Posted by Bret4207 on March 25, 2013 at 04:25:21 from (64.19.90.196):
In Reply to: Using old tractors: posted by conoverbandit on March 24, 2013 at 19:08:07:
I got by with a worn out 68 NH baler with a Wisconsin and a Deere sickle bar. Eventually I switched the 68 to PTO drive and even with a non live PTO tractor it's a step up IMO. I kind of like non-live PTO for the baler and haybine because when you hit the clutch things stop NOW! With some live PTO tractors you have to pull a lever to stop things. The sickle bar got replaced with a 7 foot NH haybine. I would never try to make good hay with just a sickle bar anymore. Not on a one man operation. A tedder is also essential in my area even with the haybines crusher because of heavy hay and damp weather.
I've finally got he the 68 pretty much rebuilt 100%. New feeder forks and poly twine made a world of difference. Now I get square bales instead of bananas and I don't get 3 missed bales or broken twine every 18-20 bales. Going to a DB990 was way more hp than the 68 needed, but live PTO and 12 speeds lets me match the ground speed to conditions, not something you can always do with a 3, 4 or 5 speed rig.
Old rakes in good shape work fine, but I'd dearly love a rotary rake. Basket rakes all rope the hay, just the way it is.
I think my newest piece of equipment is a late 70's tedder. You can get by fine with older stuff if it's in good shape. But some of it requires a lot more manpower because it was simply designed when labor was cheaper and readily available.
I'm going to say, I get the self sufficiency thing. I'm more of a homesteader than a farmer I suppose. But don't get too wrapped up in doing things the hard way just because it seems "right". I've seen an awful lot of people, myself included, wear themselves out trying to fit into the image in their head of how things should be done. I believe in using appropriate technology. Forking out a bedding winters bedding pack in a barn looks really noble in the pages of Backwoods Home, Small Farmers Journal or Countryside. Getting or renting a skid steer looks a lot smarter in real life!
This post was edited by Bret4207 at 04:30:15 03/25/13.
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Today's Featured Article - When Push Comes to Shove - by Dave Patterson. When I was a “kid” (still am to a deree) about two I guess, my parents couldn’t find me one day. They were horrified (we lived by the railroad), my mother thought the worst: "He’s been run over by a train, he’s gone forever!" Where did they find me? Perched up on the seat of the tractor. I’d probably plowed about 3000 acres (in my head anyway) by the time they found me. This is where my love for tractors started and has only gotten worse in my tender 50 yrs on this “green planet”. I’m par
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