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Really basic hay baling questions

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Mark

06-19-2001 19:45:54




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I've got some old antique machinery I want to make some hay with. It's a '57 Fordson FMD, a NF 168 drum mower, a Vicon 4 wheel rake and a NH hayliner 68. I need to make around 600 - 1000 bales per season. Can anyone give me some tips on making hay (apart from 'while the sun shines'). The things I need info on is like hieght of stubble that should be left after mowing, how high should I make the windrow when raking, how fast should the baler be travelling when operating, etc?
Any web or book based information on hay making or the equipment listed above would be appreciated. Being based in Tasmania, Australia, I won't be cutting and baling until November (spring here) so I've got a few months to learn.
Thanks for advice.
Regards,
Mark.

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Denny (Illinois)

06-21-2001 18:01:17




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 Re: really basic hay baling questions in reply to Mark, 06-19-2001 19:45:54  
Mark. You got some good advice. I am pretty new at baling too. This is my second season. I have a NH 78 baler. I've been getting a lot of sheared bolts when I bale and was scratching my head trying to figure it out. After my tenth sheared bolt,I removed the hay from the chamber and cleaned the rust and buildup.I gave it a coating of slipplate (graphite) too. I have yet to try out the cleaned up baler, but I think it's important to keep that area clean as it causes a lot of friction. Get a lot of shear bolts! Knotter and auxillary drive bolts. Carry some tools too. This site is great for getting help. I've used it before and will again I bet. Good luck. Denny.

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brian

06-20-2001 09:20:37




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 Re: really basic hay baling questions in reply to Mark, 06-19-2001 19:45:54  
key to baling with a 68 is to not try to put too much hay through it at once. It just does not have the capacity of newer balers. I found that my 68 could handle one row from my 9 ft. haybine with no problem. I bale most grasses such as timothy. Doubling the windrows set may tractor ground speed down to a crawl when trying to bale. Also putting too much hay through at once has a good chance of shearing shear bolts. Make sure the cutting knife on the baler is sharp. Any NH dealer should be able to get you a copy of an owners manual for the 68. Another problem comman to the 68 is having your twine break when the spool of twine switches over to the next. Must people I know that have 68's, super 68's or 268's have this problem. Need to keep an eye on the bales because you could end up with a lot of untied bales if you don't pay attention.

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paul

06-20-2001 08:32:08




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 Re: really basic hay baling questions in reply to Mark, 06-19-2001 19:45:54  
As the others say, start small & slow, you can always move up from there. If you make the windrow too big, it's very hard to make it smaller....

For a reference, I rake 2 or 3 of my 7' wide mower cuts together, and 2 of my 9 foot mo-co swaths together. That is in average to good alfalfa. If you are in very light, dry hay you could maybe do more.

Don't bale the hay too wet - it is hard to get the bales to form right, and they will heat up & burn.

Is it hot & dry, or wet & humid where you are? This will make a lot of difference in how long the hay has to lay, etc. So, difficult to give you any meaningful advise on that.

Get a manual for the baler if you don't have one. This is the key machine, with lots of little adjustments. And if a chain falls off or something slips, be sure you understand the importance of TIMING THE NEEDLES. :)

Sounds like you have a good set of equipment, have fun.

--->Paul

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jim

06-21-2001 16:09:13




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 Re: Re: really basic hay baling questions in reply to paul, 06-20-2001 08:32:08  
can anyone tell me how to time a NH Super 66 model? I tried it by the book, didn't work. thanks.



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Jim.UT

06-20-2001 06:02:05




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 Re: really basic hay baling questions in reply to Mark, 06-19-2001 19:45:54  
I'm in my third year of learning with old equipment also. I'm using a '55 Ford 850, MF 36 pull behind rake, JD #9 sickle mower and MF 124 baler. I don't make near as many bales as you do, so you'll know more than me by the end of the year. All advice given so far is good, especially the part about starting slow and working up to what you're comfortable with and what your equipment will handle. If you have a baler manual, start reading it. Lots will depend on how well it will tie knots and how tight your bales are. Took me awhile to figure out how to adjust the twine tension. Due to limited space to manuever, I tend to make fewer and bigger windrows, then have to bale in 1st gear to avoid clogging the baler. You may find it more time effective to go with smaller windrows so you can move quicker with the amount of ground you're working. Keep your tools handy.

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Steve from Tn

06-20-2001 04:53:45




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 Re: really basic hay baling questions in reply to Mark, 06-19-2001 19:45:54  
Mark, Tim is right. You will have to experiment. It is better to have your windrows too small than too large. Start little and work up to the size that best fits your equipment. No teacher better that experience.



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3020mss

06-19-2001 20:16:21




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 Re: really basic hay baling questions in reply to Mark, 06-19-2001 19:45:54  
Well Mark, Im new at this also. That is Ive been putting up hay for 20 some years. (share cropping) Someone else did the fun stuff. I just picked up our share of the bales. SOOOO This year is my first year. SPent over two years buying and repairing the equipment. 3020 tractor, 1209 Mower/conditioner, N.H. 65 baler. I did a "test" run on three acres sunday. I left about 4-6 inches in the ground prob alittle to much as the rain here in Nebraska has been falling about every week. But I raked two piles into one to try to save time baling.. I think I did wrong. I belive the piles are to heavy for my little baler to keep up even with the 3020 running at 1st gear. The piles were (when fluffed) about two feet high 4 feet wide so OOOPS. Ill leave you with this and Im sure there are others that will help the both of us. GOOD LUCK

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Tim(nj)

06-19-2001 20:14:17




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 Re: really basic hay baling questions in reply to Mark, 06-19-2001 19:45:54  
Well, here in New Jersey, we tend to leave the stubble as close to the ground and we can get, but different people have different preferences. Windrow height shouldn't matter much, but don't make them wider than your baler pickup. Baler speed depends on thickness of the hay. The heavier the windrows, the slower you'll go. That's just something you'll have to figure out when you get to the field.

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