Rained out haying storey of 2011

Ken Macfarlane · Jul 15, 2011

The second suitable window to hay this summer, 0% chance of
precip. I knocked down about 1200-1600 bales.

Tedded day one, oh boy drying well. Tedded morning of day 2,
just a couple more hours needed. Hook up rake, spent 3+ hours
raking about 400 bales worth. My rake is painfully slow (belt
rake).

Boys those look like rain clouds? Oh boy, theres a shower that
just missed us. Stop raking, rush the baler up. Got 150 bales
though before she let loose. The raking tractor made her down
the woods road to fetch a tarp at 20 miles and hour and the
truck kissed 45 mph going back up.

I was spitting venom the whole way. That rake is going down the
road, there will be a faster rake here next year mark my words!

wolfman · Jul 15, 2011

I know how you feel. We finally had a weather forecast of a three day window of good hay days. Hay was ready that third day-had to ted some because the ground was still damp; tedded, raked, baled 587. Started hauling; about 250 in mow and the sky darkened quickly. Threw 53 on each of three pickups & backed them in sheds-a little wet but not bad. Kept hauling the last 150 in the rain & lightning, one pickup at a time. The last 53 were dripping.

2510Paul · Jul 15, 2011

A friend bought a used Vermeer double wheel rake, 4 wheels on a side. He has a 9' haybine. Gosh, that really rakes a field quick. Just a data point for you. Paul

jason, NW Ontario · Jul 16, 2011

I know it doesn't make you feel any better but you're not alone. I had to bale 10 acres a day early due to a sudden 100% chance of rain the following day. Baler did a great job without missing a knot, considering those small squares weighed 100lbs. Got most in the shed, one layer on edge, and they're drying up okay; the last trailer load got hammered with rain on the drive, and I don't have many positive thoughts about those bales.

showcrop · Jul 16, 2011

I used to hay the ten acre place down the road and sell the hay. New guy bought the place. He was a young multi-millionaire that had sold an internet business but wanted to farm. He was a little hard to get along with but his wife was nice. So we kept getting a lot of rain in June and after about four years he tells me he's got the equipment and he's doing it himself so that he can do it early and get better quality hay. Two years ago I drove by and saw him out there with a lot of broken bales. I stopped to see if I could help and he started telling me a lot of stuff about balers that I had never heard of, so I wished him luck.
This year after a beautiful stretch the first of June, I noticed that he was mowing July 4th on a 2 and1/2 day forecast. I hadn't mowed. Well the good weather stretched to 3 days and going by I saw that he baled a stretch of outside windrow that gets a lot of shade and then quit. That night it rained heavily as forecast. I think that he is getting discouraged.

Rained out haying storey of 2011

Ken Macfarlane

Well-known Member

wolfman

Well-known Member

2510Paul

Well-known Member

jason, NW Ontario

Member

showcrop

Well-known Member

Similar threads