Baling hay on very rough ground

Tom in TN · Aug 23, 2012

A couple of weeks ago, I finished baling hay on about 16 acres of bottom land that is owned by a little old widow lady.

The ground was extremely rough. I had to run one gear lower to mow, ted, rake, and bale than I normally do.

Someone told me that the reason the field is so rough is because of crawfish holes and tunnels. Have you ever heard of that?

I am glad I was able to help the lady, but I doubt that I'll ever do that again, it's just too rough.

Tom in TN

the tractor vet · Aug 23, 2012

Well as far as catfish holes here i have no knowledge BUT when it comes to GROUND HOG here i feel i am and expert . We do hay on 28 acres of some of the nastiest ground you ever want to be on , it has a hill that will put a pucker in your pucker and the hole problem is more of a condo you can not miss then as they are everywhere and two places you can loose the back half of a one ton truck in them as we have used them to load round bales on the back of said truck with a three point bale spear . It takes every bit of nine hours of nostop mowing to mow this place .

Nebraska Cowman · Aug 23, 2012

The catfish here have been coming up to the stock tank to drink. But yeah, we have bunchgrass. Rougher than cob. Some fields I swear I'll never hay again, yeah right. I need the feed. Only one gear lower? that ain't very rough.

old · Aug 23, 2012

Cary fish yes maybe if it is real close to water but more likely to be moles if cause by an animal or even more likely the field was plowed then not disk down and all like it should have been

retired farmer · Aug 23, 2012

Come out here and ride a few rounds with me sometime. All we do are ROUGH fields. I have broken a one inch hitch bolt on the mid size baler twice.

James Howell · Aug 23, 2012

We've got crayfish mounds down in the bottom.

<a href="http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa5/jameslloydhowell/?action=view&current=crayfish.jpg" target="_blank">

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</a>

Haven't caused us any problems with making hay.

We've also got armadillo holes down in the bottom.

<a href="http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa5/jameslloydhowell/?action=view&current=armadillo.jpg" target="_blank">

armadillo.jpg" width="650" border="0" alt="Photobucket

</a>

Rough as he11 on any tractor and equipment.

Hope she doesn't have <a href="http://youtu.be/vnP6lXnRwIU">wild hogs rooting up the property</a>.

Big problems for any tractor and equipment.

RayP(MI) · Aug 23, 2012

Donno about crayfish hills, but I have lots of problems with ground mole hills as well as woodchuck (groundhog) holes. Loose a lot of sickle bar mower guards that way. Also messes up the cutting, as dirt mounds up on sickle bar and hay clogs up the cutter bar. That and the renters who last worked those fields were lousy at moldboard plowing, disking and they probably never used a spring tooth drag to level things. GRRRRR

oldtanker · Aug 23, 2012

(quoted from post at 12:38:08 08/23/12) Donno about crayfish hills, but I have lots of problems with ground mole hills as well as woodchuck (groundhog) holes. Loose a lot of sickle bar mower guards that way. Also messes up the cutting, as dirt mounds up on sickle bar and hay clogs up the cutter bar. That and the renters who last worked those fields were lousy at moldboard plowing, disking and they probably never used a spring tooth drag to level things. GRRRRR

You should try hay a piece of CRP land around here with the pocket gopher mounds from 10 years or so.

Rick

rrlund · Aug 23, 2012

Sounds like a story I remember reading one time. A guy was telling that when he was a kid,somebody asked his Dad if he wanted to cut a field of hay? His dad made the guy an offer and he took it right quick. He was telling how rough it was,all the things they tore up cutting and baling it. After it was done he was telling a neighbor about it. The neighbor said "YOU PAID HIM?" He said "last year,he paid me to cut it. It was so rough,I told him I wouldn't do it again".

Tom in TN · Aug 23, 2012

James,

That crawfish mound is exactly what was in the field I cut. I've never seen anything like that before. The bottom is right next to a creek that usually floods in the spring rains.

I don't know if that's the only thing that caused the roughness, but there were a bunch of those hills like you posted.

Tom in TN

Tom in TN · Aug 23, 2012

rrlund,

I think I might have been the guy! I paid the lady $1.50 for each square bale. It was just mixed grass with a lot of weeds. She hasn't fertilized or sprayed the field for at least a bunch of years, because I've been aware of the field for a bunch of years.

I didn't feel too bad about paying for the hay because of who she is, but I really don't think I'll do that again.

James Howell posted a picture of a crawfish mound. that's exactly what was in that field.

Tom in TN

Ken Macfarlane · Aug 23, 2012

I was given the hay off 45 acres in exchange, any I didn't hay had to be bushhogged. Baled 10 acres fine, found the next 35 was plowed and just barely disced. Rocks everywhere, if you get off the pattern it was plowed I'm down to under 2 mph so I can stay in the seat.

I've spent 18 hours bushhogging now. I'm gonna try discing it a bit for next year.

Baling hay on very rough ground

Tom in TN

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the tractor vet

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Nebraska Cowman

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old

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retired farmer

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James Howell

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RayP(MI)

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oldtanker

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rrlund

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Tom in TN

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Tom in TN

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Ken Macfarlane

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