Just wanted to thank everyone that took the time to post tips and information about square balers for me! It all really helped! I baled 16 bales I believe in a 30 day time frame messing with the thing having no knowledge about sqaure balers and as of a few days ago have been putting a couple hundred bales in the barn everyday. I'm not setting the world on fire, but have learned a ton! About three more days of this and I'll be done. Thanks!
Thanks for all the baler help!
- Thread starter R A
- Start date
Help Support Ranchers.net:
gcreekrch
Well-known member
You're up late RA, does it bale better in the dark? 
When I was about 5 our family went to visit relatives in Missouri. All I remember is the high humidity and heat. My oldest sister was here a week ago and I asked her what time of year it was. Her reply was "Easter". :shock:
When I was about 5 our family went to visit relatives in Missouri. All I remember is the high humidity and heat. My oldest sister was here a week ago and I asked her what time of year it was. Her reply was "Easter". :shock:
Time and daylight go quick when you run fancy equipment like me Backing up every 10 feet to unclog the sickle bar mower has been a riot
I kept thinking about what they say on Blazing Saddles today....Can't be more than a 114. It's been a touch warm. I don't care for the high humidity we get here!
Backing up every 10 feet to unclog the sickle bar mower has been a riot I kept thinking about what they say on Blazing Saddles today....Can't be more than a 114.
It's been a touch warm. I don't care for the high humidity we get here!PATB
Well-known member
Remeber grease is your best friend with equipment old balers should be greased before every use . A good discbine is money well spent on time savings and fuel to an old sickle bar mower.
. A good discbine is money well spent on time savings and fuel to an old sickle bar mower.
PATB said:Remeber grease is your best friend with equipment old balers should be greased before every use
I remember you sayin that about the grease! Can a discbine be run with my M?
PATB
Well-known member
R A said:PATB said:Remeber grease is your best friend with equipment old balers should be greased before every use
I remember you sayin that about the grease! Can a discbine be run with my M?
I do not know if the M has the hydraulic pressure to operate a discbine.
You might want to try change the direction of the center bales on the 3rd row in the pictures to help hold the load together. Leave the outside bales going the same way and put the center bales at a 90 degrees angle to them.
About all I have ever run, is a sickle bar mower. Our biggest problem in this area, on wet meadows, are mouse nests. Sometimes changing the angle or tilt of the bar makes all the difference in the world. Soapweed mows a whole bunch more then me, or I should say the women of the Speerhead ranch, mow more then me. Maybe they will chime in.
Soapweed
Well-known member
LazyWP said:
The ladies of our crew use sickle bar mowers. They tilt the teeth up a bit in front, and almost never have to back up. This year it doesn't matter, but on a "normal" somewhat wet year, hay mowed with sickle bars laid our flat cures faster than when it comes out in windrows. Sicke bar set-ups are also much less expensive than fancy swathers. :wink:
RA you are lucky to be able to put up hay. Any hay that was standing down south here has wilted under the 100* temps all week. A big fire started west of us yesterday when a bearing went out of a baler. It's too dry to attempt haying here and there is nothing to bale. Count your blessings.
katrina
Well-known member
Congrats RA!!!!! You da man!!!!!!!! Knowledge is something no one can take away from you!!!
Your hay looks real good, I wish I had some baled already but because of that other stuff falling from the sky and cold weather ( not complaining, wish you guys that need it could have some) I hope to start this week. the first baler I had was a 14T, I now have a 224T as a backup to my NH and it never misses a beat. We use to run sickles then went to Haybines that have a sickle bar but because of the little critters we have ( Moles) :x the dirt always plugged it. Then we went to a small 5 disc three point hitch mower that flies through the hay and mole hills. We now run a 7 disc mower. As you go up in Discs and also ad a conditioner you will need to substantially increase your tractor horse power. Kind of a long winded response.
cowman52
Well-known member
Was wanting to know how you were doing. Bales look good, like I said before I was 12 again. The mower-- a j d 7?? Those old mowers the guards can be rebuilt, a ledger plate can be removed and replaced, along with the wear plates that keep the sickle forward in the guards.
Keep the pictures coming
Keep the pictures coming
PATB said:R A said:PATB said:Remeber grease is your best friend with equipment old balers should be greased before every use
I remember you sayin that about the grease! Can a discbine be run with my M?
I do not know if the M has the hydraulic pressure to operate a discbine.
You might want to try change the direction of the center bales on the 3rd row in the pictures to help hold the load together. Leave the outside bales going the same way and put the center bales at a 90 degrees angle to them.
Yeah, I'll probably have to wait until I have a bigger tractor. My sickle bar mower hates tall clover. It does great on the 1 to 2 foot stuff, but I'd like to maybe eat up the taller stuff easier. I getting by, but sometimes have to mow, rake, and bale the same spot twice to get it all.
I think I see what you mean on the bale stacking...I'll try it.
4Diamond said:
You bet, I feel lucky to have a good stand of hay to put up this year! I usually winter a few horses on my hay ground, then graze cows on it in the spring, give it a short break, then hay it, then give it a short break and graze cows on it til Christmas......this year with no more cows than I have I didn't graze it early and didn't have horses on it last winter either. So I have a ton of undergrowth and a ton of clover this year.
I'm getting dry here now....and it has been HOT! I think I have a few underground springs in a few places out in my pastures though and some of my hay ground is on the same level as a river....spots are green and growing still while everything else is burning up some now????
I hope ya get some rain!
katrina said:
Ah, I'm not the man, but thanks though!
I have an even better handle on my baler now even since I posted this thread....feels good! EastWind said:
Hey, the longer the better in my opinion! Thanks! It didn't seem long winded to me at all! I hooked on learning all I can on hayin' now and LOVE reading all this stuff! I'm looking forward to the day I can have back-ups, more options to go with and just a lot more knowledge in general. What hurt me the most this year was just me absolutely not know a thing about square balers and mechanical stuff in gerenal!
cowman52 said:
I've had enough go wrong with the thing, that now I'm not down for more than a couple bales at a time and am off and running again. Like I said in a earlier reply, it's been me that has needed the most work! Boy it's a good feeling when that thing is spitting out bales like it should for quite some period of time in a row! After having so many days of not baling a single bale, I almost cried when it started all coming together.
My mower is a John Deere 38. I had a lot of little things go wrong with it this year, but can easily have it better for next year. I spent so much time on the baler, I kinda limped the mower through this year.
My haying partner, when we have hay, uses a #38 JD mower. He has a 9 foot bat on his though. Just food for thought. I don't run the "old" style guards, with ledger plates. Find some swather guards that fit, and a good double hard sickle, and you will be AMAZED at how much better it will mow. Last time I checked this year, the double swather guards were running just under $10.50. I haven't priced a 9 foot sickle, but my 7s are around 100 bucks. I truely think if you up grade these, you will save yourself ALOT of head aches.
LazyWP said:
Thanks, LazyWP! I wasn't aware I could change out anything on it. I'll look into it. I might be back with questions on doing it though.....because just like when I first got the baler, I don't know what to ask yet.
I appreciate it!
