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Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

I am getting too old for this

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Leon R

06-26-2006 19:11:07




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Finally got the first cut off the field today. Started hand picking the small squares at 5am this morning, both my wife and I. Had to start early as we have been having record hot temps the last couple of days. Great for drying hay but a bear to work in. We picked up about 12 tons and that means handling them twice, first off the field onto a trailer and then stack them in the shed. We are both past the 60 mark by a couple of years so I have got to fiqure out a way to handle them less. Any ideas beside a bale wagon as that won't work in my shed.

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barnrat

06-27-2006 09:05:13




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 Re: I am getting too old for this in reply to Leon R, 06-26-2006 19:11:07  
Before I started milking cows and just had heifers to feed. We had one tractor, an old john deere baler with a kicker and 6 hay wagons. We just kicked bales on the wagons, bout 150 per wagon. Then tarp them(if it was gonna rain) or unload them with my wife on the wagon and me in the mow. We did 15-20,000 bales that way for 3 years till we bought a chopper and a round baler.



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Matt from CT

06-27-2006 13:59:22




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 That seems to be what most of the small guys do ar in reply to barnrat, 06-27-2006 09:05:13  
A few real small still drop on the ground.

Very rare today to see a crew stacking bales on the wagon...just can't get the help.

So you see the wagons, and the kicker just chucking the bales in there. No where near the capacity, but doesn't require the labor to be around. See several guys with multiple wagons, just cover with a tarp if they can't unload.

The above three are all "small" part-time farmers. The dairy farms pretty much have given up on hay due to lack of labor -- mostly green chop and silage...some of the guys who no longer milk make round bales to sell to other farms and gentleman ranchers.

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2-Stroker

06-27-2006 08:50:42




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 Re: I am getting too old for this in reply to Leon R, 06-26-2006 19:11:07  
How about this: find an old farmhand hay sweep, and mount it on any front end loader. It should pick up and hold the bales. Then, depending on how far you are from the barn, you could either go the barn and dump them, or dump them on a trailer.

My two cents, for what its worth.

Lyndon



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Allan In NE

06-27-2006 13:16:17




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 Re: I am getting too old for this in reply to 2-Stroker, 06-27-2006 08:50:42  
I agree,

If ya gotta do the cubes, this is how to do it on the cheap.

Leon, come get this thing. It's just setting here doin' nothin'. :>)

Allan

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2-Stroker

06-27-2006 14:44:11




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 Re: I am getting too old for this in reply to Allan In NE, 06-27-2006 13:16:17  
Yup, that's exactly my idea. I have one of those things laying around up here that needs a few teeth rebuilt. Now, I just have to find the page of my things-to-do list that I have it on...

And still have to pick up the old F10 that came with one of my tractors. Fun.... ;-)

Lyndon



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Leon R

06-27-2006 14:40:59




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 Re: I am getting too old for this in reply to Allan In NE, 06-27-2006 13:16:17  
Allen, that looks like it is about to fall on it's nose without any weight on it!!! By the way, my wife was looking over my shoulder on this one as she has a lot of interest in this bale picking chore. She suggested I need a younger wife!!!



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Allan In NE

06-27-2006 16:09:42




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 Re: I am getting too old for this in reply to Leon R, 06-27-2006 14:40:59  
I've given this a lot of thought.

Don't need 'em any younger, just more of 'em. :>)

'Course, come to think of it, I can't handle what I have now. :>(

Allan



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massey333

06-27-2006 05:31:39




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 Re: I am getting too old for this in reply to Leon R, 06-26-2006 19:11:07  
Not meaning to offend anyone ,but what happened to pulling a wagon behind the baler??WE did custom baling from the 1930s until mid 70s and never ever dropped bales on the ground.TOO LABOR INTENSIVE to drop on ground.It was slower but WHEN you were done,you were done.I guess my age is showing in my reasoning,why do a job TWICE when it can be done once.??



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Mike (WA)

06-27-2006 08:08:00




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 Re: I am getting too old for this in reply to massey333, 06-27-2006 05:31:39  
Trouble is, you have to have 4 people to make it work- one baling, one stacking on wagon, 2 at barn unloading/stacking and shuttling wagons. That would be fine if you could keep everybody busy, but you can't- the barn crew is standing around half the time. Another guy and I used to put up about 250 tons a summer on his place when I was a teenager (40 years ago! Seems like last week!). We tried the wagon shuttle method briefly, but found it to be much more cost efficient to just bale on the ground, then pick them up ourselves, usually in early morning and late evening, when it was too damp to bale anyhow. Different story if a guy has kids and needs something for them to do- then it would work - but if you've got hired labor "on the clock", its just too expensive.

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RickL

06-27-2006 01:56:31




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 Re: I am getting too old for this in reply to Leon R, 06-26-2006 19:11:07  
Been there done that. still doing it but with accumulator grapple setup. Was using bale basket wagons and like them also.those grapples thou are really nice once you learn them and have lots of versatillity.



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sammyd

06-26-2006 23:38:38




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 Re: I am getting too old for this in reply to Leon R, 06-26-2006 19:11:07  
How about a bale basket? You could pop it open in front of your shed.



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davpal

06-26-2006 21:52:40




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 Re: I am getting too old for this in reply to Leon R, 06-26-2006 19:11:07  
I know what I would do. I had this idea a few years ago when I bought a nice little propane forktruck. I would find a place that gives away wood pallets and I would get a low trailer for the field and bale them right onto the pallets and stack them six or eight bales high on the pallets and go to the barn and use the fortruck to take off a pallet at a time off the trailer and stack them in the barn two or three high. Tie them to the pallet with twine to keep them from being tippy. It keeps them off the ground and keeps them fresh. If somebody wants some bales for their horses you or the wife could go outside and load their rig up effortlessly with a very easy to use electric or propane forktruck. I had the idea because I was thinking about selling bales off our field someday. It should work pretty good and make you want to stay in the business a lot longer and make it much more enjoyable. Pallets are usually free and forklifts can be had very cheap. Good luck, I hope it helps!

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Jeff Oliver

06-26-2006 19:25:07




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 Re: I am getting too old for this in reply to Leon R, 06-26-2006 19:11:07  
Look at an accumlater for your baler and grapple for a front end loader on your tractor. It will set 8-12 bales on the ground then just take the grapple and pick them up and set them on the trailer. When you get to the barn stack them with the tractor if you can.

We had a bale trailer and like you it wouldn't work in our barn.



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Keith T

06-26-2006 19:18:59




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 Re: I am getting too old for this in reply to Leon R, 06-26-2006 19:11:07  
I know how you feel .Do you feed the hay or sell it ? My solution was to get a small 4x4 round baler .A new holland 638.The bales are easy to handle and stack in the shed like cord wood .



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Leon R

06-26-2006 20:58:20




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 Re: I am getting too old for this in reply to Keith T , 06-26-2006 19:18:59  
I grow hay to resell and all my customers are from the horse crowd who want small squares. It's a good thing it's just a small hobby farm and I do it to keep my farm status for tax purposes. Have been tempted to fence it properly and put some cattle on from spring to fall.



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Dr.EVIL

06-27-2006 08:27:35




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 Re: I am getting too old for this in reply to Leon R, 06-26-2006 20:58:20  
You don't mention what You have for equipment but I'd hook the rack or racks to the back of the baler and bale all Your racks full in the afternoon when it bales good and let them set till morning and You and Your Wife can unload them when it's cool.... or hire neighbor kids or Your Customer's Kids to help bale! Dad and the neighbor & I when I was 10-12 yrs old could bale 1000 bales of hay or straw in an afternoon and I'd still have time to play little league baseball after chores & supper....Dad's farm had HUGE barns and NOTHING ever got stacked in the hay mow....Where it landed off the end of the bale conveyor was fine.

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Beck

06-27-2006 06:13:12




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 Re: I am getting too old for this in reply to Leon R, 06-26-2006 20:58:20  
I think you're on to something there. Put up a good fence, get some beefers and forget selling hay.
With twine and fuel so high priced, it doesn't seem like people want to pay you anymore than before prices went up. Plus they sure know how to complain if the hay isn't just perfect.



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Leon R

06-27-2006 09:26:16




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 Re: I am getting too old for this in reply to Beck, 06-27-2006 06:13:12  
You got that right Beck. Nobody wants to work picking bales when it is 35 degrees celcius. Lots of good ideas out there but getting the help is next to impossible. Usually have to get the bales off right away as we use irrigation and need to get it back on as soon as possible. Relying on customers to come and pick there own isn't reliable as well. Lots of them want to wait until fall to get their hay and see what the prices are like.

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HEy hay

06-27-2006 05:52:27




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 Re: I am getting too old for this in reply to Leon R, 06-26-2006 20:58:20  
How about letting your customers pick it up? Offer to let one or two of them have their hay for a labor trade. They put it on the wagons and take their paycheck in baled hay.



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BigMarv1085

06-27-2006 13:54:26




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 Re: I am getting too old for this in reply to HEy hay, 06-27-2006 05:52:27  
Where are you kids and grand kids ?



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Leon R

06-27-2006 14:32:07




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 Re: I am getting too old for this in reply to BigMarv1085, 06-27-2006 13:54:26  
they are the smart ones in this group, they live far enough away to avoid haying season. The grandkids arn't big enough yet and by the time they are I think I will be doing something else with the land as I will be too old.



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