Running A Stackwagon?

Bryce Frazier

Well-known Member
Is this a job I want?

Been offered to me as a 7 day a week, 10 hour a day job... All through July. The pay is right! It is about an hour away, the guy says he puts up on average 1200 tons of hay!!!!!!!

I have never run one, or even been around one. Are they complicated to run? Is it a fun/easy job? I don't mind working hard at it, but do not want to be stressed out the whole day!

Just looking for opinions... Thanks, Bryce
 
You will pick it up quickly because you already understand about handling equipment on uneven ground and paying attention to what your machine is telling you. When I worked on Kansas baling crews years ago the stack wagon operator would let the balers get a round or two head start then go in the opposite direction, this kept him out of the dust and he could see what he was doing a lot better and did not have to worry about getting in the balers way. One word of advice, anytime your offered a job do not show hesitation, if you don't want the job thank them and refuse but if you want or need the job tell them you will be Johnny on the spot and then go learn all you can about the operation and what is required of the position you will have. Many a person has lost out on good opportunities because the would be employer saw that they did not have confidence in themselves, you don't have to exaggerate your skills or lie, just be positive and make sure they know you work at anything undertaken until you succeed. As far as stress goes, that is mostly self imposed and in people's minds, if you know what you are doing and have confidence in your own ability you will never know stress at work. The majority of people do not pay attention to what is going on around them much less to what they are doing themselves, the few that do are the leaders on every job regardless of age or relative experience level. There ought to be beaucoup YouTube videos of people running stack wagons to get a start. Good luck.
 
Not too bad. There will be a STEEP learning curve.I've stacked for years with a NH 1032 pull type.69 or 70 bale capacity(bepending on tie tiers),2 wide-7 high.The biggest issue is bale quality.They need to be tight and consistent!They pick/stack pretty easy. Soft,misshapen and long/short bales are a nightmare.Both picking and standing.Be prepared to loose a stack or two at first.Since the producer makes that much hay,bale quality is probably not an issue.I've done custom stacking for years.However,I will NOT stack anything I dont bale. Too many problems/inconsistencies with other peoples bales. So,not too bad a job.Go for it.
 
It really depends upon the actual stack wagon how stressful it may be, that and how well their baler leaves the bales in the proper position so you do not have to get on and off hundreds of times a day, sounds like a big operation, and likely has good equipment. Stack wagons can be great when they work properly, a huge pain in the hiney when they do not. It sounds like a good summer job to me. With your skills you will do fine and make more cash to restore those tractors of yours.
 
Thats kind of what I figured. The neighbor has a little pull behind one, and it would be quicker to just pick up a bale by hand and carry it across the field to the barn!! BUT it has been used and badly abused, and stored outside, and etc. So, it is really in bad condition.

He told me that they have 2 of everything.. Swathers, rakes, balers, stackwagons. So, I would be running right along following the other stackwagon guys, so I would imagine, that is I had issues, he would probably be able to point me in the right direction! :)
 
I told him straight up, I can NOT run a bale wagon, told him that I had never touched one.

He said that was fine, and then asked if I was willing to learn! HeII Ya!!! :)
 
You're right on the money, they usually pay around $25-30 an hour... But with load limits on, no one is doing much excavation, so I am just looking for something else to do!

Thanks for the helpful comment! Bryce
 
They aren't too hard to run. We had a NH 1010. You might find some videos on youtube on someone operating one. I agree, if the bales are a little on the loose side or slightly damp they don't want to feed in properly. Occasionally you do get a bale that is longer than it should be (or shorter), then they don't trip the arm to place them on the table. I would go for it, you are smart enough to figure it out. :)
 
WHAT?! An airconditioned cab in North Idaho!?!?

That is a RARE thing up here! Shoot, even a cab is pretty rare! I would be jazzed if it has a spot to hang an umbrella! :)

Cab with AC... .wow...... :)
 
Go for it. The more jobs you have away from home the more you will know later on in life. With your skills and willingness to learn you will do fine. As far as stress goes, stress strengthens you. Too much stress isn't good either but if you go for easy jobs your whole life you won't get as far as your abilities will allow.

When I was your age I didn't go out to work for anyone. The only jobs I had away from this farm was neighborhood jobs baling hay and shelling corn. The rest of the time dad kept me busy here at home. Then after graduation from high school I went to farm mechanics school for 9 months and after that it was right back to this farm to the same old stuff. I feel I missed out on a lot of life experiences because of it. It wasn't till I took off on the wheat harvest when I was in my later 40's that I really got to travel and experience something different in farming and life in general. Getting out in the world taught me stress management too. You have to learn to handle and shed getting yelled at, called names, cussed at, being flipped the bird and everything else negative that happens to you when you are out and about. Like I said at first, go for it!
 
There is a learning curve, but if you are used to driving, backing equipment you will catch on right away. If they put up that much hay they probably have some pretty late model bale wagons most of which have air conditioned cabs and computers to do loading functions. I learned to run a 1065 self propelled a few years back. After a couple runs it was a piece of cake, Bale quality does make a lot of difference. Most hay in our area is put up in 3 tie bales, the tighter and heavier the better. I use 2 tie bales for myt hay and they are sometimes not as tight as the 3 ties but still pick up well. I bought an old 1030 NH pull type wagon last year, a little more of a challenge but still not hard to run. Think you will enjoy it once you get the nack.
 
you will love it Bryce ,, if it goes well and you feel neat with the lifestyle , you mite think about joining a combine crew ,,. always wisht I had the nerve to do that ,,.. wellnmaybe next life ,,. lol
 
10 hours working and 2 hours driving! See if you can rent a bed from the boss, or a place to park a cheap camper. Too much time and money wasted driving, however you probably need to see the young lady once or twice a week!
 
I had that thought... Maybe stay there 2 or 3 nights a week... Would really help a lot for sure!!! That woman of mine isn't fully on board yet! Said that I need to make sure I have at least 4 or 5 hours for her each week!

I told her I would spend all the time she wanted with her, but that I might be asleep while we were together!!!! :)
 

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