# Strategies for baling steep hillsides



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Picked up new farm over winter. I knew it was steep, but there's nothing like actually doing it to find out just HOW steep it is. 
So this morning I cut it with M-126 and discbine. And it felt kinda steep, but manageable. The discbine fully extended to the right kind of acted like a outrigger and stabilized the tractor (or at least it felt that way) as I cut along the hill. 
Waited till early afternoon and teddered it out with small tractor. No problems with smaller tractor, either, but I was pretty much sitting on the uphill side fender kinda hanging on pretty tight to the door handle. 
Also, I Tedded directly along hillside (I know, it's the worst way). Reason is that top and bottom of hill is woods and so are the ends. There's no flat landing at top or bottom or on sides. 
So tomorrow comes time to rake and bale. 
Which direction should I rake to set up for baling? Straight up and down hill is not a option since there's no flat landing and having a full baler pushing you down hill isnt much fun. 
Along length of hill is a bad option also since ends of hill have no place to turn around, either and tractor/baler will always be on an angle.

Should I do hillside diagonally? This is how I always traversed hills when off-roading in my trucks. 
Seems like the only way, but maybe you all have a different way.

It's also going to be fun figuring out where to dump my bales without having them run away! Lol


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

About how many acres is this hillside JD?

Regards, Mike


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

My best guess would be about 30 acres. 
It's a rectangle maybe 2,500 ft long x 600 ft wide. So the hill is 600' from base to top of hill.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

You say there is a woods at the bottom of the hillside as well? I had a steep one as well, start at the bottom and work your way up the hillside, mine was steep enough I never opened the baler while following the row and would instead back up and point the baler down hill and let em roll to the bottom.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Diagonal. Just like bush hogging a steep area.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

How steep of hills are you talking about? I have hills in my area that make other people who think they have hills say WOW. All but the steepest parts I can go across them and still dump a bale. Remember that most ag tractors will start sliding down the hill before they will roll. As long as you go slow enough. I have to pick and choose where to dump a lot of the bales but can be done. Does your tractor habe fwa? Helps a lot in the hills. The steepest hill i got the tractor does not have enough power to go up with a full bale even in first gear. Also i cant have a full bale and stop on the hill. I hit the breaks and the tires start skidding. It seems no matter what i do i have the odd bale roll away on me. Just be careful but it can be done


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Another thing worth mentioning: there's another small field, maybe 3 acres next to the hillside at the top corner of the hillside. It's pretty flat. Flat enough for round bales. However, after every bale is made, I'd have to shuttle it over to the flat area. Time consuming, but maybe in the end it save the time of going out in the field and bale spearing all the scattered bales on a steep hillside
Still doesnt help with the problem of steep hill, but gives me a spot to put bales.

MLappin: woods at bottom and top. Woods on one end, farm fence on other end. Really no flat spot for reprieve.


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## DSLinc1017 (Sep 27, 2009)

I have a few of these too, all I can say is use your gut. Diagonal, up down. I have one bad hill that I rake a mighty big windrow at the bottom because I know that the baler and wagon just won't do it. 
Trust your in-stinks. Luke trust your feelings..........


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## AndyL (Mar 9, 2013)

I bale miles of levee. (Containing Mississippi river @ high water) There are times when you slide, when you hit a hole or something. Just take your time with it. Bale diagonal starting at the bottom. Dump bales slowly with ends up and down. At time when the river's up, if they roll down their lost to the water. If you have a kicker don't let it kick. Sometimes they have a mind of their own and roll anyhow. Have had them go through the ditch and across the road. Their like a fright train when they roll off. Just take your time and it can be done. May have to drop a gear or 2 till you learn the lay of the land.Wearing a seat belt helps keep you in the seat. Good luck and be careful.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

It all depends on how steep it actually is...30 acres is a large slope. I have a 4 acre field that most people would not think of baling....there is a creek at the bottom and woods on one side and a fence at the top and other side. If it were not for a 50 foot wide flat spot along the creek you couldn't hardy bale it. The very steepest part of the hill there is no way to go but up and down and the front end gets light...if you went diagonal you would be sliding down hill. Last year I round baled the field and I had to dump the rolls in the flat area...if I were very careful there was one spot along the top I could dump also...most of the field if I were to dump sideways the roll would turn over on its side if it wouldn't find a way to roll down the hill first. I never hit the brakes or clutch going up and down the steep part either...if I did I might just end up in the creek before I could stop...if I need to stop I pull out of the hay and get to the top or bottom before I stop. This year I square baled the field...didn't have a problem having to find a place to drop bales but it sure was fun picking up on that slope. 
The best thing to do is be very careful and experiment on how the best way to work the hill would be. With out seeing the hill it's hard for me to say but I bet it's not as steep as the one I'm talking about. Good luck and be safe.


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## enos (Dec 6, 2009)

Use the seat colour level gauge. If seat is original colour at end of day, not too steep. If is brown and smells funny , too steep.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

JD3430 said:


> Another thing worth mentioning: there's another small field, maybe 3 acres next to the hillside at the top corner of the hillside. It's pretty flat. Flat enough for round bales. However, after every bale is made, I'd have to shuttle it over to the flat area. Time consuming, but maybe in the end it save the time of going out in the field and bale spearing all the scattered bales on a steep hillside
> Still doesnt help with the problem of steep hill, but gives me a spot to put bales.


I have a slope that is flat on the top and I use it to dump bales on.....it is slow baling but it sure makes it alot safer loading up bales.....might want to bale 1/3 to 1/2 of the slope at a time until you figure things out this first time.....bale the upper section first.

Regards, Mike


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

I'm guessing round bales?

My ground is pretty hilly. I usually bale across the hillside, but sometimes that isn't an option.

Here's the strategy I use:

Not all hills are created equal. There will be high spots and low spots, little dips, etc. As the bale is nearing full, I start looking for a drop spot. I try anticipate where I need to be to drop it and what angle I will need. I also am looking for fences, ditches, trees, that might be damaged if the bale starts rolling and I can't stop it.

While the baler is going through the wrap cycle, I back at an angle so that the bale will be dropped on the "flat" side of the hill. What I mean by "flat" is that there is always an angle which will cause the bale to lay square to the hillside.

I usually roll back about 30-50 feet, then, as the bale is dropping out the back, I roll forward about 5 feet. The baler kicks the bale out and rolling forward at the same time stops it's momentum. If the bale rolls forward, it will roll up against the kicker bars. I will let it rest against the bars, and as I start to roll forward, if it wants to roll, I will try to turn it with the bars.

I always kick the bale out at an idle so that it has minimum spin.

Good mirrors on the tractor help tremendously. Not rushing is key.

But nothing beats experience!

Hope this helps.

Ralph


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

I have a small field like that, when the uphill tire starts spinning I adjust my line to reduce the side slope. You have to watch out for tufts of hay on the uphill tire too as it causes a spin out and jerks stuff around to point up hill.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Put duals on baler tractor.

I seen a guy mowing ditches yesterday with left dual on.3pt disk mower


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Before we had 4WD you would have to ride the up hill brake to make the down hill tire grab most. If you did not then the up hill rear tire would slip and throw the tractor around.

With the 4WD now days it seems like the center of gravity is higher with the taller front ends. Those older tractors sat closer to the ground.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I have both my mowing and baling tractors set as wide as possible. Front ends can't go any wider unless you dish the tires out. Huge difference compared to a tractor that has the tread width close to or set for row crops.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

I have the power adjust rear rims. They are set in the middle position. 
I need to set them out wider. The fronts are going to go wider, too.

So the just steep hill went well, except for a few problems. Tractor was rock solid but, 
As I finished the last bale, I drove to top of hill and ejected it. I drove back to other side of field and noticed front left wheel pulling to left. Looked out and front tire was flat. This is a virtually new Tiatn Grizz radial AG tire. I used the loader to lift front end and aired it up. Sprayed tire with water (didnt have any soap) and didnt see any leak, no hiss either. 
I wondered if when I was cutting the steep hill, I put so much pressure on the left front tire that I possibly cracked the bead? But if that happened, you wouldn't think I would be able to re-air the tire???
I guess when I get there tomorrow I'll know.

Also, rolling the tractor over never felt like it was gonna happen, but I did roll one bale from the top to the bottom of the hill. WOW. That sucker must have been doing 70mph by the bottom of the hill. It broke branches and made a hell of a ruckus when it hit the woods!!!


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## DSLinc1017 (Sep 27, 2009)

JD3430 said:


> I did roll one bale from the top to the bottom of the hill. WOW. That sucker must have been doing 70mph by the bottom of the hill. It broke branches and made a hell of a ruckus when it hit the woods!!!


LOL!!! Glad no one was hurt, As mentioned earlier.... Trust your feelings....

I guess your feelings where sucked to tight to your seat!

Cheers, to baling on edge.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

We usually have one to two people injured here every year due to flipping a tractor. Used to be more--one to two killed. But with the advent of duals, wheel weights and fluid and smarter operators, things are getting better.

When I was about 13, I found my best friend's father under a tractor that had flipped. My other buddy called the ambulance while I raced to the ferry to hold it so it would be on this side of the river when the ambulance got there.

The gentleman lived a few more days.

Things that get people in trouble:

---Going across too steep a hillside.
---Going too fast.
---Having the loader or load to high.
---Under-powering the hillside.
---Killing the engine.
---Hitting groundhog/other holes.
---Hitting tree limbs.
---Hitting washouts/ruts.
---Going uphill pulling an implement like a disc or plow.
---Going downhill with too heavy a load on slippery surfaces, like wet grass.
---Tire pressure too low/high.
---Turf tires.
---Worn tires.

There are probably hundreds more, but these are some I've seen or experienced in the past 10 years.

Ralph


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Yeah after today I know why farmers pay to Hage ground hogs shot or shoot them themselves.
I HATE em.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

JD3430 said:


> Yeah after today I know why farmers pay to Hage ground hogs shot or shoot them theCmselves.
> I HATE em.


I like to watch YouTube where they pump some sort of gas in the holes and blow them up. You can see the road map of where the tunnels are.

Glad you got the hillside done. Curious to learn what the verdict on the front tire is.


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## AndyL (Mar 9, 2013)

I did roll one bale from the top to the bottom of the hill. WOW. That sucker must have been doing 70mph by the bottom of the hill. It broke branches and made a hell of a ruckus when it hit the woods!!!

There's that freight train I was talking about.

Well done JD. Anytime you roll that last bale and nothing major happens, it's a great day.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

I have several fields with a very steep hillsides and in each case the bottom of the hills are completely outlined by a housing developmentI have to be very careful with round balers in these fields


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

endrow said:


> I have several fields with a very steep hillsides and in each case the bottom of the hills are completely outlined by a housing developmentI have to be very careful with round balers in these fields


You sure do!
There's 2 houses near the bottom corner of this hill another bale got rolling, albeit a lot slower towards the house and a fence stopped it and flipped it. Otherwise it would have been a new front yard ornament! Lol


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

Do you use net wrap or twine. I use twine and any of my bales that get going that fast end up loosing half there twine before they stop. The good thing is my feild is in the middle of no where so the only thing I have to worry about hitting is a tree or other bale. But they have also ran into the back of the baler too. Brand new baler last year and second day out put a dent in the steel plate going across the end gate.


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## richard m (Jul 10, 2013)

Got to just use your gut if you don`t feel safe it is probably to steep. Glad you got it done safe, get the tire fixed? That could have been bad on the hill


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

richard m said:


> Got to just use your gut if you don`t feel safe it is probably to steep. Glad you got it done safe, get the tire fixed? That could have been bad on the hill


Damn right! That was the tire bearing all the stress while I was baling diagonally downhill. Good thing it didnt come off the rim!

The tire was a freak show to finally resolve. I went there this morning and it was flat and lost its bead, too. 
I put a ratchet strap around it and my New Holland salesman was nice enough to come up and help me reseat the tire. We got it inflated (thanks to a good compressor I keep on my truck) but still could not find the leak. He left and I began to haul bales in from the field. I noticed the tire started going flat again!!! WTF? 
When I opened the door to get a closer look at tire, I noticed with every rotation, a puff of air would blast out of the tire. I then rolled the tire until air was constantly hissing out. 
Got out and looked to see a flap of rubber on the sidewall was leaking air. Looks like a injury you get on your knuckles when a wrench slips and you rip a flap of skin off your knuckle. 
It would only leak a puff of air when the tire was rotated down at the 6 o'clock position. That would put enough pressure on the little flap to push air out. 
Parked tractor with sidewall flap in 12 o'clock position. Will get a sidewall patch on her on Montag. 
What a PITA!!!!!!!


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## richard m (Jul 10, 2013)

That is weird. Did you run over something? Only leaks when the tire is at 6 o clock? You must spend alot of money at the NH dealer if they got the sales guy coming out to fix tires LOL Be nice to find what ever put the hole in the tire or it may happen again when you bale the field next time​


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

richard m said:


> That is weird. Did you run over something? Only leaks when the tire is at 6 o clock? You must spend alot of money at the NH dealer if they got the sales guy coming out to fix tires LOL Be nice to find what ever put the hole in the tire or it may happen again when you bale the field next time​


Didnt run over something . I think something poked through the sidewall. Leaks at 6 o'clock cause the pressure on the hole flexes the sidewall and causes the rubber flap to open and allow air to escape. 
Salesman is a helpfull guy. However, he was coming up to pick up my baler anyway on Monday, so he just came up a little early to help me.


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