In as much as it's cold and going to be cold tomorrow.....

I thought I'd share a quote from an old YT post regarding haying square bales:

"Back then, almost every little spot that would grow hay in our area was cut and baled."

I'm one of the few in my neck of the woods that square bales. Round bales rule now and even they aren't many
doing that as the small farms in the area are cut into pieces for houses.

But as I ride out to the old farm and see those fields - or when I'm on a business trip through Ohio or some
other state - where the fields are/were big and farming was the way of life....

I think, back in the late 50's thru the 70's - What a sight it must have been riding along in the car and seeing
everyone out at the same open window between rains with their orange, red, beige, green - whatever color tractor
and square baler going full tilt.

Bill

(quoted from post at 13:44:26 02/12/16) In as much as it's cold and going to be cold tomorrow.....

I thought I'd share a quote from an old YT post regarding haying square bales:

"Back then, almost every little spot that would grow hay in our area was cut and baled."

I'm one of the few in my neck of the woods that square bales. Round bales rule now and even they aren't many
doing that as the small farms in the area are cut into pieces for houses.

But as I ride out to the old farm and see those fields - or when I'm on a business trip through Ohio or some
other state - where the fields are/were big and farming was the way of life....

I think, back in the late 50's thru the 70's - What a sight it must have been riding along in the car and seeing
everyone out at the same open window between rains with their orange, red, beige, green - whatever color tractor
and square baler going full tilt.

Bill

Click to expand...

Can remember back in the late 70's and early 80's being one of the kids behind the old Ford LP (think it was a 800 series) and the MF 235 pulling the NH baler hauling those hay bales.

We used a 1 1/2 ton truck with a 21 foot flatbed loading 150 bales per load. Worked from about 0700 until after dark Mon-Thurs and off by 5PM on Fridays as that was pay day. Back at by 0900 Sat until after dark then again after Church on Sunday until after dark. Then of the rain or thunder boomers were coming in scrambling like crazy to get it off the field and in the barn before it hit. We always got in just before or just after starting except of once. Remember loading that truck with it raining hard and lightning hitting close to us. Lucky on about a half load left to get in. I do remember unloading in the hay barns while the rain and lightning be all around us. After unloading we would just stay in the barn until it was about over then head home.

Did that for several years while in Middle and High School's.

I hear people today talking that kids should no work that hard as it is bad for them. I disagree. I think it built a good work ethic.

When I am around fresh cut hay the memories always come back and it makes me smile. Wish I was in as good of physical condition as I was back then.

The Ford LP was pulling the rake

I remember in Palmer Texas. Seeing cotton wagons lined up on both sides of the roads in town. Gins were running 24/7. Had four in town. Now all the gins are gone,land is now under houses.All the wagons were burned years ago.Sure was a lot for a bunch of 10-13 year kids to see. With four cotton gins and a brick plant running 24/7. Get an RC and a Moonpie. Sit on the corner and watch all the action go by.

I know of one day back in the early 60, we didn't have any good hay weather till all at once.
On our farm my Grandfather just got a New 14T baler. I didn't have to ride the bale box of the
old 45 & tie bales while on the move. That day the field we were in was the highest in elevation
on our farm & you could see for a few miles. All acrost the land there were fields with windrows
& a tractor or two & hay baler's of every color all in action. Back then everyone dropped on the
ground & me being about 8 years old was a tractor driver for all the young men & high school kids
picking up row's of hay.. Another nice thing I remember was Grandmother apple pie & home made ice cream
after milking.....

In the 60's we small squared about 60,000 each year, hooked and stacked them on wagons behind the baler, back then we custom baled for a lot of the area small farmers, 25 cents a bale ,mowing to stacking in the barn,,ooh yes it was a tough but wonderful time to be growing up. The friends of mine that worked for us back then refer to it as a "Tour of Duty",,a lot of good memory's...B John Deere's on the mowers and rakes,, John Deere 60's doing the heavy work,,#5 mowers,, 14T's and 24T balers,, stacking every barn in the neighborhood full, then selling to Kentucky hay buyers all winter,,seemed like we handled hay year around. We still square bale 25,000 each year the same old way,, just newer equipment..but the same old 953 wagons,,probably the best wagon ever built, I can't imagine a total of all the hay and grain these old wagons have hauled..we have 10 of them with 16ft beds on them, can't even guess how many miles are on them..

I agree on the smell of fresh cut hay/alfalfa. It brings back good memories!

I have posted this before,,,this is around 1966
We jumped in the neighbors pond when we got done,,thatts me on the far left,.Im 60 now

I would have to agree with you about the 953 wagons. We have 4 or them + a Gehl & another older Deere
running gear that has a lower stance, I can't recall the number right now? All have kicker white oak racks
but there isn't a wagon gear that turns sharper & tows better than a 953. The ones pictured look like 18'ers.

As the youngest by seven years my farm tasks weren't shared. And summertime brought many things to do, but haying was the big one. With the family roster down to Ma, Pa, and me dad invested in a NH bale wagon. It was the ticket for our set up. After morning chores I would "tip" the hay with the three point, PTO JD rake. Then after a bight I was off on the solo flight around the field. Dad would soon join with the bale wagon for retrieval. Baling without a wagon in tow made for fast baling and I had the old 12 MF pushed to the max. If memory serves me right the bale wagon was a 1032 with the unloading option and would carry 64 bales. By the time I was done with the baling dad would have a mountain started in the barn for me to sort through. By the time I would catch up it would be time for feeding and milking. When we were finished with that you could top off your day by stacking more bales. Dad and I put up a lot of hay with those machines and just two people. Two of our neighbors ended up getting a NH wagon because they were in similar situations with their manpower. Now it all seems archaic compared to the bigger balers and handling systems that are in vogue.

The most memorable was helping the neighbor put up his first crop alfalfa. He was a bachelor and had a hired man, but knew our phone number by heart. He went to Canada every year for a fishing trip and the particular year we had a stretch of rain that delayed haying. When the weather broke everything went down before he had to leave. We enlisted the help of a classmate from town and with the four of us put up over 2,000 bales that day. He had a kicker and five racks that the hired help kept in tow all day from fields as far as 3 miles away. The classmate and I manned the barn and elevator. The hay probably should have laid one more day, but the trip was planned and Leander treated the hay at the baler and then salted the layers as they were set. The bales ran 80-90 pounds that day and by the end we were whipped.

They are 16 footers, 10 of them like peas in a pod, 3 of them Dad bought new in 54 with his first new 227 picker, mounted on a 53 60...they are all that is left of the original equipment..

Larry, is that an IH behind the 88? FIL used to have one, pulled it with a JD late A. He would aim it, get off and run along side the baler to adjust the throttle, then get back on. He used it up until the mid 80's.

Make hay when the sun shines. See that all the time still, the window opens tractors, trucks, wagons, balers, and hay everywhere. Though not all sm. sq. bales anymore its is still a great sight to see.

One day calling for rain later in the day or next, had to have seen 10 different balers, we were two of em(donut maker and square), going around the area trying to pack it all in. Not much that was laying got rained on that time!

(quoted from post at 13:44:26 02/12/16) In as much as it's cold and going to be cold tomorrow.....

I thought I'd share a quote from an old YT post regarding haying square bales:

"Back then, almost every little spot that would grow hay in our area was cut and baled."

I'm one of the few in my neck of the woods that square bales. Round bales rule now and even they aren't many
doing that as the small farms in the area are cut into pieces for houses.

But as I ride out to the old farm and see those fields - or when I'm on a business trip through Ohio or some
other state - where the fields are/were big and farming was the way of life....

I think, back in the late 50's thru the 70's - What a sight it must have been riding along in the car and seeing
everyone out at the same open window between rains with their orange, red, beige, green - whatever color tractor
and square baler going full tilt.

Bill

Click to expand...

I stacked a lot of hay on a wagon behind a square baler. It looked and was labor intensive! What's that the cops say? "Nothing to see here, move along"?

Rick

I know what you are saying. Growing up, I knew everyone in our valley. Now there are hundreds' I don't know hardly any one of them. Dad grew a lot of oat hay. He used a New Holland pickup baler as a stationary baler. Dad brought the hay to the baler with his F12, and buck rake. I pitched hay into that thing until I thought my arms would fall off.I pass by the home place almost every day. Nothing but houses. All just a memory now. Still able to hold on to a small piece of Dad's second farm. Stan

it is an IH,,,thats my dad driving,the neighbors granddad alongside,they are both gone now

I grew up doing just what you described plus cultivating corn,combining small grains,raising hogs,chickens,turkeys and hand milking cows.It took lots of hard work and determination.Also back then riding thru Southern VA and NC and seeing all the small
tobacco farms was a whole different world.As they said in the start of the movie that's
all "Gone With the Wind".

it looks like an international 50T baler. We had one for years, Dad bought his new around 1951 or 52. He used to custom bale all around the neighborhood since it was the first twine baler there.
I bought on a few years back to restore, hoping to get it going this year......

I also used to own an 88 diesel, nice tractor, bale all day on a couple gallons of fuel.

My good friend/neighbor still puts about 3000 square bales in our two barns. I love it when he packs them in; helps hold the barn in place.

Billy, you need to read a book called "A Painted House" by John Grisham. Great story of a hard-luck cotton farmer in the early 50's, as seen through the eyes of his young son. One of the best books I've read.

I spent the summers of my teen years leading a New Holland 56 rake behind an Oliver 77 in the morning, and stacking small squares in the afternoon. Some people call them idiot squares - it was hard work, but I loved it.
Me and my 14 year old do about 5,000 a year now - I'm not as fast as I used to be, but I still love doing it.
Something about turning that standing hay into a barn full of nice neat square bales is satisfying

I've been helping make small squares here for 45 years, I would be far better off to switch to rounds, but I simply hate the thought of the old cow barn hay loft not being use to hold hay! If I could get the rounds up there and then feed them down from there all Winter, I'd go for it. Till then, still humping the bales of brilliance!

Here's a shot of me and a young neighborhood friend using the MI to pull the 8-bale loads up into the barn with hay forks. I never noticed the peanut gallery in the background, including my Grandma looking VERY nervous. 1975ish?

My cousin, brother, and I were all 1year apart in age and spent our summers on our grandpa Truman's farm in the late 60's, through the seventies. Deere tractors, New Holland bailer, lowboy wagons of indeterminate make. He drop bailed and we'd pick up later with him driving, one boy on the wagon stacking, & one boy on each side walking, picking up and bucking bales up onto that wagon. When we were smaller, the stacker would load from back to front, stair stepping the bales 4-5 levels high, 80-100lb bales. This allowed the boys on the ground to just buck onto the wagon itself. As we got older, bigger, stronger, taller, the load plan changed. Grandpa would keep goosing the throttle a bit, laughing, till the ground guys were fairly running alongside, flinging bales up, and all the stacker could handle to keep up. It was a real right of passage to heave a bale up on top of the fourth level. Grandpa could grab one in each hand & toss them one-handed from either arm that high well into his 70's. Trying to get as strong as him was a natural goal I never attained. Nothing better on earth than the spread for lunch, the shower in the cool, rubble-wall basement after they were all run up and stacked in the barn, the cold watermelon sitting in the porch swing as the sun went down, rolling over in bed in a room cooled only by fans, open windows, and the breeze on the front end of a summer night thunder shower. Knowing you got them in just in time, it would be too wet to do any more on the 'morrow, and maybe we'd go to town and get a haircut...As he lost grandsons to colleges, girlfriends, the Navy (in my case), the loading plan regressed to where he finally hired other kids and then went to big bales. I'm darn near crying as I write this.

Thanks I will look it up. My first job was picking cotton. Wasn't fun but if you wanted to eat.

did small bales all around neighbors growing up. we always had baler with a thrower, that how i got first black eye. flying bale g
ot me good. when had my own unit i used basket wagons then accumulator grapple system. it all gone now. rented farm out. trad my hay equipment in for a brand new skidloader. they always hold their value seems like.