Hay, that was close!

Woke up to a torrential downpour this AM. Had to wonder about the 9 to 5 folks who drive by daily watching me put up hay. Wondered what they were thinking when they drove by the field this AM and the 800+ bales that were still laying there last night had mysteriously vanished! Maybe melted in the rain? Here is what REALLY happened...

The SMTA had a meltdown Sunday night...literally. Smoke pouring out from under the hood and oil running down the block onto the ground. Couldn't see a problem with the block or head. Getting dark so left it. Both my regular customers took a powder on me that same day. One told me they were both 60 now and could not pick up hay anymore so they were paying some fella $6 a bale to put it in the barn. I told them I understood completely (BUT), a phone call would have been nice as I was counting on them. The other guy told me he would buy the whole field if I knocked off 30 cents a bale so I gave it to him. He took 100 bales and claimed (first) it was dusty (but he could not show me any dust) and (second) it was stemmy (dang, first cutting in July, imagine that). He wrote me a check for the full amount...no discounts and left with the understanding that he could buy somewhere else.

So laying in bed that night with steam coming out my ears it occurred to me that maybe the SMTA had blown a power steering hose ABOVE the engine. In fact, it had. 30 minute fix once the new hose was purchased. Then my two daughters and I (with the rotator cuff issue) tried to load hay all day while SWMBO worked the phones. Round about 6:30PM there was a great ruckus out on the road and three pickups with big trailers pulled in. In something like 2 hrs these guys had loaded over 800 bales, 10 layers high. I was told by SWMBO that I was discounting the hay about 40%, they paid cash, and the biggest trailer loads I have ever seen disappeared down the road. I made a solid profit at what they paid me and never gave it a second thought.

This AM I lay in bed listening to the rain and wondering how relaxed I would be if those bales were still down there. I think later this week I will take the girls up to the National Cherry Festival. Spend some of that hay money.

Dusty? You know, I really love putting up hay, it's one of the most fulfilling jobs I do. But I am really starting to hate hay customers. I always thought it was just me...

Isn't it amazing how things work out when we just keep on trudging the path!

Glad you got 'er done!

I'm going to call my seed dealer and demand a discount because the bean seed was dusty. Really? What do people think? You are buying something that grew out of the dirt, layed back in the same dirt to dry, and then got dumped out the back of a machine right back onto the same dirt again. Some years the hay is dusty due to drought, but the guy down the road isn't going to have anything less dusty than you do.

People make me crazy. Folks are too removed from the farm to even be rational.

Some years back as the biggest farmer in our little town was getting older and didn't have a lot of help and had hay to get in before the rains, he would call the firehouse with an emergency, whistle would blow and responders got to help put hay up(idiot cubes in those days).

That was always one of the best feelings, getting hay in right before rain!

Must be the time for power steering hoses to blow on ole M's.

I was cutting last Wednesday with my 1946 M (pics on implement alley) and looked down and my one rear tire was wet. Low and behold the return line had blew spewing fluid on the tire. Caught it quick and did not lose hardly any fluid. Unhooked the m and had the wife tow me back to the barn with the ole Farmall h and then put the Farmall h on the cutter to finish cutting the last 1.25 acres.

I replaced all 3 hoses on my tractor and they are now routed much better than they were. I also set it up so that standard off the shelf hydraulic hoses can be used as replacements instead of custom lengths (win and win).

I am still amazed it was the low pressure return line that blew instead of the high pressure line. Grateful though as my power steering is mounted closer to the steering wheel pedestal so I would have gotten doused had it been the other high pressure hose.

The boss made the right decision.

It happens every few years. I sit around plotting murder while my wife gets busy. She sells that hay every darn time this happens. I have never used my own hay for erosion control...but I have hauled off a lot of OTHER peoples hay when it got rained on!

(knock on wood)

Yeah...I was right the day I married her. She has been right ever since!

Here is a picture of my SMTA prior to me owning her. This is the first breakdown of any sort in 14 years of regular use. This one hardly counts. A bolt that held the PS unit came out (if there ever was one, a lot of baling wire in there!). Whatever came out, it allowed the unit to rotate, which put one hose dead on top of the exhaust manifold. It melted and then the smoke and oil running down the side of the engine. Dramatic yes, expensive no. No complaints.

My boss (in the other room) just asked me why I am laughing over here.

You certainly won't be the only one there at Cherry Festival. I was there both Saturday and Sunday, no shortage of people. Plan on going back Wednesday night to see Charlie Daniels. Air show was great Sunday. Enjoy your t trip up here. I normally stay away from there, but kids are getting older now and like going over there. Kalkaska was a zoo with traffic last weekend.