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Me too! :) This is my first haying season also. The NI mower grabbed my attention as I also bought a very old and somewhat abused NI mower - model 30 I believe, but not sure. Bought with it, a very old and abused Ferguson rake, and finally decided I didn't have the time or talent to get it back to working condition and sold it for parts and bought an old Ford rake in very good condition. A friend gave me his old JD 214WS baler to complete the implements. I only have about 3 acres of grass hay, and not yet have it up to snuff in terms of fertilizer, so yield is still low, but increasing. Last weekend, we baled our third cutting, plus Memorial Day week, mowed and baled a friend's 2-1/2 acre pasture. Gross proceeds from the hay and baling have already covered initial implement costs, but I'm not in it for the profit...would just like to break even. In spite of the old and still not tuned-up equipment, I have enjoyed it and will continue. Of the three cuttings off my place and the one off my friend's place, I've now mowed and baled a total of only about 200 bales - a fair number baled twice until I got the baler adjusted. :) Incidentally, Paul, what model NI mower do you have, and do you have a manual? I'm trying to locate a manual for my mower and if you do and we have the same model, I'd be interested in knowing if you might be willing to photocopy at least a few pages and send them to me. Planned implement improvements include replacing all knife sections on the mower, eventually replacing ledger plates, rebuilding the poorly designed and built 3-pt conversion on the mower, and fixing the bar lift mechanism that's currently not functional (parts missing). The rake works great and is not in for any serious work. The baler is also working, but failing to grip the wire and so missing ties often enough that I need to figure out why and fix it. This happens only when the windrow gets especially heavy, or I otherwise am feeding too fast, or if I have the pressure set to give bales that are more dense than about 60-70 lbs for a 36" bale. Anyhow, I share your pleasure as a beginner in making hay. I envy you having an experienced hand around - I don't, but this and other forums here on YT have ben a big help. Chuck, WA
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