Field work driving patterns

Hello everyone. I have been haying about 600 acres in upstate New York for thirty years. I have my ways of doing things, but my oldest son is getting to the age of driving tractor and it occured to me that I am not sure my way is the best way, I just started doing it the way it looked would be right and kept doing it. My question is, what patterns do you drive to mow, ted, rake and square bale a field? A square field? A triangular field? I want to tell my son the most efficient way. Out of curiosity, you can include answers regarding corn planting and chopping, seed drilling, or anything else.

Thanks.

You've been haying 600 acres for 30 years? When your time comes, you'll automatically have your place in heaven, because you've already had your share of he11.

First thing that strikes me is that you should be the teacher here, rather than the pupil, based on your experience.



As far as patterns, most everyone seems to mow 4 or 5 rounds, then cut back and forth across the long axis of the field. I can see that being advantageous if you have a self propelled swather or a hydro-swing, where (after you have the outside rounds done, to get you some room to maneuver) you can just start at one side and go across; however, if you have a mower that is limited to the right side of your tractor, it seems like you would waste more time laying out "lands" (and running over grass to start them) than if you just kept going round and round til you're done.

Baling generally done clockwise (except the backswath), because it's easier to follow the windrow.

I normally make 5 to 6 passes with the mower in a circle, then break the field into lands to run back and forth to minimize the carry time in the head lands. Same with tedding, raking, and baling. I like to make it into as many straight patterns as I can with open areas on the ends.

Triangle fields are the most challenging. I still mow them the same, but to rake I try to end up with longest point end open.

My goal is to keep the machine doing the work engaged in the work the maximum amount of time and not end up with dead ends, or patterns that leave me boxed in.

600 acres?

What ya got? A couple of those 20 foot, $100K John Deeres?

Allan

In general with all things tractor and field, I go around the field 3 or 4 times, then go back and forth (I'm simple.)

The only exception is the sprayer, with it one pass is as good as 4 with the tractor so it goes around once and then turn around backwards to keep the booms out of fence and trees. I try not to count to 24 or even 6, I look for adjacent rows of different length or too close or too wide and count 4. Hey, one hand is busy turnin the wheel!

I have always started mowing by going counter-clockwise around the field once and then turning around and cutting the rest of the field in the clockwise direction. For tedding, I do the same method for control of the hay that is being slung around. For raking, I go a minimum of 3 rounds around the field before going to straight runs. I will go more rounds in smaller and more difficult fields. Baling just follows the windrows made when raking.

For hay, I would make a couple of rounds clockwise then turn around and get the outside. Mow the rest of the field round and round. With a B IHC you can make pretty much square corners. That was before all the big tractors.

I cut 4 to 6 rounds starting clockwise and finsh with outside one, then back and forth. Ususally divide feild into 2 or 4 sections, starting in middle and work way out, more cutting, less driving. When I have the self propelled or center pivot(14 ft cuts)I do the rounds, then back and forth from one side to the other. On irrigated land, follow wheel ruts around in big circle.

When I Mowe A Feild , I drop the Nh489 stub nose Guards in the grass , And DO NOT RAISE IT TIL I am done in the Feild , I HAVE started IN THE CENTER AND WORK OUT , wORKS WELL IN TRIANGLES ,, Most the time I will start clockwise about 1 round in, If there are low hanging trees, 2 rounds , About the 4th lap around I will reverse direction and get the outside of the Field ,, However if there are unknown hazards that will break a knife on the outside lap , I will wait and do that last, ..
I do not turn sharp ,,SAVES U JOINTS , DOES'nt scuff the field either , , The stubb guards Allow Me to cut throgh Laying hay , Therefore when My feild is nearly cut , I will go back on each wide corner and cut them out to the end and come back to center of feild and do next leg of x in same manner ,
I rake the same way , Rarely using a turning brake , I bale starting in the corner of the x and follow 2 center , then back to each leg of X , When All Legs are baled , I start in the Middle and Bale finishing on the outside windrow last ,, THE HAY IS ALWAYS DRYER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD . And greener under the trees on the outside ..
I use the X method for Sowing Wheat most of the time , Unless I am USing the Haybuster Drill Whish cannot be Turned in the ground . With that drill , I circle the Feild 5 or more Times , Raising at each 90 corner and doing a wrap around 360 turn , Then Plant the remaider of Field Back aND fORTH , rAISING AT EACH END .. works well for me < >jim

From all the haying I've done(and believe me, it's been a LOT...2000 big rounds a year)....there is no hard and fast rule. Your best bet is to look at the particular peice of land you're haying, and then just rely on gut instinct(also read as common sense) to tell ya how to approach it. Longer is better. When windrowing, baling, or whatever, the more time you're "in the hay" and the less time you're spending with things raised up turning around or going back to catch the next windrow, the more efficient it's gonna be. That machine's still burning fuel whether it's makin' hay or not. So try to make things so that you're making the longest possible pass through a land without turning.

If you're new to it, it can take time...but as ya go, you'll be doing a field and think to yourself "dang, it woulda been better to do it this other way"....and just save that thought and do it the better way the next time.

I go round and round and the mower is always cutting hay. Just a very short time on a corner when it is not. Maybe a second or less. So this has to be the most efficient. There are fields that are square that other than to do the back swath around the outside, the mower never gets raised. Mowed 18 acers yesterday that I raised once.

Same with the rake and baler.

Gary

IaGary,
I agree with you on going round and round the field. If field is square or rectangular one makes a 45% turn and if going back and forth one makes a 90% turn and I never understood how farmers think it's faster to go back and forth. I always make 1 round the outside with rake covering 30 ft, rd baler following ,then rake out all the corners in an "X" and then continue going round n round. By raking corners I have zero problems turning corners and I don't slow down till I'm done except for kicking out bales. Where I live the largest field is 40/50 acres so it will all be ready to bale. To me going back and forth is similar to dividing a field into many lands which makes for extra corners. Maybe I can't see forest for the trees.

I go round and round until it's down... Never, ever work in strips. Too much time wasted on the headlands in my odd shaped fields. I'm not fussy about corners. I'll just go back and run the corners when I'm done to catch what's been missed. Tedder, rake and baler all follow the mower.

Rod

Yep, we went round and round back when we mowed with bar mowers. With our self-propelled swathers tho, going back and forth is a better option. We throw two windrows together before baling, and go around each field 4 times before going back and forth, which gives the rake room to turn around without missing any hay.

Plus, around here, on one "land" of our prarie hay, we might start on high ground with thin hay, then work down into some real good quality hay, and wind up finishing the land in a swamp where it's mainly rushes that you're cutting. Going back and forth keeps the bales more consistent as far as what kinda hay is in 'em. Then when they're hauled into the baleyard they're separated and fed accordingly.

I started using a 3 point disc mower clear back in the '70's, and one reason was that you could leave it down, leave little "crescents" at the corners, then mow them out when you were done. Only thing I do different than you is, I don't bale the X until last- That way, I only have to get off the tractor once, and move bales off the X all at once, rather than having to move them as I come to them when baling the main field.

I'm still using a sickle bar mower and square baling, so it's roundy-roundy clockwise to mow, counterclockwise to rake and bale (puts the chute over the wagon on corners).

Round and round has been used in haymaking because cutting and baling gear is offset to the tractor and in the case of balers you only should make right hand turns to save wear and tear on your PTO. A lot of rakes were also rigged for right turns This has changed a bit with in line balers etc. as it does not matter which way you turn. However, if you always have hay feeding into the baler, that would be the most efficent way. As for other operations like planting etc. , I've seen a number of studies over the years about field work patterns and the upshot is the most efficient way is up and down and the more square the field the better it is. It does take a bit more skill on the part of the operator to maintain productivity but that is where you earn your money; on the turns. Where you lose when going round is the time it takes to run the corners off.

Burnie,
I'm curious to find out who conducted these studies. If one is pulling a grain drill going round n round one is continually sowing seeds. This is not true going back n forth. As far as your inline baler statement,on going back n forth no hay is being fed at turns correct? Every square baler I've baled with tends to break ties if no hay is being fed in while running for a period of time. Is one supposed to disengage pto on turns? Which takes more time to make a 45% or a 90% turn?

Jim,
The main study I remember reading was done by the University of Queensland, Australia. I have also read a couple of magizine or newspaper articles over the years. If you're intrested, I'll see if I can chase them up for you. What I was trying to say in my earlier reply was that bailing round and round would be the best way to go because (as you say) your feeding hay in all the time. The only point I was making about in-line balers was that you have a choice of turn directions.

Burnie,
I not saying that going round n round is the faster way,I think it is,it would seem to me to be less time turning but one may have fewer turns if going back n forth. I know many farmers here go back n forth plowing and baling. I've just always gone round n round.