Here are some understanding for build your own hay . fit in to the University of Missouri , most forage fall back 20 percent of their full digestible nutrients and 40 pct protein just 10 day after their optimum harvest stages . One reason caudex keepers make they own hay is because after cuttings write gamy yield , many commercial haymakers choose volume over caliber . Others get involve in relieve oneself their own hay because the solid ground is waiting — or else of mowing or bush hogging fallow land to push back encroaching woodland , they fecundate and sow it to hay . And some folks make their own hay just savor the satisfaction of work the state with equipment . Anyone can put up enough hay by hand for a hutch of bunnies or a favourite lamb .
A mechanically minded hobby farmer can easily bale plenty for a squawk steer or a pair of horses using cheap , vintage haying machinery . Even investing in secondhand modernistic equipment makes gumption if you need control of how and when your own hay is made .
imagine you might like to try ? keep in mind that anything beyond a bare - bones launching to machinery choice and haymaking is beyond the range of a magazine article , here are some thing to see .
Equipment
Unless you put up your own hay stringently by hand , you ’ll require a reasonably hefty tractor , a lawn mower , rake and baler . In some parts of the country , folks using older - mode mower add a tedder or crimper to the mix . Your unspoilt seed of advice is a friendly neighbour who jazz farm equipment and can help you get started the right style . Most farmers are happy to show new folks the roach .
Unless you already have one of today ’s breed of sinewy little farm tractor in your static , you ’ll want to view purchase one . Yesterday ’s heavyset tractors were n’t plan for punishing - duty coating , so if young is n’t an option , your older tractor will need to be a big powerhouse for baling . But “ old ” is proportional .
We ’ve put up hay with a 1947 John Deere B and a 1970 Case IH Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel — both doing a fine chore . Since bushel vintage tractor is a democratic state hobby and mechanically skillful assistance is promptly usable , age is n’t necessarily a financial obligation when you buy .
While Webster ’s defines “ antique ” as something made at least 100 years ago , many sodbuster generally delimitate antique tractors as those manufactured before 1975 . These older modeling are readily available , comparatively cheap , and idealistic for modest haying time operation . Drawbacks : Some can be quirky and require a modicum of mechanically skillful savvy to keep running well . And unless you or a former owner adds them , they are n’t equipped with today ’s important safety characteristic .
Next you ’ll demand a lawn mower . The simplest and the best accommodate to extremely age-old horsepower is your canonical reaping hook mower . Its drop - down cutting bar shear hay off and drops it as is , unlike a more modern haybine , which cuts but also crimps and windrows in a single flip , a better bet if your tractor is big enough to power one . You ’ll also call for a rake to turn the hay so its underside prohibitionist and finally , a baler .
tax your needs . Do you want to put up small hearty bales or expectant round ones ? Small square bales require more handling than grownup but hog less space under cover . fussy eater like sheep and goats , that sometimes trample hay and then ignore it , are best fed substantial Bale because you could dole it out a few oddball at a time . Big Basel must be lugged from the hay meadow to storage and later hauled to your livestock to be fertilize , and only the brawniest older tractors with the best hydraulics can handle a hay - move spike . However , even mammoth Basel can be dragged separately behind a tractor – but you ’ll mislay hay and quality if you do it . Smaller round bales can sometimes be manhandled into a pickup bed by a pair of lash humans , but it ’s decidedly a job . Small square bales are generally a hobby Fannie Merritt Farmer ’s better pick .
Less savvy buyer should purchase used haying time equipment from a machinery dealer , or a friend or phratry extremity who know the piece ’s story and will likely stand up behind it . If you ’re the adventurous type , you could also reply ads and shop at farm auction .
Tractor Rating System
In 1919 the University of Nebraska developed a comprehensive military rating organization they used to measure practically every make and mannikin of tractor build between 1920 and 1984 . The Nebraska Tractor Tests launch a tractor ’s horsepower by measuring the usable power at its drawbar and exponent take off ( PTO ) . Today ’s thick tractor horsepower is determined by measure crankshaft powerfulness , so vintage and modern horsepower ratings are n’t the same . An old-hat tractor in the 25 - horsepower kitchen range can power a small , PTO - driven square baler but a self-aggrandizing oldie is a better investment in brawn and versatility .
Choose a make popular in your locale . You ’ll find a right choice of tractors to choose from and more secondhand parts at machinery salvage tidy sum . If you ’re mechanical , you could pick up a manual and creature and make most repair yourself ; vintage tractor are far less complex than new models and well within the ken of most self-propelled shop mechanic . If you are n’t mechanically skillful , speak to a mechanic before you corrupt .
portion are rarely a problem . New parts can be ordered from manufacturers through self-propelled part trader or from farm suppliers . Used part ? Tractor burying ground ordinarily dot the rural landscape . Unless you choose a rightfully orphan make , you ’ll be readily supplied .
petrol or Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel ? diesel engine tractor are generally more fuel efficient but they fume of fuel and are notoriously picky about firing when temperatures dunk below freezing .
Evaluating Used Tractors
depict this . You ’re tooling along a nation road when you recognise a likely prospect parked by the route with a “ for sale ” sign shore against its front tire . Before even consider plump down down money for the turnout , you should have a mechanic take a look , but you could pre - evaluate it nicely by yourself .
require for particulars . Is the proprietor ’s manual useable ? If it is , chink to see where the tractor ’s in series numeral is situate , see it and jot it down . To the uninitiated eye , various tractor models appear much likewise ; you ’ll desire to reference the successive number later on to be certain you ’re buy what ’s represent .
No manual ? lookup for number punched or push on a tranquil , readily accessible surface , sometimes on a mounted plate but never model into plaster cast - iron share .
Why is the tractor for sale ? Will the trafficker detail its history and potential foibles ? If it sells with a front - end loader , a plus for manure - scooping livestock custodian , be intimate that these equipment are notoriously hard on a infection , prehend , front axle and tires . see them extra carefully . If it lack fender , consider stag elsewhere . Fenders keep the hustler from being thrown on a rack if tossed out of the rump . They are n’t optional equipment .
About that arse … A comfortable back feels mighty nice after half a dozen hours in the saddle . And if you hit a rock or woodchuck gob , it ’s easier to be cast out from a hard , metal cooking pan than a cushiony one with a back and arm rests .
Brandnew paint ? Was it carefully applied to make the tractor look nicer or splashed on to cover something ?
Have new prophylactic monition decals been applied ? If not and tyro operator will be piloting the unit , factor in the price of put back them – they’re essential .
Carefully crack tires , front and tail . conditions checking is satisfactory , crack are n’t . Rear tires should show at least an column inch of usable stride . Keep in judgement that replacement tires are dearly-won , run $ 400 each and up .
Is it equipped with a three - point hitch ? Since most implements require one , older tractors may ask to be retrofitted with a fairly dear three - level hitch adapter .
There are several types of three - point hitches , so if you already own implements , be certain they ’re compatible . If the tractor sells with a complement of implements to conform to it ( and many vintage tractors do ) , compatibility is less of an issue . The tractor ’s severe , clothes - grabbing , limb - ripping PTO ray of light must be totally case in guards – always . If they are n’t , design to set up them straight off if you purchase .
Search the railway locomotive block , manifold , contagion casing and other plaster cast - iron parts for cracks , repair or otherwise , as well as smooth bit indicating epoxy resin fixes . Repair Weld should be neat and strong , not in haste splosh on .
puddle or splotches of oil under the tractor bespeak leaky seal or gaskets ; do n’t buy until your grease monkey take a look . Excess filth or oil color anywhere on the tractor should be fishy .
Check the oil . If it ’s whitish it has weewee in it . If sludgy , suspect combustion problems .
Start the tractor . Some demode tractors have magneto ignitions , think you’re able to fire up without a stamp battery if you ’re uncoerced to rip or crank to start it . This sounds undecomposed in theory but it ’s hard in practice . You ’ll wisely opt for a tractor that embark on easily . Unless you ’re mechanically savvy and do n’t beware rebuild an engine from scar , do n’t corrupt a tractor that the owner ca n’t start . You ’ll likely spot a sizable pouf of blue gage as it raise , especially if the tractor has n’t been pop for a while , but if blue smoking go on , the engine is burn fossil oil . whitened smoking can indicate water supply in the cylinders , a bad straits gasket or a crack block . Beware ! Black smoke strike out bad timing or a badly conform carburetor . No smoke is dependable of all .
escape the railway locomotive until it ’s warm . It should run smoothly while idling and at full throttle . Check the vegetable oil pressure and hydraulics to make certain they outride up , then go for a ride . take heed for engine pings and knocks . Gears should shift smoothly . Second gear is by and large used for plowing so it ’s the appurtenance most likely to be troublesome if thing are wrong ; consider transmission whine ( in 2d gear ) a crimson alert .
A vintage tractors ’ steering will likely be loose but more than one - sixth crook requires fixing .
If everything looks in effect , arrange for your machinist to take a look . Ask if the seller guarantees the tractor ’s locomotive , transmission and hydraulics and if you buy , anticipate to get it in writing .
Shopping at a machinery dealership is much the same , but in addition , ask for the previous possessor ’s name and phone number so you’re able to talk over the social unit with him . Farm auction are tricky . Unless you track down your tests on a pre - sale preview day , you wo n’t be able to drive the tractor . If a preview is n’t an option , make it early on auction 24-hour interval and be there when the machinery is demonstrated .
Evaluating Used Implements
Check used implements ’ chains and sprockets , knock and bearings for unreasonable wear . Make indisputable that there are no miss belts or chain .
Is the implement ’s frame square and its tires in fairish condition ? Sickle mower blades and guards and haybine crimper roller are sometimes bent , worn or missing . Factor in the cost of alternate .
Hay rakehell and square baler pick-me-up spring should be present and in decent precondition . The bars that run a hay rake ’s spring fingers should n’t be terribly worn . Frayed or wiped out adjustment overseas telegram call for substitute .
Check the auger that feeds hay into a square baler to set it is n’t bent or broken and the baler ’s packing material plunger slew freely . discipline for miss , dead set or worn cutter and string knives .
Round baler roller belted ammunition and bearings take a batch of abuse . So do hydraulic hoses and cylinders on these bombastic machines . Basically , if an implement ’s share are unduly worn or wanting , distrust hard enjoyment and abuse and buy elsewhere .
Types of Hay to Make
You ’ve got your equipment and you ’re chomp at the fleck to make hay . What now ? Because each type of hay is mow when a certain percentage of its flowers have open – called its “ stage of bloom”–you’ll necessitate to know exactly when to abbreviate .
Alfalfa is well mown in bud ( just before its blossoms spread ) to one - tenth bloom . Alfalfa yield two or three crops in the northern State and as many as six cutting further south , making it a favorite hay crop wherever it grows .
Clover is another pop legume hay , but it ’s harder to dry in the field , make it hard for a novice to put up well . If you rise it , tailor clover when one - fifth to one - half of its flowers are in bloom . Alfalfa and clover are often engraft with grasses to alter the finished hay ’s nutrient balance but also because legume hays encounter out with the passage of time . stand of straight alfalfa or clover generally demand reseed every four to six years . In a legume - grass mixture , as the legumes are depleted , grasses take over and continue produce bumper hay crop for many more years . Mow alfalfa - grass mixtures when the lucerne component part is quick for the sickle , but mow clover grasses when the primary grasses are quick to shorten .
Primary Gunter Grass hays let in tall fescue , brome , timothy and orchard grass . Straight grass Arthur Garfield Hays dry out easier , so they seldom mould and are better bet for novice haymakers . Tall meadow fescue and timothy are well cut down in “ bang ” stage , when their undeveloped seed heads are fit to burst from the top of their fore . burn bromegrass and orchard grass when their head are emerging .
Even aboriginal grasses make “ filler ” hay to run with more nutritive feedstuffs , for add up character to sealed livestock dieting .
atmospheric condition enters the equation too . You ’ll need several consecutive solar day of o.k. , fair conditions to put up hay dry . Coordinating conditions and bloom time is art and science that takes recitation to perfect .
Haymaking Alternatives Make Sense Too
Not every modest farmer wants to make hay , yet we all desire restraint over the quality and price of the forage our livestock consume . “ Even if a hobby husbandman had the time and could find out inexpensive equipment , he might be lucky to just get around even , ” says Highland Cattle breeder Nick and Anneke Self of Bent Creek Farm in Greeneville , Tenn. ”You have to consider the cost of the equipment , maintaining it , your time and the weather , ” say Anneke . “ Nick work full - time off the farm and is n’t always able to take off work during peak haying season , so we ’ve witness it ’s more frugal to buy the hay and use our pastures for grazing . Another possibility is to constitute a hay cobalt - op ; a little group of hobby farmers in our county are discussing forming one . This would increase our purchasing power because of the volume of hay we could buy together , and as a mathematical group we may have more ascendence over the timbre of hay being produced by our provider . ”
For an hourly or per - Basle fee , or for a percentage of the harvest home , hobby farmers can unremarkably find a customs duty baler to handle all or part of the cognitive operation . “ This work well for us but only since finding a responsible baler , ” tell Ann Helmuth of Rochester , Minn. “ The first man we hired did his own hay first . Ours go well past efflorescence and our fussy goats wasted a lot of it . The next twelvemonth he thin out all of his guest ’ hay at once and before he receive to baling ours it was rain down on — double ! It bring , but be heedful who you hire . ”
Small-Scale Haymaking: Our Forefathers’ Way (With a Few Modern Twists)
If your winter hay needs are n’t great and you have an fresh corner of an outbuilding for reposition , consider putting up premium hay for rabbits , a Capricorn or a miniature horse the previous - fashioned way : by hand .
The trick is to make good hay so every mouthful packs a punch . Touch base with your county extension agent or do your homework to determine which foraging works well for your critters , then make , inseminate and found a small hay patch ( ¼ to one acre ) accordingly . Just like the big hay makers , be set to harvest at optimal bloom during a windowpane of warm , sunny days .
For this , you ’ll demand a mower . You could choose an honest-to-god - time scythe or sickle if you may recover someone to learn you how to use it , but the 21st one C counterpart — heavy - duty cosmic string trimmers and brush cutters ( see “ Tools of the Trade , ” Summer 2002)—will preserve your back and do the work in a fraction of the meter .
Your hay should be twist at least twice . Our forefather used wooden peg - toothed haying rakes ; if you ’re ready to hand with dick you could make one , but a wide - toothed garden rake will do . insure frequently and when mown and turned hay is fully ironical , but still fleeceable and sweet smell , hook a cart to your lawn tractor , grab your pitchfork and fetch in the harvest .
Store your hay in a well - ventilate area , out of lineal sun . Do n’t fork it directly on the trading floor , place it atop wooden pallets to forestall ground contact spoilage . Pack it down and pile it high . It ’s in effect to leave new hay uncovered for a few weeks until it terminate curing , but then top it with tarps to preserve cleanliness and quality .
Still want to make your own hay ? Buy vintage machinery to do it with ? Print and online resources can get you started , but for the literal , first - hand skinny , always touch base with a well-disposed oldtimer farmer and court his advice . A faithful second good is your county agricultural extension agent .
This article first appeared in the June / July 2003 issue ofHobby Farmsmagazine .
