| Author |
 Topic Search  Topic Options
|
Gary Burnett 
Orange Level Access
Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Virginia
Points: 2940
|
 Post Options
 Thanks(0)
 Quote  Reply
 Topic: Hay Equipment
Posted: 19 Dec 2019 at 9:49am |
Wondering how much money different people have tied up in hay making equipment and how many head of cattle they are feeding to support and pay for the equipment.With the price of cattle these days no way I could afford to buy some of this high dollar stuff. I only have about 50 head and some goats and sell some hay usually cut around 150 acres for hay every year not that much.
|
 |
|
Sponsored Links
|
|
|
Dakota Dave
Orange Level
Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: ND
Points: 3940
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Dec 2019 at 10:34am |
|
I have an allis model 3 it was $150 I mow 600' on road side once a year. The farm I work at uses a vemeer 605m baler,it was 70 thousand when purchased new. A vermeer R2300 hydraulic V rake it's was 30 thousand purchased new. And New Holland 499 swing bine it was 25 thousand purchased new. There are around 200 head of cattle. All this equipment was new some time in the 80s and is well maintaned. We've belted the baler and put new pickup bearings in it. The mower we put a new set of knives in it yearly and carry a set of resection end ones in the tube built in to the mower for them. The rake we've put teeth on and keep a tire on hand. Buy the equipment new and deprecate it over 7 years of taxes and it dosent cost you anything after that.
|
|
Sherman Farms
Orange Level
Joined: 17 Sep 2009
Location: Centerburg, OH
Points: 1620
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Dec 2019 at 10:52am |
|
We use a white top roto baler, New Holland haybine and rake to make 3500 bales a year to support 30 head of beef cows. The haybine and rake were new in 1994 at a cost of $12000, the baler was purchased ten years ago for $400, when it join our fleet of 12 roto balers.
|
|
B, C, RC, 3 wc,2 wd,3 wd45, d15, d17, d19, d21, 190, 440, 7040, 918 backhoe, 12 roto balers, 7 60 combines, 40, 66,2 72,90 super, sp100, Gleaner E, F3, 3 L2, R62, and much more
|
|
Charlie175
Orange Level
Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Shenandoah, VA
Points: 6358
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Dec 2019 at 11:14am |
|
Sell the cows and just do hay!
|
|
Charlie
'48 B, '51 CA, '56 WD45 '61 D17, '63 D12, '65 D10 , '68 One-Ninety XTD
|
|
exSW
Orange Level
Joined: 21 Jul 2017
Location: Pennsylvania
Points: 914
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Dec 2019 at 12:49pm |
 Charlie175 wrote:
Sell the cows and just do hay! |
Nah,you have to have cows to eat the junk you can't sell.
|
|
DennisA (IL)
Orange Level
Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Ridott IL.
Points: 2064
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Dec 2019 at 1:07pm |
|
We don't have any livestock, we just custom bale.
AC 303 Baler $600.00
AC Roto Baler $250.00
AC 78G Rake $350.00
AC Hay Conditioner $300.00
AC 80R Mower $125.00
AC Hay Rack $125.00
AC CA Tractor $800.00
Total $2550.00
Edited by DennisA (IL) - 19 Dec 2019 at 1:08pm
|
|
Thanks & God Bless
Dennis
|
|
allisrutledge
Orange Level
Joined: 30 Mar 2010
Location: SurgoinsvilleTN
Points: 1357
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Dec 2019 at 1:32pm |
|
Started to tell ya then I got a cattle price update and got dizzy and almost fell over and was thinking about your question and could barely set up from the almost pass out. Don't want to think about it.
|
|
Allis Chalmers still exist in my mind and barns
|
|
allisbred
Orange Level Access
Joined: 28 Mar 2015
Location: Hanover Pa
Points: 1011
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Dec 2019 at 2:01pm |
|
Well— on my math I have have 0$ invested. My equipment is small but all paid for from gains of prior year including fuel and fertilizer. I do not add my labor into the equation as this is something I do for a hobby. I actually started with very low cost equipment and constantly upgrade if there is any profit. Sometimes it does take awhile. I started an account with an “x” number a few years ago and that number is in the plus. Alfalfa made the most gains and also had the most input. As I started making hay, several neighbors had small fields that to date have not had any rent pay. I may never be a big operator at this rate but have no payments. Finishing cattle has been a different story.
|
|
PaulB
Orange Level
Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Rocky Ridge Md
Points: 4764
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Dec 2019 at 2:14pm |
|
At the high point we did about 20,000 bales a year with the Roto-Baler. That was an older orangetop that I rebuilt from a fencerow. Everything else was about the same vintage. We were feeding about 20 horses and selling hay. I continued to upgrade equipment to the point that I was no longer trowing those round bale up and we had machines to do that so all I was doing was stacking. Then as my wife's and my parents passed we lost the farms to the former respective families. Now we own a place and I've sold off all the hay equipment and I rather just CASH rent the ground. No more worries of waiting to cut because of the forecast or a pop up thunderstorm after mowing down hay. If I still had animals, I'd buy hay of the quality I want and be done with it. In this area shipped in quality hay is cheaper than local of self made, when you consider all the costs.
|
|
If it was fun to pull in LOW gear, I could have a John Deere.
Real pullers don't have speed limits.
If you can't make it GO... make it SHINY
|
|
DougG
Orange Level
Joined: 20 Sep 2009
Location: Mo
Points: 8114
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Dec 2019 at 2:27pm |
|
Do people buy those Roto bales? Seems would be hard to haul?
|
|
TimNearFortWorth
Orange Level
Joined: 12 Dec 2009
Points: 2014
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Dec 2019 at 3:06pm |
Around these parts, most smaller beef operators just graze the home place while drilling in wheat/rye/oats starting late September for winter grazing and buy the hay in for winter. I reached just shy of 50 head last year and have free use of the 100 acres attached to mine for grazing March or April thru August/September depending on rains (native grasses). I graze coastal on my place and not worth baling as only 25 acres, let alone buying the equipment to do it as plenty of folks sell hay. Round bales were running 38-50.00 up until drought of last year when they went over 100.00, now paying 50.00/bale for good 900-1000# bales from same guy I have bought from for years. Buying out, you do have to watch for weeds as any junk you bring in gets spread throughout your own place and spraying costs for pastures go up. Everyone seemed to know someone custom baling just a few years ago when 18-20.00/bale was the standard; mow/rake/bale including twine/net wrap and some charged more to bring em' in to where you wanted them stored in a row. Not always baled the tightest so they could charge for more bales or some land owners wanted them loose so as more to sell. Prices I've heard just this year were 25-28.00 to bale and even at that, many don't make enough to rebuild/replace equipment every 5 years. Funny how "horse quality hay" always brings a premium here, usually 30-40% more than "cow hay" but during drought of last year everyone was buying anything they could get including 3 yo round bales that had saplings growing out of them. Market dictates, just like anything else and I unrolled bales last year to stretch em'vs. free choice feeding out of my large feeder.
|
|
DMiller
Orange Level Access
Joined: 14 Sep 2009
Location: Hermann, Mo
Points: 31183
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Dec 2019 at 3:22pm |
|
Renter round bales nearly everything, they do square bale for another neighbor that sells to Horse People as they will not generally buy rounds here as mold in center is toxic to their animals per the horse people.
|
|
Gary Burnett
Orange Level Access
Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Virginia
Points: 2940
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Dec 2019 at 3:32pm |
Charlie175 wrote:
Sell the cows and just do hay! |
The problem is I have a lot of land I run cows and goats on that'd be impossible to make hay on.
|
|
mike 44
Orange Level
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
Location: East Arcade ny
Points: 737
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 20 Dec 2019 at 12:31am |
International 684 with loader-7500.00 Farmall H-2,000 Farmall H- 1,700 Allis B with sickle bar -1,500 Allis D15-3,300 Ford 6600- 5,500 Ford 861-2,500 Heston Tedder- 2,000 New Holland 256 Rake-1,500 New Holland 275 Baler- 1,500 1 Steel Haywagon- 1,000 1 wood Haywagon- 500 all the haying equipment was purchased used 10-15 years ago and is in good shape shed kept so gets the job done, have had all the tractors except the 6600 and 684 for seems like forever, those came within the last 6 years. have all this stuff to do 2,000-2,500 bales to feed a few horses and cows. prob don't need that many tractors for what we do but then again you can never have too many tractors!  ... oh and we have the neighbor mow it with his new discbine.. sure beats the old b with a sicklebar! |
|
Tbone95
Orange Level Access
Joined: 31 Aug 2012
Location: Michigan
Points: 11619
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 20 Dec 2019 at 7:29am |
DMiller wrote:
Renter round bales nearly everything, they do square bale for another neighbor that sells to Horse People as they will not generally buy rounds here as mold in center is toxic to their animals per the horse people. |
Mold in the center? That ain't supposed to happen.....Mold in the center is toxic to cows too. Oh I know, I know, cows can take it. They can, to a point, and are tougher than horses, but a guy shouldn't be making a practice of feeding mold to animals. Mold in the center and you're looking at a fire risk.
|
|
tomstractorsandtoys
Orange Level Access
Joined: 11 Feb 2015
Location: wi
Points: 515
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 21 Dec 2019 at 6:07pm |
|
We run 25 moma cows and finish all our calves to fats. Bale about 200 bales of hay and 200 bales of bedding. Also do 200 bales of custom work. Our diskbine is a Deere 920 bought for $4000 and we have spent about $1500 on it recently. We have a 4 ball Vermeer tedder that cost $1200, 2 Deere 640 rakes that we replaced every bearing in the entire rakes and new rubber teeth at about $1200 each. The baler is a 4x4 Welger (German built) it has net wrap, extra wide pickup and crop cutter and cost $6000. Brother inlaw was a dealer. We also have a 16ft flat wagon with a steel bed for hauling bales that cost us about a $1000 to build.Tractors are a Deere 4230 with cab $12000, 4020 $10,000 and we have a 3020 and loader $7500. Rake with either our D15 $1500 or a Deere 2510 $2800. We have way to much equipment on the farm but most of it is left overs from when we milked 50 cows and raised steers and I have a bad habbit of collecting. LOL Tom
|
|
LeonR2013
Orange Level
Joined: 01 Jan 2013
Location: Fulton, Mo
Points: 3500
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 22 Dec 2019 at 8:54pm |
|
Kinda reminds me when I grew up and how Dad and I handled cattle. Dad wasn't big on feeding a lot of hay. You'd think I was lying if I told you. We grew quite a few acres of corn so when I got it picked in the fall we turned the cows in on the stalks and the cows would have them cleaned up by spring. In the mean time we had ear corn to grind, to feed the cows night and morning. Sounds like a lot of work doesn't it? Anyway when you called them in and they came over the hill in a dead run, bucking and jumping it made you feel good to see how well they were doing. And in the fall when we sold the calves off and they brought top dollar you felt good again. We never let the cows calve in the fall either. Dad said it was too hard on the cows to have a calf sucking in bad weather. Oh well, a different time and circumstance. Leon
|
|
wade89
Silver Level
Joined: 12 Feb 2018
Location: Northern MN
Points: 206
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 22 Dec 2019 at 9:11pm |
|
AC 303 Baler $800
AC 77 Rake $400
AC 78 Rake $200
AC Pto Rake/Tedder $100
AC D-17D converted to gas $2000
AC WC Rake tractor $400
IH 1190 haybine. $500
There's other equipment not listed but it's more of a hobby/ taking over for Great Uncles. There's not enough money in hay up north in rock country here to buy newer equipment
12 head of cattle, wife's 3 horses and a mini donkey.
|
|
Gary Burnett
Orange Level Access
Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Virginia
Points: 2940
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 23 Dec 2019 at 8:04am |
LeonR2013 wrote:
Kinda reminds me when I grew up and how Dad and I handled cattle. Dad wasn't big on feeding a lot of hay. You'd think I was lying if I told you. We grew quite a few acres of corn so when I got it picked in the fall we turned the cows in on the stalks and the cows would have them cleaned up by spring. In the mean time we had ear corn to grind, to feed the cows night and morning. Sounds like a lot of work doesn't it? Anyway when you called them in and they came over the hill in a dead run, bucking and jumping it made you feel good to see how well they were doing. And in the fall when we sold the calves off and they brought top dollar you felt good again. We never let the cows calve in the fall either. Dad said it was too hard on the cows to have a calf sucking in bad weather. Oh well, a different time and circumstance. Leon |
Pretty close to how we did things back when we grew corn we'd pick or before the picker hand shuck what corn we needed to grind for feed then after grass ran out we'd turn in the cows and hogs in the corn field for the Winter.With the price of cattle these days I think a lot of people will have to return to the low input,low dollar ways of doing things.I never gave it up,my cows never found out what they were missing eating hay from a $500 baler rather than eating hay from a $20,000 baler(LOL)
|
|
cabinhollow
Orange Level
Joined: 24 Mar 2018
Location: SEKY
Points: 327
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 23 Dec 2019 at 11:39am |
Here is a picture of my most important piece of hay equipment. Have three of them and need 1 or 2 more. 
|
|
Ray54
Orange Level Access
Joined: 22 Nov 2009
Location: Paso Robles, Ca
Points: 4561
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 23 Dec 2019 at 3:33pm |
New Holland 912 swather $4500 5 years ago New Holland 290 wire baler $7500 30 years ago 3 tie 16 x 23 x 44 bales 120 lbs hire bales hauled @ 1/bale Any old tractor that is running,baler has a V4 Wisc so on flat ground any 30 hp tractor. Hay sells for $8- $20 per bale
With the years of drought I have bought some $12/bale alfalfa. This year I sold $14/bale oat hay. Cows have been 40 to 80 head all depending how much grass there is from about 3000 acres to graze. The good is no snow the bad is brush and more brush. Grass is only green and growing for 3 months in spring.
|
|
festus51
Orange Level Access
Joined: 26 Mar 2017
Location: Osage City, KS
Points: 1639
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 24 Dec 2019 at 12:05am |
Well I have an International 1100 sickle bar mower $150 and it works New Holland side delivery rake $400 Vermeer 604 J baler $2500 IH 485 runs the mower What ever old Allis I like to rake with And a 2006 tractor and cab for running the baler, tractors are used for many jobs not just dedicated to haying. I run low cost operation as far as equipment goes.
|
|
We the unwilling Led by the unqualified Doing the impossible for the Ungrateful
|
|
AC7060IL
Orange Level
Joined: 19 Aug 2012
Location: central IL
Points: 3343
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 24 Dec 2019 at 1:07pm |
|
New Idea 270 cutditioner $500,
New Idea 404 rake $500,
Vermeer 605F $700,
So about $1700 invested.
The AC 7060 tractor was purchased 15 yrs ago, depreciated out long ago.
|
|
TimCNY
Orange Level
Joined: 15 Apr 2014
Location: Upstate NY
Points: 1551
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 24 Dec 2019 at 2:37pm |
|
AC7060IL, I almost pulled the trigger on a New Idea Cutditioner for $600 but then pretty much everything I read or was told is that it would be something I'd regret buying. Growing up, at least 2 neighbors used them, it left a mess of the stubble but wow did the hay dry faster than me using a New Holland or JD haybine and then tedding. I just found out the cutditioner is still for sale, price dropped to $500; what can you tell me? I'd rather hear real testimonies than hearsay and opinions. Same goes for anyone else, and I hope this isn't hijacking the thread. Thanks!
|
|
I need more than 200 characters for my "signature." I'd love to see that changed to 250!
|
|
rw
Silver Level
Joined: 28 Oct 2009
Location: United States
Points: 384
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 24 Dec 2019 at 5:08pm |
|
I have a 270 cut-ditioner. I like it for stalks, rank old grass hay made from waterways, places with rocks and other cutter bar destroying items. It is simple and rugged. usually put the XT on it and in heavy grass second Hi, stalks 3rd hi. It also will fluff up windrows that have been rained on, and once I had some rank cereal rye that would not feed into the round baler and we ran those windrows through and baled it all and never plugged. For $500 Id have it in my arsenal.
|
|
rw
Silver Level
Joined: 28 Oct 2009
Location: United States
Points: 384
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 24 Dec 2019 at 5:15pm |
|
I forgot to add that I have a disc mower conditioner that is my main mower. I do not think I would be satisfied if it was my only mower, mostly due to the work rate, but in places it is great to have around. In certain conditions it will add some soil to the windrow so it is out for about any type of silage crop.
|
|
Gary Burnett
Orange Level Access
Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Virginia
Points: 2940
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 24 Dec 2019 at 6:36pm |
TimCNY wrote:
AC7060IL, I almost pulled the trigger on a New Idea Cutditioner for $600 but then pretty much everything I read or was told is that it would be something I'd regret buying. Growing up, at least 2 neighbors used them, it left a mess of the stubble but wow did the hay dry faster than me using a New Holland or JD haybine and then tedding. I just found out the cutditioner is still for sale, price dropped to $500; what can you tell me? I'd rather hear real testimonies than hearsay and opinions. Same goes for anyone else, and I hope this isn't hijacking the thread. Thanks! |
I have one and a similar machine a M-C Rotary Scythe,they are both flail type cutters. Both take a lot of HP to run and cut slow.The M-C Rotary scythe is the better machine in my opinion but I rarely use either one.I had some expasture land on a place I rented that had some small Cedar stumps that had been cut with a bush hog and left for several years .That Rotary Scythe knocked the stumps out and cut the hay took awhile but it beat tearing up my NH mower on it.Other than situations like that I'd much rather use my NH 456 trailer mower.
|
|
Gary Burnett
Orange Level Access
Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Virginia
Points: 2940
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 24 Dec 2019 at 6:38pm |
cabinhollow wrote:
Here is a picture of my most important piece of hay equipment.
Have three of them and need 1 or 2 more.
|
Why not feed them out in the field and get the sheep out of the mud?
|
|
exSW
Orange Level
Joined: 21 Jul 2017
Location: Pennsylvania
Points: 914
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 24 Dec 2019 at 6:54pm |
|
Had a Cut/Ditioner for my only hay machine ONE SEASON! It left me better than it came. First anD for most it sucked fuel out of my 560 faster than any implement before or since.Second, It constantly required retorqueing of the gear box mount bolts(common in them). Third it broke one of the flail spindles(again common) and the New Idea replacement part was a joke. Machine shop welded in a new stub,chucked the whole rotor up in a BIG lathe and turned down a new spindle. It spun true then. Fourth it left the field looking like you'd cut it with an eggbeater. Fifth,first high was as fast as it would cut without running down hay. Sixth it found rocks that hadn't been seen since the glacier receded.....you all getting the idea I don't like 'em?
|
|
allisbred
Orange Level Access
Joined: 28 Mar 2015
Location: Hanover Pa
Points: 1011
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 24 Dec 2019 at 8:32pm |
|
You forgot to mention the good— will suck up rained on hay and make it disappear! Lol. We still have a MC version which was a heavier unit and works very well under trees trimming hedge rows. Make sure to wear glasses!
|
|
