Thanks, Tom. Around here weeds are a constant. Gotta stay on top of them here or they will take over. Best to you are Mrs Sally.

Thank you kindly! Baling this field was a real surprise, not sure how I misjudged it so bad. I'll explain in a later video on the baling. Thanks a bundle for watching, much appreciated!

Yes, the hay kicking out behind the tedder and the tractor just humming along, its relaxing to me. Just finished baling our main hay field. Long, long day. Some great folks bought the hay and loaded it out of the field. It was some premium grade hay, good stuff. Video forthcoming. The 2 spacer test on the drum mower on the field was perfect. Once all the hay was up and gone it was much easier to judge the cut, and it was dang good. We currently this year are cutting about 7 acres. God bless you and your family!

Thanks a bunch. Yes, I’d suggest start out with just a couple and try it. Maybe even give it a try at the factory setting first, you may be happy with it there. If you feel it cut a tad too low, put on 2 spacers and try. Increase slowly, you’ll eventually hit a point where you went too many for a clean cut. God bless and best to you!

Howdy! Thanks so much for watching, subbing and leaving such kind comments. Much appreciated! Thank you! Time between cutting, then raking then baling, if I had to summarize with a couple words it would be "moisture content". Proper moisture content of your hay is super-important. Too moist at baling and you'll end up with moldy hay, or even worse, a possible barn fire from storing that high moisture content hay, from combustion. Flip side...too dry hay (sun bleached, super low moisture content, dry as dust), most of the nutritional values of that hay has leached out, and, livestock dont like it that well and will refuse alot of it (waste). There's a fine line with proper moisture content in dry hay of what makes great, premium hay and what is not enough. There are various methods of testing the hay for moisture content to know if it's ready to rake and bale. Before testing instruments the old-timer hay farmers used twist methods (which still works good if you know how, what to look for). Much of it is determined simply by "feel" of the drying hay. We also use modern moisture testers. Weather is probably the biggest factor in the drying process. Solar effects are the big factor. Sun, or the lack thereof, temps, humidity, rain (hopefully none while hay is drying!) all play a role in determining when to rake and bale. Theres no "set" number of days. Its all weather dependent. In my area of western NC mountain area, generally speaking, I need 4, sometimes 5 days for proper dry down time to get to a suitable moisture content for grass hay. Of course thats all weather dependent. Other dryer, hotter, less humid areas of the country could be much different in days needed. Hope this answers the question. Again, thanks a bundle for watching!

@@8thdaychronicles Thank you very much for the reply. That makes a lot of sense and I understand a lot more about it. Your answer helps a lot!

Thanks a bundle! Tedding the hay after a shower can be good for the hay drying but if you have just had a shower, bad for you, LoL. Thanks for watching, much appreciated!

Than you much! Reducing the cut height for this thicker, lower-growing hay was a good choice. While cutting and today, tedding, I found this cut of hay to be much better than I was expecting. It’s darn good hay. Weeds…argh!!! All hay producers deal with them at certain degrees, just depends on the quality of hay you wanna make. I suppose some hay producers are fine with weedy, junk hay. Recognizing and dealing with weeds is what often sets apart quality hay producers from those that, well, aren’t. Susan says hi and hope you and Mrs Sally have a good evening as well!

That twine actually has a tag on it that says “feed from inside”. That’s what I do. Make sure your plug to the remote bale door button to the baler ain’t plugged backwards (upside down). Turn the baler on (start the pto) and push the button…the bale door should open. You didnt mention if you started the baler.....the pto powers the gear box which in turn powers the hydraulic pump....the hydraulic pump has to be running to pump fluid to the cylinder to open the door. The electronic push button just signals to the hydraulics to push fluid to open. I have a question for you if you dont mind. Have you ever been around farm equipment and tractor implements? Thats a serious question. Putting hay implements together and running hay equipment can be a very dangerous thing if you're unfamiliar with how this equipment works. Folks have been injured bad or even killed by hay equipment, entanglements in moving parts, tractor roll-overs, etc. If you have never used hay equipment or tractor implements before, I would HIGHLY suggest you find someone in your community that is experienced in this stuff and have them mentor your first few times using it. If you cannot locate anyone in your area, go to your county extension office and ask for someone there to help you get started with your first cut/bale. Thats what they are there for, to help farmers. Please dont haphazardly start running this equipment if you have no experience with hay implements without some on-site guidance from someone experienced who can coach you through the process. It can be very dangerous. I just dont want to see anyone get injured or worse by being unfamiliar with this type equipment. Use at your own risk if you do.

Thanks so much for the kind words! Much appreciated. Good luck with the first cutting. Best to you and your family.

@@8thdaychronicles of course! And you were NOT kidding when you said once she’s leveled she cuts as good or better than any other system and as fast as you can stay in the seat!!

@@leostewart1361 A good drum mower, for the money invested, is hard to beat for smaller family farm haying operations. Our hay fields are all sloped to varying degrees and because of that I cant run high gear full throttle here (not sure I'd want to anyhow, LoL), but as fast as ive been with the drum mower, it never skipped a beat. God bless you and your family!

@@8thdaychronicles takes me a bit longer than the neighbors with their large scale equipment but you can’t put a price on independence!

@@leostewart1361 Very true!

Thanks!

Awesome, thanks a bunch!

Hey! Shor nuff hay! Lol.

OK...Ill answer with a question (or 2): Is your tractor a "live" PTO model or "non-live"? I found that with a non-live PTO tractor, the run/stop/run cycle to start the twine wrap is a problem sometimes. My tractor is a non-live and I had to go to a larger diameter twine in order for the baler to pick up smaller diameter twine after stopping. Also, personally.....I dont like jute twine. Too thin, balers dont pick it up well, its weak, breaks easily, etc. I would encourage you to watch this video, towards the end, I discuss some new baling twine I used, and so far, it works GREAT in these type balers: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ZtOAlteCvdmvlZs.html My baler dont like poly twine. The coating and it being slick plastic, combine that with the rollers having to "grab" the twine to start wrapping, is a not-good combo. I dont suggest poly twine with these balers. Sisal twine is what I recommend. I found larger diameter sisal twine is not good either. Too big and it will not feed thru the pulleys well, jumps off the white pulley grooves occasionally. Sisal twine in the 90# knot strength range seems to be PERFECT in MY BALER...your mileage may vary. I have a buddy who uses 190# knot strength sisal twine in his and loves it. If your baler is not wrapping good AND your using POLY twine, go to sisal twine. Poly is just too slick for the rollers to CONSISTENTLY grab it. Jute is thin and weak. My baler runs the sisal twine (specifically the 16,000 Green, Tytan brand great. Hope this helps.

@@8thdaychronicles Does this help? Yes! That's some, no, the best specific information I've gotten from anyone anywhere about my baler challenges. And you drilled right down to your favorite twine pick, saving us much trial and error. I knew the twine was causing much of my frustration, and yeah, that jute twine FarmMaxx includes is worthless! How much do you mess with the tensioners, seems like they may be contributing to my woes.

The tractor is a little Kubota B-2601 with live PTO and hydrostatic transmission so that's okay though the tractor is too light for the heavy baler on our very hilly terrain.

@@ericalmquist889 Check out the video I linked above for more in-depth info on the Tytan brand sisal twine.

@@ericalmquist889 With that small tractor you would benefit much from fabricating a drawbar system for that baler instead of using the 3-point attachment system. Heck even a larger tractor would benefit from it....I LOVE our drawbar assembly we fabricated.

Thank you kindly! Yes, we try to interact all we possibly can with our FANTASTIC subscribers. And thank you for the kind words, much appreciated!

Thanks Sir. I done a small cut in a small area for an experiment with a weedeater just after filming. I whacked off a 5 ft circle pretty close to the ground, just to see how the growth would be…. And it has shot up very good. So, I may cut next week when our forecast is more conductive. As with any field, bumps, dips, even minute, can change your cut height slightly. This will be a trial cut with 2 spacers.. so I’ll measure stubble when I cut and let you know what the average cut height will be at 2 spacers. I pray God blesses you and your family!

@@craigwarren3439 great thoughts, if I had no plans to for another cut this year. I found out last year if you mow and leave it for compost fertilizer and then anytime later that same summer cut it for hay, that grass you cut does not have enough time to compost and degrade down into the sod before the next cutting. The tedder and rake will kick the old cutting all up into your fresh cut hay. I found that out the hard way last year on our reclaimed hay field. Now, if I had no plans for another cut of hay off this field this year, that would be a GREAT plan, it would have fall/winter to degrade and compost down into the sod and would be very good. This field was only bushhogged several years prior to us making it a good hay field and to this day I still see some spots with old cuttings down in the sod. Based on the fact we will probably take another cutting off this field later in the early fall, if we cut it now I’d choose to rake and bale whatever amount it gives just to get it off the field. Hope that makes sense. Thanks a bundle for the comment and for watching, I REALLY appreciate it much!

Thank you much for your kind words! I appreciate it. I’m no expert or any of this, I learn something every time I’m in the hay fields, whether seeding, cutting, baling, etc. We can learn together through this medium. Thanks again

@@8thdaychronicles Well, your closer to an expert than I am. As you learn more, I'll be hot on your heels to improve what I'm doing. I also liked your "test plot" idea. Except mine is a section hidden from view so others can't see me screw up before I move to the bigger fields.

@@Gilikemail thanks! The idea of a test plot wasn’t my idea actually…I learned about doing a small plot to “test” methods and ways of trying things on a small scale first on another channel several years ago. For the life of me I now don’t remember the channel I learned of it but I think it was during an interview a state extension office was doing with a farmer and he brought up the concept of a small “test plot” on their farm where they try different techniques without spending a lot of money. I thought what a great idea and started my own. And it has proven VERY useful. Thanks again!

Thanks for the good info from your area. Much appreciated!

@@wncprepper thanks a bundle! I walked the hay field again this evening and looked closely and I’m leaning towards cutting it the more I look and study about it. Appreciate your opinion!

I think thats a good opinion! Thanks a bundle for your thoughts!

Thank you Sir! I'm leaning towards cutting it at the moment....that thought could indeed change! Appreciate your thoughts on the matter!

I'm leaning that same direction. Our forecast says pretty decent rain chances the next 2 weeks. If I can catch a "window" without rain to cut, that is. Thanks for the post, much appreciated!

Thank you for your kind words! MUCH appreciated. You posted some great thoughts for me to think on, I sure appreciate it and for watching our channel.

I'm sure leaning that way....thanks a bundle, I sure appreciate it!

We are indeed getting morning dews. I'm leaning towards mowing it soon. I sure appreciate the reply! Thanks!

Excellent advice, thanks Tom. I’d love to get a 3rd cut off this field by late September but that may not be possible. Time will tell I suppose. Again, much thanks.

Excellent advice, thank you! I don’t have a flail mower but I do have a Woods rotary cutter I could use. Again, thanks for the advice, much appreciated!

@@8thdaychronicles you will have to ‘top’ it pretty high with a rotary mower or you will end up with a swath of grass cuttings smothering part of your re~growth. Might be all you need though to give it a kick start.

Thanks for adding that good info. Happy y’all have had great weather for haying! Regional differences in prices are interesting to see. Thanks for sharing, appreciate that.

Thanks for sharing! If you dont mind me asking, what area of the country you from?

Wow, that’s interesting! Thanks for sharing that info!

Thanks for the info from your area. Much appreciated!

Over some time all those amendments and work will indeed show up on the test paperwork. Where you had to have so much topsoil taken off is affecting that? Y’all have sure done a lot of work on your farm, and it shows. Susan says hello to y’all!

@8thdaychronicles yes, where we are rebuilding soil is the troubling area. The 2 acres where the soil was undisturbed is doing great. I didn't test that hay separately, but I think I will for the second cut.

@@tommywise1702 I have no doubt hay from Chigger Hill will land in the “premium” category soon. The amount of sweat equity you guys put into your farm is obvious and admirable.

Here in NW Texas I'm selling my mini rounds at $7 each, my baler is set up to keep them at about 50-55lbs so I can stay on the same level as those selling square bales. Private seller horse hay is running about $10-12 a bale. Upwards of $15 a bale at the feed stores. I have consistent buyers because I only fertilize according to the soil report that I do every spring. And yups, weed killer twice a yr. Most of my buyers feed my hay to their beef cows or sheep or their dairy goats. So they do not want a high content of synthetics in it. I'm going to lime the entire place this winter. The real battle is with the neighbors because they do nothing with their fields and all of that blows over into mine.

@8thdaychronicles we have went from no usable forage to saleable forage in 3 years. Thanks in great part to your videos, hard work, and an understanding wife. I'll bet we are not far from excellent hay in the foreseeable future.

Redlands says this baler bales up to 100 bales per hour. Of course thats all dependent on how thick or thin your hay fields are, etc.

Thank you!

The baler makes a 2’x2’ bale. The baler has different density settings also, light thru heavy. Mine is set on the medium-heavy setting and makes average of 45 lb bale. Thanks for watching!

Never mind…I do not know why I thought you were from Arkansas

That’s ok. One of the posts above says they are from Arkansas.

Thank you kindly! Maybe that brand twine has been around for awhile and I just never noticed or saw it until now, not sure, but I'm happy I found it...so far. Time will tell. My close friend (who is a professional welder/fabricator) that helped me build my drawbar, and I discussed building a few drawbars for sale but ultimately decided against it. Too many risks that some half-baked person might use it wrong, damage something, etc....so we chose to forget that idea. Praying for rain for you guys! Thanks a bunch.

The old-time way of doing things usually works good. Those farmers before us knew what they were doing. I always twist-test several spot before starting the baler too. I’ve found it’s like backing up a little short trailer versus a longer one. If you can back up a 6’ trailer, a 20’ trailer will be a piece of cake. If you can neatly rake a small paddock, a large field is no problem. We’ve been getting showers/rain the last few days and with that, cooler temps. It’s great! Thanks a bundle and we pray you and Mrs Sally have a great day!

No, mine didn’t either. I just looked closely at pictures and looked at a parts diagram on Kowalski website to make sure my assembly was correct. If you are unsure about anything while assembling, contact your dealer and see if he can get you a manual

I’m planning to lime again this winter also. Of course I’ll check with a soil test first, but it’s already on my radar. Thanks a bundle and our best to you and Mrs Sally.

Howdy. I just stick the appropriate length bolt up thru the plate and the spacers and hold it up with one hand line it up and with the other start the bolt. I kinda kick the bolt a bit sideways so the threads hold the spacers until I can get one bolt started. I have used a floor jack too, which is probably easier. If you have to, use a bit of tape like electrical tape to hold the spacers in alignment until you can hand-start the bolt. Once you get one started, the rest is easy. Ive added/taken off spacers multiple times by myself, its not difficult, just take your time, use safe blocks to block it up and even then, dont get nothing but your hand/forearm under those drums, just in case. If it falls somehow, it could be BAD if your torso was under there. And a bit of advice....dont put too many spacers to start with. Add 1-2, cut with it, look at your cut quality, if satisfied, maybe add 2 more, inspect the cut, etc, etc. I feel there is a limit with spacers to getting a good cut depending on how rough your field is and how thick your hay is. Ive heard some guys put alot on at once and find the cut quality dont suit them. Moderation is the key. Heck Ive heard some folks really like the cut at factory setting. Id suggest trying it at stock height one and see what YOU think. You may like it. Everyone likes things a little different. Do what suits YOU. Good luck!

Thanks a bundle for the kind words! Much appreciated and thanks for watching and welcome to our channel!

Thats great! Just "go easy" on the lift kit. Start with 1-2, check cut, add if desired, check cut, once it starts cutting a bit rougher, stop and take whatever spacers you added before the cut quality diminished back off. Too many throw too many spacers on and dont get a real clean cut. Heck you may be just happy as can be with it in the factory cut position....try it first. I lowered my cut height back down quite a bit just after this cut in this video. More to come later on that. Anyhow, good luck! For the money spent they are a good machine. God bless!

@@8thdaychronicles thanks for the advice.

Thanks!

Thanks, Rod. Much appreciated!

Our yield would have been better if we hadnt went thru such a hot, dry spell in June, but what is there is premium hay. Praying we get rains after this is in the barn! Best to you and Mrs. Sally.

Thanks a bundle!

Think about tilting the mower up on the front side. Those drums turn at high speed. When the front tilts up, the trailing side tilts down. Those blades go round and round, not just on the front. Personally, I’ve found if you don’t set a drum mower level and balanced to move with the contours of your field, you won’t get a nice clean of a cut as it’s capable of. So if you ask my opinion, no, tilting to raise cut height is counter-productive.

@@8thdaychronicles what height does yours cut at?

@@christopherpyle3503 I have factory lift spacers installed on mine, currently cutting around 3.5 inches. I may take a couple off in the near future and get it back down to around 3”. My mower is a Kowalski. Although drum mowers operate basically the same, there subtle differences in brands

@@8thdaychronicles thanks for the info. I am looking at a Farm Maxx and a Enrossi. The Farm Maxx has the spacer option. Waiting to hear back from the factory if the Enrossi offers a spacer option.

@@christopherpyle3503 If you go with the spacer kit, dont add 6-8 at a time. Add 1-2 and cut a section and look to see if its cutting to your satisfaction before adding more. Heck cut with it first once without any spacers and inspect the height. What one person deems too low may be acceptable to another. I know several guys that use theirs at factory settings and like it. Some dont. Ive heard of some folks install 6-8 right from the start and complain about the rough cut they got. The condition of your fields, I think, has some bearing on it too. The rougher and bumpier the field, the less spacers (if any) you need to get a nice cut. Good luck!