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@@HumbleHaymakers thanks!! I’m hoping so too!

@@dallasdavis3246 hmm, I’m not sure I follow?

@@dorperranch3748 thanks so much! Farming is about half of my livelihood - I also work for a nonprofit about half time (busier in the winter, which essentially allows me to hay full time in the summer and fit nonprofit stuff into earlier AM or rainy days).

@@longviewfarm226 😂😂😂 very true!

Probably around there. I look more at how many weeks of regrowth - I usually aim for 8, but will sometimes mow at six if it looks mowable (which is a factor of height but also thickness). Then again, I'm often just at the mercy of when I finish first cut and swing right around for second. I find beyond 8 weeks I don't get much increased yield, save for the super early fields where I do first cut in May, and the second cut regrowth seems to have a kick from the plants still having "first cut energy" (I'm making that term up). But I've had years where dryness or the calendar means I'm mowing second cut that's shorter than a foot. Thanks for watching/asking! Curious to hear your thoughts too.

@@windrowfarm you will get a third cut this year.

@@GEisele0606 possibly on the earliest fields. All depends how the weather and calendar relate - it’ll take me some time to swing through all 53 acres of second cut, and late Sept onward becomes dicey 😅

@@windrowfarm ya you get a little bit colder out there even though it's 2 hours away 😂

@@GEisele0606 yeah, funny how the micro-regions / microclimates work! I’ve tried into October before. About a 50/50 success rate 😅

Thanks! I agree - just hoping there aren't quirks/kinks I missed. Always that white knuckle feeling buying used equipment, but so far so excellent 🙂

Ha, thanks! This all happened so quickly - if I had more off-season time I may have been able to do more research, though I still don't think a new tedder was in the budget, and I didn't see anything Pequea that was used in my area. But you still have me intrigued about them! Thanks for watching, and congrats on the skid steer brush hog, that sounds really handy!

@@windrowfarm Thanks. Here is a link to the facebook page I posted them on. Its actually our farm facebook page I just created. facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564158687143

Thanks! Yeah, I didn't mention in the video that I had used a very similar model when I worked at UMass, which had the proper stands. That was one thing I new when I bought it, that it lacked a rear stand and the front one wasn't original. I'll find or fabricate something - I was just surprised at how much rear tilt/weight it's carrying even in operating position. (And thanks for the tip on the missing safety bars. I will absolutely *not* be running the tedder while off of the tractor. I even go so far as to turn the tractor off or disconnect the PTO if I need to get into that area to clear hay, etc.) Thanks for watching!

Thanks, that's an interesting idea! I have seen that on bigger tedders. I'm not sure I'm up for the time, money, and engineering to customize it to that extent, but I'm always a fan of thinking of ideas like that. Thanks for watching!

Thanks!! I'm certainly hoping so. I've discovered a little bit of looseness on the right-hand center head/basket/star, connected to the wheelspindle (found when I jacked it up to work on swapping tires around), so we'll see how that does this season. I'm hesitant to tear into something that's working mid-season...

Wow! 10 ply sounds like the way to go - it's on my list for the off-season (I did swap one of the better ones to the inside. The other outside one looks non-original and might need a press to come off... I 100% agree on the pain of those small tires, I'll likely bite the bullet and have a tire place do it.). Thanks, and hope yours is working out well too!

oh, congrats! What did you get? I'm hoping for a weather shift after the rain today too - fingers crossed for tomorrow through mid-week! The risk calculus is a good question. I think I often use 30% as a guide (i.e. acceptable), and don't like to see that risk multiple times during a stretch I'm trying for. But I think it's all a factor of how much hay you have to do (for your scale - i.e. how many batches, not comparing to how much overall hay others do 🙂). I tend to compare The Weather Channel (through Weather Underground - same data but with better graphs) and weather.gov, and hope to see some consistency in the forecast rather than a lot of bobbling back and forth. And I know that rain earlier in the drying process won't hurt the hay (any or as much) as later on. But that said, I'm doing enough hay (i.e. batches, at my scale) that if I think there's a chance I can reasonably get it, I go for it. Or sometimes mow less if it feels like a real toss-up. Maybe doing a video on my thoughts on this would be helpful? Though I've also sort of developed a "gut" feeling based on what I'm seeing that I trust a lot of the time, which I know isn't helpful or easy to explain. Thanks for watching and asking!

@@windrowfarm I ended up with 3 older New Holland 477's, and a pair of older International square balers. Not the fastest or most efficient, but relatively easy to find parts for and keep running. My situation is that a lot of the older hay folks in my area are retiring (in their 80's or 90's in many cases) and the fields they had tended have been largely abandoned. They're quickly being taken over by milkweed and goldenrod and saplings, so I'm scrambling to get my own haying equipment together to keep them from going a full year of abandonment. The alternative is to brush hog all the fields, so even if I make a mess of this crop and only end up testing all my equipment to make moldy hay it's a success. Lots of little 5-acre parcels that are a few miles apart, so seeing your approach has been super helpful for me. Sorting out the equipment and the weather at the same time seems to be the biggest challenge in haymaking, so I'd absolutely appreciate a video about time management and planning.

@@365hillclimb Oh, nice! Yeah, used equipment with spare parts is definitely a solid strategy (I still do that for the most part, though don't have space for parts machines at my place, so I'm glad to hear it!) Similar story here - a lot of folks winding down on hay, fields keep becoming available, and I need to shuffle things to pick up new ones and/or see how much I can try to do in a given year. Glad you have that opportunity too! There's a lot of public good in keeping that ag land open, and I've found a lot of folks cheering me on to that end. Thanks for the nudge on video topics - I'll try to noodle on that and see if I can put some coherent thoughts together for the off-season. Glad my channel has been helpful! Sounds like our approaches and field sizes are very similar.

@@windrowfarm I'll be watching regardless of whether you follow that video direction, I'm getting incredible amounts out of your existing content as it is.

@@windrowfarm After replacing a couple bearings, tensioning everything, and adjusting the sickle bar, it ran GREAT for around 10 acres ... then the 10% chance of rain opened up for an hour just after dusk. We'll see how it dries this week and hopefully we don't get more rain before I bale it!

Wow! Not many of those in these parts, but that sounds awesome

We also aqquired a 6 basket Pequea from the Case-ih dealer the year before. but had to de=engineer the Cart- caster lock assembly for trqansport posoiion.... Also changed 14 in cart wheels for 15 in..... required machining 1/2 inch from anti-wrap sheilds to accept the changed wheel rims......

Thanks, same to you!

Hello. I want balers import to Thailand

Oof, yeah. The second-cut standstill is a little stressful, but I suppose just enjoying the weather-induced break. Thanks for watching, hope you're doing well!

@@windrowfarm you as well sir! Enjoying the rain a little bit!

@@user-ql5uc8hq1n thanks!!

I want balers to Thailand

@@AmisCorolla I may still try that project, but there are about five other weak points on that tedder that I have been expecting to give up. Tackling a “tear the tedder apart” project mid season is just the last resort, unfortunately, with so much hay still to do. Thanks for watching!

​@@windrowfarm yes it would be better do after the season. But I'm looking forward to seeing which tedder you get to replace the old one. I am making bale picker machine for next year. i take video when i get ready to test it. :D

@@rickkearn7100 thanks so much! Felt like I keep lucking out more than anything. Hope you’ve been well!

@@niallcasey2057 thanks! And shucks, sorry to hear that with the weather. Things are definitely shifting here too 😅

@@andyrobinson339 funny story, that is *exactly* what I got. GA 5001 tha. Hydraulic. 😂. From VT (Springfield). Next video 🤓

@@windrowfarm HAHA...I was there the next day to get mine! From Ken right? Nice guy. You got a really good machine!

Have you used it yet?

@@andyrobinson339 oh that’s funny as heck. Yep! That’s where my rake came from too. I hope I didn’t snag it out from under you! He mentioned someone called just after I did, was that you? 😅. How is yours?

@@andyrobinson339 oh, yep! Mowed second cut the first day I got back with it. It’s great. Discovered one of the stars/heads is a tiny bit loose, which only shows itself in transport mode while driving full speed (wobble). That’ll be an off season tweak

@@randywilson9611 thanks!!

@@dallasdavis3246 it worked beautifully on second cut (next video coming). I think it’s my adjustment more than anything, and getting the tines right. Just got that rake this year, and have been quite happy with it, so I’m far from giving up on it or declaring it “junk” 😂

Oh, I'm not 100% sure off the top of my head, but I think it idles a little under 1000 rpm? Maybe less?

@@windrowfarm that’s pretty high. Mine is set at 400-500.

@@Ford7710 hmm, I’ve never messed with it. I’ll check next time I fire it up!

@@windrowfarm ok. Thanks for replying!

@@Ford7710 of course! And just checked it, idles at 900. Sounds really low and comfortable there though, so 🤷🏼

@@HumbleHaymakers thanks! Seems to be par for the course these days 😅

Thanks!! Kills me to still ted out windrows with the rotary rake - but given that I goofed it, I think it saved me from a lot of bale sorting. I appreciate the validation! Well, I lubricated every joint I could find, so it wasn't very scientific of me 😅. But I *think* it's the large pin where the cam connects to the plunger. It seems to be in good shape still, just no zerk or way to lubricate it. So getting a lot of PB blast repeatedly in there I think makes a difference. It also could be the rollers on the plunger, but I also PB blasted them. It seems random sounding enough that I don't think it's something that rotates 360 over and over again, as you'd think that'd be more rhythmic sounding (?). Or at the very least it's in time with the plunger / packer forks. Anyhow, it's super quiet now! (You'll hear in the next video) Thanks for following along, as always! Hope you're doing well!

Thanks so much! By the skin of my teeth, sometimes 😅

@@user-pd7ki5qs5i this very first field is about 3 or 3.5 acres.

@@PaulHigginbothamSr gosh, I wish I had the time, setup, and $$ to repaint! Someday, maybe. The 165 really deserves it…. Thanks for watching

@@heddingsfarm8851 the only issue I had was the right wheel being too wide and trampling a 3” strip of un-mowed grass. I swapped that for a narrower tire/rim, and now it cuts like a dream. I really love it. Thanks for asking and watching!

@@jimwilliamson7598 😂 lots of folks have said they want to hear my thought process. Plenty of other tractor driving youtube channels you can go watch though 😊

@@jimwilliamson7598 hmm, I’ve always heard of that but never tried it. Sort of seems frowned on around here. And since I don’t own any of the barns I use, I worry about it raising alarm bells for the owners. (I only ever hear of folks doing it when they think the hay isn’t cured enough, which I never want to put in somebody’s barn). But as the weather gets more and more unpredictable, maybe I should think about it. Thanks!

@@HumbleHaymakers thanks!!

also the massey fergusons have the same set up i believe as the new hollands

@@GEisele0606 interesting. I’ve never been sold on the auger that John Deere’s have, especially since they have a packer fork to push it into the chamber anyway. Not knocking it, I just like the simplicity of the forks better. Pretty happy with the bales that my Massey makes though - I don’t have much experience with new Holland’s

@@windrowfarm I want to get one day the center baler that massey ferguson makes. just drive right over the row!

@@glenq4126 hey, thanks so much - glad it was helpful! This first batch was definitely harder and more work than usual, and definitely specific to my climate. Where abouts are you haying?

@@andyrobinson339 oh wow, that sounds great!!

@@windrowfarm what do you guys think Fransgård TI6000 it seems to be ideal, it haves tedder and dual rake in same machine. But will it make clean trace? If you guys know some better cheap tedding/rake machine i want to know.

@@AmisCorolla I wish I knew more about Tedder/rake combos. I likewise wonder how much they clean up the field. But I know some people really like them. Humble haymakers on CZcams has a Vermeer combo rake/Tedder, and it seems to do a great job for him. I like the option of having both a tedder and rake running at the same time if needed on different tractors, so I have never tried a combo machine.

@@windrowfarm True and at least they are much cheaper to buy separately after "inflation".

@@briantaylor467 oh gosh, not around here. Hills rocks and trees - drainage doesn’t get installed up in these parts for the most part. But also not worth the expense, unfortunately. Different fields have different things to offer. The wet ones are difficult on a wet year but save your bacon on a dry year 🤷🏼

@@rickkearn7100 phew, thanks!! I’d take a “relaxing” hay stretch one of these days… 😅. Thanks for following along, as always!

@@dallasdavis3246 big rocks that I mowed around - and anything beyond the edge of what I mowed is either way too wet or weedy former pasture. Or both 😅.

@@GEisele0606 thanks!! Rain chance has backed off in my area, so I’m back at it again! 😅

@@windrowfarm ya rained all night here. You have a lot more green in your fields there than it is here.

@@GEisele0606 yeah, I heard it was mostly going to be south of the pike and east of 91, which seems to be holding true 🤞🏻. And thanks - try to save the finer grass fields and the higher elevations for last. Still, I’m feeling behind 😅

@@windrowfarm ya I helped a buddy out the other day but besides that not much haying for me this year. To much work!

@@jeffnoblin889 oh, cool! It absolutely was the right tire being too wide and trampling some of the un-cut grass. I put a narrower tire & rim on the right the next year, and it’s been 95% solved. Loving the mower now that it’s dialed in. Thanks for watching/asking!

@@dallasdavis3246 oh they’re definitely worn. And I’ve discovered there are actually two slightly different tine types already on it. Both meant for this model, but there is a serial # split that changes which tine it’s supposed to have. So I’ll need to make it an earnest project to either replace a lot of them (💸) or measure/trim 😅. Thanks for watching!