Making Hay With OLD junk....Hobby Farming

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This last few weeks :)


I help a friend do the same, on smaller scale about 100 acres. Cut, repair New Idea 5209 discbine. Rake, no repairs, new rotary rake,nice. Bale, repair JD 328 square or repair or adjust Case 8435 round. Then repair JD2030 or JD4020 if needed. Clean, change oils and grease, then repeat new year. Might get a second cutting off 40 acres (sandy soil) this year. Rain has been a problem and this is horse hay (picky horses and horse people). Looks like you have plenty of people to help. Nice Job.
 
Your stuff is modern compared to what we used to work with. One of my first jobs was to run behind a truck or hay cart tossing squares onto it. The bailer did not even have a kicker. Of course, it was always 100F with 100% humidity. Got to make hay while the sun shines. Hate to tell you but I am still tossing squares into the loft. Got second crop up about 3 weeks ago. Been very wet here. Shooting for a third and maybe even a fourth.
 
Your stuff is modern compared to what we used to work with. One of my first jobs was to run behind a truck or hay cart tossing squares onto it. The bailer did not even have a kicker. Of course, it was always 100F with 100% humidity. Got to make hay while the sun shines. Hate to tell you but I am still tossing squares into the loft. Got second crop up about 3 weeks ago. Been very wet here. Shooting for a third and maybe even a fourth.

Up until summer of 2007 we did squares, usually 3500-4000 total. THEN the kids all went away to military and/or college..AND I had to load and unload the last two wagons (180 bales each) myself. Which is why they were the LAST two wagons of square bales. Bought a round baler and never looked back.
 
My neighbor used to do about 4000 squares a year. He had a massive barn to hold them. We tried rounds last year. They are a real PITA but they are cheap. Rounds of second crop fetch about $50 here. Second squares go for between $6 and $7.25 each. Not a lot of hay land left here but we can still get salt hay here cut right of the marsh. You should see the junk they run.
 
That’s a bummer. Neighbors barn was not that long but it was 3 stories. All chestnut post and beam construction. It is still standing but it needs a whole lot of work.
 
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