley for a New Holland 57 Rolabar rake.   Messick's has 1 for $399.00.  Looking for a cheaper price or salvage yard for hay rakes.

thanks William

Hay rake 57 rolabar

Belt lacing questions

When replacing lacing are you supposed to cut off a section of belt so you have fresh rubber without holes and stuff?

 

Can I use a flexco alligator on a JD 535 baler?

Belt lacing questions

Opinions on JD 459 baler for silage

Does anybody here know if a JD ''459 Megawide Plus'' baler is a really good baler for baling silage? If not, what would be your recommendation to buy for a silage baler?

Opinions on JD 459 baler for silage

September Forage Market Report.

Progressive Forage Grower.

 

Regards, Mike

 

https://www.progressiveforage.com/news/hay-market-reports/forage-market-insights-in-search-of-quality?utm_source=Progressive+Publishing+Notifications&utm_campaign=42a9faa012-09062019_pf_hay_report&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_67d5f32817-42a9faa012-87278301

September Forage Market Report.

NH Balewagon 2nd table stops midway, sometimes drops

My 1034 PT stackwagon has an issue with the 2nd table. When the 2nd table is tripped, it will go up 2-3' and then stop. Periodically it drops a foot or so and then stops. I can manually send the 2nd table up to the top after that. I recently replaced the worn out 2nd table cylinder. It did this before replacement and after. Any help is appreciated.

NH Balewagon 2nd table stops midway, sometimes drops

rust in fuel tank

I have a 550 John Deere dozer that has rust in the fuel tank that keeps plugging the fuel line and filter. Has anyone have an idea on how to remove the rust and prevent rust in the future

rust in fuel tank

Tips for a thick healthy new grass stand

I'm planning to put out a new stand of grass hay.  I haven't had the greatest luck establishing new stands in the past.  What tips can you provide, or what processes do you use to ensure the best chance of success for a new stand that is thick and as weed free as possible?

 

This ground was a split field for 2019.  Half of it was in wheat, and half was in Timothy.  The Timothy section I planted last fall but it didn't take as well as it should have and it was looking like an uphill battle to get it productive.

 

I sprayed it with Glyphosate and 24D 9 days ago.  I was planning to work it, smooth/level it as best I can, then seed it.

Tips for a thick healthy new grass stand

Are you making money?

Reading thru a lot of threads here and one thing keeps popping up in my mind, are you actually MAKING money, or is it just cash flow? I have my costs down to the gnats ass, and I don’t know where I could trim any more fat, but would like the net profit higher. I understand some on here do it as a hobby and that is just fine, but for me, even a hobby has to have ROI or it becomes a charity.

Are you making money?

Bald face hornets

Was wondering if any of you guys were familiar with bald face hornets. The other day was cutting some ash trees around the edge of one of the pastures which is a favorite as far as eating leaves go. I was standing ther watching the cattle eating and noticed there was a lot of these hornets flying around the cows faces and taking flies right off their face. Anybody with cattle always has a lot of flies so I'm thinking this is pretty good. So now I have a dilemma, want to cut up some firewood with my homemade firewood processor and it has 2 great big nests of those hornets. Usually would just spray them but now I don't want to kill them just think it's so cool to see them catching flies. 

Bald face hornets

Ford 230 or I4-295

I have what I was told is a Ford 230 small square baler a twister. I have searched for a service manual for a couple of  years now. In the process of my search I may have a I4-295. Last couple of years it would miss a bale maybe 1 out of 100. I finally ran out of my stockpile of old new baling wire and had to purchase some of this new non USA made wire. They seem to not know or do not realize that the wire needs to be lubricated, not only to protect it from oxidation but also for it to feed well. I do not know if that is the problem but I can not run 10 bales without it wrapping wire around one of the tie arms or both of them. With no service manuals, I am in a little bit of a bind. Does anyone remember these balers and if so can you point me in the right direction? I have 70 acres of coastal on the ground raked and ready. The way neighbors are these days and times I do not even know someone that has a small square baler that has not been sitting 5 to 50 years.I can round bale this hay but I have horse customers that either can not handle round bales or will not. Not to mention 50% or 60% of the bales are already spoken for. The last hay I baled last year I ran over 300 without a miss. I used the last of my old wire in a small field this year 55 bales I think and went ahead and loaded the new wire. That is the only change besides the field I am in. I have checked the routing of the wire several times and it may not be correct but I have had no problems the last 4 or 5 years. The wire appears to feed freely from the carriers. It just wraps around the tie arms randomly, left, right, or both it has no rhyme or reason that I can figure out. All the sheaves are free including the needles. I am at a loss of a direction to go. Any help would be greatly appreciated.   Not my baler but mine looks just like it.

Ford 230 or I4-295

net wrap balers

I have a 660 new holland string wrap baler. But i'm think of buy a net wrap baler. I only put a couple hundred bales a year, but a lot of them are put up off my farm. So by the time i haul the bales home the string are coming off. Net wrap bales weather better around here. I think 4 ft wide bales would be easier to haul. I don't want to spend the money for a new one. I look at a 466 john deere. What you guys think would be a good dependable net wrap baler for 20,000 or less. 

net wrap balers

NH 640 autowrap issue

I have a NH640 roller which has worked great for years.  Last fall, I noticed that it would not trip on some rolls.  I noticed it again this fall.  Spring rolling worked fine.  I am thinking the issue is related to the hay being less rigid (better hay, not as many stems) in the fall than in the spring.  I have to manually trip each roll.  String cuts ok when it completes the cycle.

 

I did try to activate the wrapping when the roll was full by pulling on the arm that activates it.  It would trip but the linkage would get stuck(probably because I had to yank it pretty hard).

 

Any suggestions?

NH 640 autowrap issue

64" net wrap in Cover Edge baler?

Fairly new to round baling, bought a Deere 567 last spring. Trying to get around the high price of 67" wrap from Deere, I tried putting in a roll of 64".  After square baling yesterday, I finished up with the 567.  Only did 2 bales.  They wrapped but I got alarm and Stop! signal on the monitor after both of them.  Is that normal?  If so probably not worth the $150/roll savings.

64" net wrap in Cover Edge baler?

RTV X1100C working

Not as clean as it was two months ago! I hope the photo shows up.Attachment 12074

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RTV X1100C working

Recommended minimum splice length for baler belt

Does anyone have any recommendation of a minimum length of splice to added to baler?

Also how many splices per belt can we have before we start affecting baler production quality?

Recommended minimum splice length for baler belt

Fencing- Cost of woven wire / post install

Hi All!  New here and seeking some information as I don't trust the random sites for this question.

 

I am considering starting a fence company in Virginia.  The area I am moving to is very rural and most of the pasture acreage that is being fenced are 50-200 acre pastures.  I have a skid steer with an auger and a Danuser post pounder.  I have used both of them a very small amount for my own use.  Essentially all I need is a good trailer.

Almost all of the local farms have woven wire and PT wooden posts (when done new).  I'm really at this point trying to find out what the general cost is for labor and materials?

Also does anyone recommend any really good how to books with a lot of photos?

When buying materials do you set up a commercial account somewhere to get product cheaper and mark it up like typically done in construction?

 

I'm hoping this could be a prosperous option because I have hear from a few sources that there are not to many fence guys there and they are all booked a year in advance!

 

Thanks for any time and details!

Fencing- Cost of woven wire / post install

Top Link Cylinder.

When I hook up my Krone disc mower, I have to extend the top link quite a bit to raise the cutterbar to mow about 4" high. I think I could use a hydraulic cylinder top link for ease of operation. What size/kind of cylinder have you used for a top link? I need something that would have a overall extension to about 31" or so. 

 

Regards, Mike

Top Link Cylinder.

Broadcast spray for pasture.

I have returned to the country after a career with a calculator, and computer.

Have been clearing mesquite and Huisache for years now, about 40 miles south of San Antonio.

have cleared trees mechanically followed up with diesel and remedy a dash of sendro mixed in.

 

I have stands of Coastal, buffel, armadillo clover, and a mix of native grass and weeds. 

 

Mesquite and huisache are now coming up from seed to small and many to spot spray.  Need to eliminate Grass Burrs, weeds etc. to make a grazing pasture.  

 

I plan to plant more mixed seed bermuda, rye, clover and add some alfalfa patches; for my personal grazing use.

 

Just bought a 500 Gallon broadcast PTO sprayer.  

 

what herbicides do I spray with??  Been looking at a mix of sendero and 2-4-d, with liquid fertilizer added, for a one stop spraying using a water base.  can close off sections as needed, but will want to graze as soon as possible.

 

have been told several timings for spraying from spring when leaves of coming up to mid summer.  

 

Assistance will be appreciated.  I tell every one I am playing at being a Rancher. (LOL)

 

 

Broadcast spray for pasture.

Magnetic treatment of well-water for irrigated alfalfa

Sorry if this is a little off-topic.. Has anyone had any experience (or know anyone) that has installed a magnetic water treatment system to reduce the effect of salinity in well-water? Would love to hear your experiences. 

Magnetic treatment of well-water for irrigated alfalfa

Wire hanging from eyelid

Had to get a cow in to remove heavy piece of wire from the eyelid of a cow.  It does not look like it caused any problems with the eye, and she seem to be getting along with it OK.  Had to cut it with a bolt cutters to twist it out.  Oh, and I gave her a shot of LA300.  I have no idea how she got that thing in there.  

 

 

Wire hanging from eyelid

Mahindra 36HP Shuttle 4WD - Snow Chain problem

Last winter I put chains on in case much snow to remove in my steep drive way. Left side chains shifted too close to axle.

If I jack up wheel to clear ground, it will be easier to adjust the chains.
I put in Neutral - but wheel does not rotate.

Is it possible to do this??

Thank you for your time

Mahindra 36HP Shuttle 4WD - Snow Chain problem

Newbie raking pattern question

I started haying our own field last year. I've only done it half a dozen times. About 3 acres.

 

One of my questions I always forget to ask between cuttings is what is the best way to pattern the raking, to get it ready for baling?

 

I currently rake two rows together, and it works fine. The day I go to bale it, I rake it one more time.

 

The problem is, the closer to the center of the field I get, the tighter the turns and more frequent. I don't like to make tight or frequent turns with the baler.

 

But if I bale in long straight rows, that means the rows are either too far apart or too close together, because when I u-turn the tractor at the end of each row, its sending the windrow the opposite direction. In other words, the rows are not the same distance apart. This makes it a little bit tricky to bale.

 

I don't want to overcomplicate things, but I was wondering if someone here can point me to a beginner's resource on the raking/windrowing part of the process.

 

Thanks!

Rory

 

PS- A thought just occurred to me -- I could wait to double up the rows until the final raking. That would probably help with drying too.

Newbie raking pattern question

Timothy Mite - Who Doesn’t Have Them???

We have NOT been hit with the timothy mite (cereal rust mite) yet... We grow Climax and Clair Timothy.

I’ve read (somewhere) the mite goes after climax, less so with Clair.

Question - Anyone NOT have Timothy mites, where are you located and what verity of Timothy do you grow?

Does anyone know of a truely cereal rust mite resistant verity of Timothy?

Thanks!
Bill

Timothy Mite - Who Doesn’t Have Them???

Vermeer 504M density cylinder recharge

Hi new to this forum.  I have a 504M baler and had the top roller bearing go out.  putting it back to gather had to bleed the cylinders to get the belts reconnected.  Didn't know this was a closed system I figured it was recharged with the tractor.  Long story short went to bale and no pressure till the bale got to about 42 inches on the gauge bales not real tight.  How do I recharge the system.  

Vermeer 504M density cylinder recharge

John Deere 338 Small Square Baler

A little while back, I had posted a Post, asking for advice, on a 336 John Deere Baler. I also asked about a 327 John Deere Baler, but I found, and purchased a John Deere 338, with a 40 Kicker, and was asked to post some Pictures of it. I went on my Original Post, but I couldn’t post any Pictures of my Baler, so I started a New Post.
Well I was able to bale some Wheat Straw with it. I was told, when I bought my Baler, to expect a few missed Bales, as the Twine Discs, needed to clean them selves up. It missed about 5, or 6 bales. Not a big deal. As I was baling, every once in a while, when the Kicker would kick the Bale, and the Bale would EXPLODE.
Thinking that the geared spacer in the Bale Metering Assembly, was slipping, making the Bales too long, and the Bale would catch in the Kicker, causing the problem, I changed it,, to a New One. I tried baling Hay, on the Weekend, still had the same issues, with Bales Exploding, going through the Kicker.
I had inspected the broken Twine, always on the Right side of the Bale, thinking it was the Knot, but discovered, just after the Knot, is where the Twine would Break.
The other day, I compared the Metering Assemblies, on Both my New Holland 278, and my John Deere 338, and the 338, was making a longer Bale, than the 278, so I adjusted the 338, accordingly.
I also investigated the Tension, between the 2 Balers, ands found that I had the 338, set away more tighter, than the 278, and I adjusted the 338, accordingly, as well.
Well today, I’ll be baling some more Hay, and see if my adjustments, I have made,, will make a difference. I’m also using New Holland 9,000 foot Sisal Twine.

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John Deere 338 Small Square Baler

conversion of coated vs non-coated OG and fescue seed

Just curious if anyone has a conversion factor for converting coated to non-coated orchard grass and KY 31 fescue.  Just finished overseeding Persist OG and had to use both coated and a bag of non-coated to finish up.  I am guessing that coated has about 80-85% of the seeds that non-coated does.   both come in 50# bags.  Forgot to figure that in when I bought seed and ran short, thus the bag of non-coated from another closer source.  I also noticed that TSC was selling both coated and non-coated KY31 and the coated is on deep discount.  I am guessing that when you factor in the weight of the coating, it is not a discount.  Any thoughts or info?

conversion of coated vs non-coated OG and fescue seed

Outside storing of rd bales.

I thought I would post this article sent to me from a newsletter from the TSCRA outlining correct procedures for storing rd bales outside. It amazes me when I see the incorrect methods my neighbors utilize for storing rd bales. Rows of bales with round sides touching & then the bales that are pyramided or stored under trees. 

 

Several yrs back my well to do horse owner customer was storing rd bales while I was baling. He was laying 1st bales on flat side with rd parts touching then double stacking in rows end to end with rd sides touching. I stopped him & explained that the bottom bales would ROT. He stated his friend told him that was correct way to stack hay so he continued stacking his way. That was the ONE & ONLY yr he stacked bales in a that fashion.

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Outside storing of rd bales.

Baler knotter theory of operation

Hi - I'm a new (but very old....79 years old) guy on this forum. Unfortunately I am not a farmer. I am a wood worker and my current project is making a small woodworking model of a "standard" baler knotter operation. My plan is to have a small wood working "automata" that is activated by a hand crank. It will have a bill hook (the knot tie thingy), a twine disk and a twine holder. I still have to figure out what I am going to tie since it will not have the ability to compress something like a bale...but that's not going to be a big problem.

However, I'm hoping someone on this site knows and is willing to help me out on the theory of operation on the twine disk and twine holder. I have searched the internet from one end to the other, wore out youtube, but cannot find anyplace that shows the real inside operation of the twine disc and twine holder.

 

I'm assuming the twine disk turns 1/4 turn for each bale.

1. How dies the twine disc actuially hold the twine?

2. Is the twine squeezed between the plates of the twine disk?

3. How is the twine at the start of the bale held in position so the twine at the end of the bale ends up in the same position? The twine hold at the start I assume has to be fairly rigid since the bale is pushing against the twine. I'm assuming the twine needle places the twine in another notch for the new bale just prior to the cut of the last one.  

4. Am I correct in assuming that releasing the compressed bale is what actually tightens the final knot?

 

Pictures are worth more than anything else. If anyone has the capability and is willing, I would very much appreciate photos of the twine disc with the initial string held in place, showing how it is held there. A picture of the start and stop strings held together would be nice. If the twine is squeezed between the plates of the twine disk, a picture of the back of the plates just before the cut would be extremely helpful.

 

I believe there are two different types of twine disks so I would love to get info on either of them.

 

I also did research on cornbinders because it looked like that might be an easier project. Again, lots of videos on youtube but no close-ups how it actually gets tied.

 

If any of you would have the time I would very much appreciate the help.

Ken

Baler knotter theory of operation

Sour smelling baleage

Baled high moisture og and trefoil first cut. Weather has been horrible as far as rain. Would have liked to get more than one day of drying but weather prediction changed. Didn't check the moisture but I would think it was below 70 percent, not 100 percent sure though. I raked big windrows to cut down my bale time. Used a rotary. Had it in the dirt to take the heavy hay in nice windrows. My issue is, the hay smells similar to sourkraut and the very bottom of the bales smell terrible. Just the bottom couple inches. Cattle don't seem to go crazy for it like they normally do. From what I researched, the sour smells comes from to high of moisture or to much dirt in the hay. Do I need to b concerned with feeding them. If fed a few bales with no problems

Sour smelling baleage

Alfalfa per acre

Hi Guys can you please settle a bet between a friend and I.

 

Our question is under perfect growing conditions and perfect soil conditions can you harvest 100 small square bales per acre?

 

we are putting in 124 acres in alfalfa under pivot irrigation, i am guessing 36 bales an acre with the field at 10% bloom and he is guessing 100 bales per acre.

 

I know there are a lot of variables in this scenario, but if you took them out is it even possible?

Alfalfa per acre

John Deere 459 SS Net Wrap Problems

We've been havinga recent problem with our baler. While baling hay, the net wrap contuines to fed non stop. So from the start of the bale to the end, there is wrap all the way. Has anyone else have this problem? If so, what needs to be fixed? 

John Deere 459 SS Net Wrap Problems

JD 466 not tying tight on right side

I have a JD 466 round baler.  It is not tying very tight on the right side.  I have adjusted my monitor to have it wrap 10 times around the roll but it still is loose.  I have loosened and tightened and loosened the piece where the string comes out of the baler to the arms.  any help???? 

JD 466 not tying tight on right side

NH Super 1048 Engine swap/Re-power

Good afternoon everyone!

 

I have a really nice condition super 1048 that I have been considering an engine swap/re-power. The 361 gasser and 4 speed tranny could probably use some updating..  Everything runs good and it stacks great but, it easily overheats and is just a dog to operate.  I am considering adding a red dot AC unit to the top of the cab to help my attitude when 90-100 degrees outside! I worry that adding a compressor to the already taxed underpowered engine is just asking for greater troubles..  I have heard of swapping engines and wonder if this may not be the answer for me.  What can I squeeze under the 2nd table without to much difficulty?  I'd love an Allison Auto to match up as well..  Thanks for any input!!

NH Super 1048 Engine swap/Re-power

Abriatta m60 mini

I have an Abbriata m60 mini baler and I’m looking for a service manual.i need to know how to reasemble the knotter system.can anyone point me in the right direction??

Abriatta m60 mini

Tie twine together

Using the orange round bale twine, thought I could just tie the 2 bales together with a small knot. Wrong!! When the knot gets to the 2 round twine puller (not sure what there are called) that pulls the twine into the round bale (Have an old M&W baler) It gets stuck and have to cut twine and manually feed the rest of the twine into to bale to continue the wrap. 

 

Has to be a better way to connect the twine. I bought a different twine from local store that is yellow Tytan 29000 that seems more plastic and thicker than orange twine so I am thinking toe intertwine and maybe heat shrink it?

 

Thanks

Tie twine together

John Deere 456 Round baler not tying

I have no idea why my baler just started not tying the bales. It’s not kicking the twine to the tyer. Can’t find manual, any help will appreciated

John Deere 456 Round baler not tying

New Holland baler 277

I have a chance to get a 277 New Holland baler that took out the hay gard pipe that's under the feed fingers and the fingers close to the plunger how much do you think it's worth in that condition I have no problem fixing it my self and it was stored inside and is not rusted

New Holland baler 277

What sprayer is this?

I bought this cheap from my neighbor. He bought it and modified it to spray his orchard. It was not the best orchard sprayer, so he bought an orchard sprayer, and left it for a few years, forgetting how it was set up.

I need it to spray my hay fields.

I know he used an upright piece of angle for a different project.

 

I am looking for a manual. I also need some close up pics of how it was assembled.

Once I get the steel pieces put together, I will need some help with piping and nozzles. I want it put together first.

Thanks

 

 

 

 

 

 

What sprayer is this?

Ryegrass on Timothy

Hi, I am new in Timothy production and I have a problem with perennial Ryegrass in it. Does anybody knows if it possible to control Ryegrass without harming Timothy?

Ryegrass on Timothy

Deere 30 ejector, weak throwing bales

I'm looking for advice on this problem, or at least where to start. Everything works fine, it just lacks power. The slip clutch is not the problem, that I know. Is there some spring in the throwing cylinder that could be broke? Thanks for looking.

Deere 30 ejector, weak throwing bales

NH 740A hyd pu cylinder bad?

I have a NH740A round baler. Baled and worked great last week. Noticed pickup was raising up and down some on its own. Cleaned it up today and pickup wont raise. Checked to see if there was air in the line some how. Believe cylinder is bad. Anyone ever rebuild one? Have it off of baler. Did hookup to different service valve just to make sure it wasn't the tractor  Gonna go to dealer next week, Would prefer to rebuild if I can figure out how to take apart. Thanks in advance for any help.

NH 740A hyd pu cylinder bad?

John Deere 630 MoCo Problem

Bought a new 630 last year, this is the first year using it. Pulling with a Deere 6120M. I HATE it. It will not cut heavy hay, it just pushes it in front of the mower. I have cut several fields in 1st gear and had to stop and reverse due to it pushing hay. My new Holland never did this, it would go thru anything. The tractor isn't bogging down or pulling hard, just won't feed thru the rollers. That and the steel rollers are worthless in my opinion, the new holland rubber rollers did a much better job and didn't chop the hay up. Opened them up and it still doesn't help. My new Holland rollers seemed to spin much faster which I assume helped the situation. This thing doesn't throw the hay very far. Anyone else have these issues?

John Deere 630 MoCo Problem

Case IH 8840 header drive problem

16 ft sickle head stopped while swathing cane. Will try to work under no load. Pressure relief valve in pump bad?

Case IH 8840 header drive problem

New holland 54a adjustments

I have a new Holland 54a thrower I'm on my 268 baler and was wondering if there was any tips or adjustments anybody with a thrower on here makes before baling. When I'm baling it breaks maybe five or six per wagon load. you hear something squeak and then the Bale gets tossed broken... I have new thrower belts but the two belts that drive it are old although they seem in decent shape. I'm just looking to see if there's anything that you can do before heading out to the field.

New holland 54a adjustments

Vermeer Rebel 5420 part ID ?

I took these guards off my Vermeer Rebel 5420, and now I can’t remember where they go. Anyone recognize these , and know where they go ?

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Vermeer Rebel 5420 part ID ?