The Official Farming Thread...

[Steve]

I have a similar size compact tractor and 4x4 round bales are no problem as far as stability goes. The rear tires are filled and being r4s they hold a lot of liquid.

Of course, I have the tractor set up right, follow all the common sense rules with a load on the loader and so forth. That being said, that is my tractor. I don't know if yours will be as stable as mine but you definitely need to have it ballasted properly for any loader work.

 

[Flip]

Hay dried really well today. Was able to get it all up. 195 bales. Air is so damn thick right now it you can almost swim through it!

View attachment 297774

What are the square bales used for? Around here it's 100% round bale unless it is equine related. Just curious what people do in other regions.

 

[Only the Tony]

I have a similar size compact tractor and 4x4 round bales are no problem as far as stability goes. The rear tires are filled and being r4s they hold a lot of liquid.

Of course, I have the tractor set up right, follow all the common sense rules with a load on the loader and so forth. That being said, that is my tractor. I don't know if yours will be as stable as mine but you definitely need to have it ballasted properly for any loader work.


View attachment 297799

Filled tires make a big difference, but not all of us have a job where we can get used antifreeze. LOL

 

[Gizzard]

What are the square bales used for? Around here it's 100% round bale unless it is equine related. Just curious what people do in other regions.

In east KY here by WV majority of farms with mountains and most farms have to small of tractors for working round bales. Lot of these farms just have 10-12 head of cattle and get square bales and put in barn. The occasional larger farmer here does some round bales, but they are still not much in size.

 

[Only the Tony]

Every year a few more rocks work their way up, but it is nice that I can change an entire blade set in about 10 minutes anywhere. Need to look at their offerings in a cutter with a flail to dry faster.

 

[Steve]

Filled tires make a big difference, but not all of us have a job where we can get used antifreeze. LOL

F that!! I had the dealer do that when I bought it! Not worth my time. I did it once and only once.

 

[Steve]

Got all the dove sunflower fields planted early May. Bit much power for this job, but didn’t care. View attachment 297795

I love sunflowers! Good to see you on the boards Kevin. Was beginning to think someone may have kid napped you in Texas.

 

[Gizzard]

I love sunflowers! Good to see you on the boards Kevin. Was beginning to think someone may have kid napped you in Texas.

Yes, TX was a long time with recent being OK. WI bound now. Note, got little IH 140 back together in AR. Had to split it and put bearing on main shaft with forward gears. Will take it to IL for cultivating sunflowers.

 

[Gizzard]

View attachment 297800 View attachment 297801
Every year a few more rocks work their way up, but it is nice that I can change an entire blade set in about 10 minutes anywhere. Need to look at their offerings in a cutter with a flail to dry faster.

Maybe you could start a gravel quarry to supplement the hay field

 

[Steve]

What are the square bales used for? Around here it's 100% round bale unless it is equine related. Just curious what people do in other regions.

Yup, horses.

 

[Mastermind]

Yup, horses.

I hate horses. Used to ride a lot....but my back can't take it now. Had a hateful old stud horse bite me on the shoulder while my back was turned one time. Never had any use for a horse since.

 

[Steve]

I hate horses. Used to ride a lot....but my back can't take it now. Had a hateful old stud horse bite me on the shoulder while my back was turned one time. Never had any use for a horse since.

I don't like horses at all. The horses are my mother-in-law and daughters thing. I just make the hay for them and wash my hands from there.

 

[dall]

I hate horses. Used to ride a lot....but my back can't take it now. Had a hateful old stud horse bite me on the shoulder while my back was turned one time. Never had any use for a horse since.

worthless animals and bring high prices
and owners will pay big bucks for hay

 

[N8TE]

worthless animals and bring high prices
and owners will pay big bucks for hay

Of which I'm thankful for

 

[farminkarman]

Of which I'm thankful for

Me too, lol!

 

[SpaceBus]

Attaching to the bucket on a small tractor would set the spear even further forward. That could get nose heavy in a hurry I'd think.

Personally, I'd be looking for a rear spear.

Facebook marketplace? A local sale site?

Definitely need some weight on back to lift and move bales with front. Rear spears like Randy said would be best to start with. Get one with smaller square "super penetrator" profile. You can buy both rear and a front skid steer style points for about $1000 new from TSC, but should be able to find cheaper. Don't try to move hay on front without one on back for counter weight because those compact tractors will flip over easy.

I find the front end gets a bit spooky with the 600 lb grapple handling round bales, so it makes sense that bucket mounted spears would be the same. I just figured the bucket weighs less than the grapple, so it wouldn't be quite as bad. I'll just have to save my dollars for a FEL quick attach set. 3pt spears would work, but I like being able to raise the bale over the fence and lower it down.

 

[SpaceBus]

181-184 is the south side of our hose and beyond the tree line is the main paved road. 185 is the chicken coop I built last summer. The top half is an A frame that has an inside hatch to let the chickens into the bottom aviary and there is also a door on the north facing side with a ladder and platform. I know the fence looks funny, but I'm working on collecting/milling fence posts. The next bunch of pics will show what I've been working on lately. It's hard to see, but the path that cuts across the "yard" connects to a trail through the woods that I'm working on making passable for the tractor. That path connects to my "log yard" and will eventually be part of the perimeter to the future pasture area. Pretty much everywhere there is dirt there used to be trees.

 

[SpaceBus]

193 shows the opening of the trail where it connects to my log yard. The trail in the yard connects to a cut through the trees to connect to our driveway, which is behind the viewer in photo 187. There used to be five 75' tall balsam fir trees where the truck is parked. Pretty much everything in 186 was trees until 2019 when I started cutting some down.

 

[Mastermind]

Wanna see some rain. Cut hay. LOL

 

[Mastermind]

Its coming straight outta the north. Looks like the worst of it is gonna miss us. All we've gotten so far is a few sprinkles.