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Implement Alley Discussion Forum

Stacking Hay is no fun.

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Kelly C

08-21-2005 08:11:42




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Sort of lucked out early as I sold alot of the rack. Now I have to stack in earnest.
Hay stacking a one man job? The way things are these days finding some help to get the hay in the barn is a job all its self. I have found a few kids that are interested in making a few extra dollars, That is until you need them then they are busy. Pretty much it has been just me.

One benefit I do have is I can park my 4 racks under cover until I have time to unload. If I could not do this I don't think I could do hay.

One of my biggest problems has been spoilage of the bottom row of bales in the stack. lost about 250 bales, at $3 a bale that's a pretty big loss. Plus I have prepay customers that I store their hay until needed. This is a problem if you don't have replacement bales.

I have tried a layer of hay under the bottom and got mold I have tried a layer of hay and a pallet and still got mold.

This year I am trying some thing new.


I start by building my stack as high as I can comfortably from the ground. 5 high for me. Then I set up my elevator. I did not have this last year. I used a step design for my stack, whew that was a whole lot of work. Normally I would set this up on a rack and off load right from the rack. I didn't have help today so I unloaded onto the ground then placed on the elevator. Could get about 15 or 20 bales up then I would stack them. Repeat as needed.

IMG SRC="http://ns2.genesis-technology.com/~kvp/images/8-18-05/Stacking2.jpg">
I have a few racks to get done so I better get at it.

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JayElgert

08-23-2005 17:03:04




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to Kelly C, 08-21-2005 08:11:42  
I may be in for some lost hay this year. I'm using a hoop house for the first year. I put it up on a sandy patch of ground, but only used pallets. May have cuased a problem after reading what people have said here. One option I haven't noticed anyone talking about is rubber roofing. The roofing companies around my area spend a ton of money getting dumpsters to haul off the old rubber. I have gotten it several times from different roofers. The rubber is over 1/16 thick, and pretty tough. I usually call the roofing companies and ask them if they have any jobs comming up for rubber roofing. Most are happy to have you take it away. I don't try to take it all, some has holes from vent pipes ect, so they still need a dumpster, but if paying by the ton, it cuts down on their cost having me pick it up. I try to ask them to cut it in 10 to 15 foot squares, that way it's big enough to use, and small enough to fold and lift onto the truck.

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JayElgert

08-23-2005 16:57:54




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to Kelly C, 08-21-2005 08:11:42  
I may be in for some lost hay this year. I'm using a hoop house for the first year. I put it up on a sandy patch of ground, but only used pallets. May have cuased a problem after reading what people have said here. One option I haven't noticed anyone talking about is rubber roofing. The roofing companies around my area spend a ton of money getting dumpsters to haul off the old rubber. I have gotten it several times from different roofers. The rubber is over 1/16 thick, and pretty tough. I usually call the roofing companies and ask them if they have any jobs comming up for rubber roofing. Most are happy to have you take it away. I don't try to take it all, some has holes from vent pipes ect, so they still need a dumpster, but if paying by the ton, it cuts down on their cost having me pick it up. I try to ask them to cut it in 10 to 15 foot squares, that way it's big enough to use, and small enough to fold and lift onto the truck.

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PaMIke

08-22-2005 17:51:38




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to Kelly C, 08-21-2005 08:11:42  
Kelly,
I feel your pain. Dad has a bad back and we dont have an elevator so I stack it all by hand.I stack my racks nice and tall out in the field, then I back the wagon in right next to the stack. I throw a plank across from the top of the wagon to the stack. I build the stack high, and then when the wagon gets low I stack expanding the botton of the stack. When I back th next tall wagon in, I put a plank across again and keep building the stack up. Works for me...

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RickL

08-22-2005 16:57:24




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to Kelly C, 08-21-2005 08:11:42  
Kelly; I just use the pallets and the floor is limestone in the sheds. Never have much problem doing it this way but I always stack on edge with grapple. Get yourself a grapple for your old loader and be done with it. You can do it flat or edge with them its up to you. The units I use do 10 on edge or eight flat. I always do everything on edge have been for last 10years at least. The way you are trieing to do it for all your time and effort you better get more than 3 dollars. It looksd like it is all basically grass hay so that is much easier to keep than the straight alfalfas also.

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Kelly C

08-22-2005 19:29:44




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to RickL, 08-22-2005 16:57:24  
$3 is cutting it pretty slim this year thats for sure. Hauled my NH 850 up to the land this eve. 1/2 tank gas in the truck and 2 5 gal cans of gas for the tractor. $50. 50 friggin dollars!!!!
Fifty stinkin Bucks!!!! The big Five O. ARG....
This is hard on a cheap skate like me.



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RickL

08-23-2005 05:53:13




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to Kelly C, 08-22-2005 19:29:44  
you are just finding out the real world of making hay. Not telling you what to do but runnign for those little patches will get old in hurry and ther is no money in them. I see you are rolling hay now,finding out it takes more time and work than you thought. they all do in a short time.. Large rounds lots of times is a give away for hay especially if it is not tight and net wrapped nowdays. The net wrap balers makes a world of difference if you are trying to sell large rounds.

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RickL

08-23-2005 05:52:53




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to Kelly C, 08-22-2005 19:29:44  
you are just finding out the real world of making hay. Not telling you what to do but runnign for those little patches will get old in hurry and ther is no money in them. I see you are rolling hay now,finding out it takes more time and work than you thought. they all do in a short time.. Large rounds lots of times is a give away for hay especially if it is not tight and net wrapped nowdays. The net wrap balers makes a world of difference if you are trying to sell large rounds.

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rettchr

08-22-2005 12:52:01




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to Kelly C, 08-21-2005 08:11:42  
Carrying bales across pallets is not enjoyable either-- there is sure to be at least one with a broken board that provides a foot sized slot.
I put down a layer of sand, then 6 mil plastic, landscape timber sleepers and OSB sheeting for a "floor". This has eliminated spoilage and is a lot nicer to walk across than pallets.
If you are using rented storage, pallets are a lot better than stacking on the ground. However, check them over before you start carrying hay across them.

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JMS/MN

08-22-2005 07:06:45




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to Kelly C, 08-21-2005 08:11:42  
You mentioned unloading onto the ground and then putting them on the elevator- why not set the bottom of the elevator on a 55 gallon barrel, or 2-3 layers of bales, and unload ONCE onto the elevator- or add a chute to the elevator?



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havvey

08-22-2005 03:13:49




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to Kelly C, 08-21-2005 08:11:42  
kelley : most have good ideas on the storage and bottom layer. so i will try to help with stacking. there is a several wagons one turns sideways and dumps/stacks that whole load you have in the picture! there is many other gadgets similar to that which go on tractors loaders etc. might be worth the investment if hay is a big part of your farm. they also have items that self load out of the field. help is non exsistent these days.

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tim[in]

08-21-2005 20:34:07




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to Kelly C, 08-21-2005 08:11:42  
we always stacked hay and straw on edge cut side down.one old book full of farming hints , the guy put about 4 " of corncobs down .



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Hayfarmer

08-21-2005 19:42:02




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to Kelly C, 08-21-2005 08:11:42  
I put a layer about 4 inches thick of shale rock under my bales this year. saved the bottoms. I always stack cut side down also. Most of the guys here use shale in the hay barns.



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Coldiron

08-21-2005 14:24:51




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to Kelly C, 08-21-2005 08:11:42  
After living in wet, humid, rainy western Washington state for 38 years and putting hay in the barn almost all of those years we found that if we are on a dirt floor or concrete floor barn we lay at least a 4 mil plastic beneath the entire stack. Overlap the edges by at least 2 1/2 feet. Set pallets down and start the stack. If we put the cut side up/down it limits the height of the stack for safety and never seemed to be a factor in moldy hay. We would make a tie stack like making a brick wall. Keep the hay at least 8" from the walls for air circulation and never have a stack more than 12 bales wide with an air space between that stack and the next. I tried loose hay beneath the plastic and it just created mold there as moisture came up through the concrete or dirt floors. Living in N. Idaho for the last 2 1/2 yrs we put our hay up the same way and haven`t had any problems as yet. All of this and a couple of barn cats to keep the critters out make it pretty nice.

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Bobg

08-21-2005 10:01:28




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to Kelly C, 08-21-2005 08:11:42  
I put plastic down on the ground in my dirt floor pole barn, then put pallets down. Have not had any problem with mold or spoiled hay since I started doing this about four years ago.

Bobg



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Our Farmer

08-21-2005 09:57:44




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to Kelly C, 08-21-2005 08:11:42  
I always stack the first layer on it's cut side. Seems to help keep the bottom bales from spoiling. Ditto on getting rid of the plastic. Will only hold the moisture. The pallets should help quite a bit.



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billOH

08-21-2005 09:19:21




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to Kelly C, 08-21-2005 08:11:42  
You might try tar paper under those pallets instead of plastic. I tried it last year and didn't lose a single bale to mold/mildew. (And this is in a dirt-floor barn!)



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Kelly C

08-21-2005 10:07:32




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to billOH, 08-21-2005 09:19:21  
Tar papper. Now thats a good idea.



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Joe in IN

08-21-2005 09:08:07




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to Kelly C, 08-21-2005 08:11:42  
I noticed you do not stack your bales on their side(cut side up). All the local people(West Lafayette, IN) stack with cut side up. Do you have problems with mold in the middle of the stack. Supposedly if stacked on their side alows some moisture to escape(or so I'm told)...

I dunno... I am still a novice at this....



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IH 1466

08-21-2005 12:33:42




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to Joe in IN, 08-21-2005 09:08:07  
Tar paper sounds like a good idea. Never thought of that one. If the hay was a little tough we stack all of it cut side up and put salt between the layers. All on edge does allow it to go through the sweat with less of a chance of molding. If the moisture was low we stacked only the bottom on edge. The problem we always had of leaving on wagon was it always seemed it would mold easier. We always figured as the wagon was going across the field and down the road it settled the load tighter which limited air through it when it went through its sweat. I always try to get the load unloaded before it goes through its sweat. This summer in Indiana has been extremly humid with no let up. I had mold and dust forming on the outside of the stack in the barn. You smack the side of the bales and dust comes off of them. The inside bales seem fine. I don't know what do for that execpt feed it to the cows. Air movement is key to hay. May be I need some ventilation fans in my barn? Its hard to get air movement in Indiana in August.

John

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Kelly C

08-21-2005 10:14:59




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to Joe in IN, 08-21-2005 09:08:07  
My bottom row is cut side down. Gramps always did it that way. He always put a layer of hay then the bales. He didnt get bothered if a few got mold. Cows ate it any way.

I like the tar papper idea. I may try that on the next rows.
I havent had a problem with the moisture from my hay its just the ground moisture thats a problem. No mold inside my stacks at all.



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Jerry D in NC

08-21-2005 08:35:50




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to Kelly C, 08-21-2005 08:11:42  
Kelly,

Get rid of that plastic. Pile 4 to 5 inches of old hay down and then put the pallets down. that plastic will trap the moisture that your hay is leaching as it contiues to dry and form moist pockets that are mold makers. Plastic is a bad thing around hay.....

If you have some old squirrel cage fans that you can set down on the ground and run for a couple of days then you can line the pallets up and help the drying process alot by moving air under those stacks as well but not required if you have it up on pallets and old hay underneath

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Jerry D in NC

08-21-2005 08:35:13




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to Kelly C, 08-21-2005 08:11:42  
Kelly,

Get rid of that plastic. Pile 4 to 5 inches of old hay down and then put the pallets down. that plastic will trap the moisture that your hay is leaching as it contiues to dry and form moist pockets that are mold makers. Plastic is a bad thing around hay.....

If you have some old squirrel cage fans that you can set down on the ground and run for a couple of days then you can line the pallets up and help the drying process alot by moving air under those stacks as well but not required if you have it up on pallets and old hay underneath

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Tim Shultz

08-21-2005 20:37:03




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 Re: Stacking Hay is no fun. in reply to Jerry D in NC, 08-21-2005 08:35:13  
kelly, get rid of the plastic and loose hay, BOTH ARE NOT GOOD FOR STORING HAY! the loose hay will collect water and breed rats and mice...
and the cr*p from mice and or rats can make a horse ill.... might be a good idea to put some decon under the pallits..
but the best way to store hay is to make a platform about 6 in. off the ground...
plywood on top of old barn beams works rather good for me.. just my .02... Tim Shultz
P.S.. been doing hay since I was 12.. thats been 5 years ago! lol
[email protected]~

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