Everyone's situation is different. In our case, I have day job in the way and my kids are getting away from me, so I'm being reduced to a one man army. 2017 was especially labor intensive with me doing most of the stacking on the wagon behind the baler. So for 2018 - we needed to make a change. I looked at NH bale wagons, but everything around me looked like a wore- out breakdown ready to happen. Stacking on the wagon was a lot of labor, it would have killed me to have to go around and pick-up the bales off the ground by myself if the bale wagon broke down. I really like the accumulator and grapple set-ups. Kuhn and Steffan were my pick had we gone that route. Problem for us was - with a day job, there are only so many hours in the day and if I'm by myself, then I have to make another trip out to the field to retrieve the bales. These systems were expensive too and required a tractor with a loader or a skid steer - neither of we have. When I retire and have more time, I'll likely go with the accumulator grapple set-up. I have a friend who makes square bales of bermuda grass in SC. He is a one man army and does 9,000 bales of hay by himself - but he's got much more daylight time than I do. The solution for us was adding a pan kicker to our JD baler and retrofitting our existing hay wagons with kicker racks. This allows me to bale the hay and get it off the field in one pass. We are putting up shelters tall enough to pull the wagons into for unloading later in the day or next day or next week - bottom line, if rain or dark/dew is coming, I can get the hay baled by myself, off the field and under cover. The cost of the kicker (and used ones abound as they are no longer the go-to hay tool) compared to an accumulator grapple set-up was much lower, so it pencils out better for us.
BTW - JD recommends a shorter bale for their kicker to help maintain bale shape. We reduced our bale length to 30-32 inches - nice and tight. The bales hold their shape good, they are lighter weight - which our horse customers especially appreciate and we reduced the price accordingly.
Upload one or more videos to your post. Photo and video filesizes should be less than 5MB. Formats allowed are gif, jpg, png, ogg, mp4, mov, and avi. Be sure to use filenames without spaces or special characters, and filetypes of 3 digits lower case.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - A Lifetime of Farm Machinery - by Joe Michaels. I am a mechanical engineer by profession, specializing in powerplant work. I worked as a machinist and engine erector, with time spent overseas. I have always had a love for machinery, and an appreciation for farming and farm machinery. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Not a place one would associate with farms or farm machinery. I credit my parents for instilling a lot of good values, a respect for learning, a knowledge of various skills and a little knowledge of farming in me, amo
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
1964 I-H 140 tractor with cultivators and sidedresser. Starts and runs good. Asking 2650. CALL RON AT 502-319-1952
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
