# Hillside haying



## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

Was just wondering what kind of land some of you hay? Do you have any steep hills. I have one feild that is very hilly and steep. The average slope is about 22% and varies anywhere from nearly level to just under 50% What do you have?


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## young old timer (Jan 18, 2012)

We have hills around here; they produce, as long as the moisture holds. It has been a few years, but we have been forced to just "patch out" the draws and swails. I am seeding fifty acres now that has steep hills and wild terraces. Round balers are widely used here and makes you take into account " trejectory" when kicking out a bale.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Flat to Gently Rolling to Steep.A little bit of everything here.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

I have a steep pasture that I'm not looking forward to traversing down in the 1499 Haybine. It gets squirrely.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I have one nasty enough the guy gave it to me just so he didn't have to bush hog it anymore.


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## Hand&Hand Farms (Feb 5, 2011)

We have one that is either up hill or down hill, not flat spot on it. My son (17 now) usually sends 3 or 4 bales thru the fence every time we bale it. Wife won't rake anymore unless the Kubota is there with seatbelt.


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## shortrow (Feb 21, 2012)

mlappin said:


> I have one nasty enough the guy gave it to me just so he didn't have to bush hog it anymore.


Wow, must be rough. You have much more nerve than me.


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## Nitram (Apr 2, 2011)

Ahh Kansas.... flat as a pancake!!! not really but I don't have to buckle up Martin


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## Toyes Hill Angus (Dec 21, 2010)

My house is situated at the top of Toyes Hill, which is about 25' higher than the bottom, all around is flatter than p#ss on a platter!


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

My house is situated at the top of Toyes Hill, which is about 25' higher than the bottom, all around is flatter than p#ss on a platter!

25' is nothing at all. In my feild we have about 300' from edge to center going up and than about the same going back down the other side. More of a mini mountain really.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Toyes Hill Angus said:


> My house is situated at the top of Toyes Hill, which is about 25' higher than the bottom, all around is flatter than p#ss on a platter!


LOL.....thats funny!


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

75% of the land in the county I live in, you cannot get a tractor over it...period. I think that is one reason when traveling through the mid-west and plains that I marvel so much at the Ag land. The #1 crop in Tennessee is hardwood timber. I am very fortunate to have a river bottom farm in this mountainous to hilly land. The county I live in is the central home of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.The western 1/3 of the state is farmland and timber.....the middle part of the state is rolling hills and timber...mainly grazing. It is a very green state even in the winter season.

Regards, Mike


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## Toyes Hill Angus (Dec 21, 2010)

Vol said:


> LOL.....thats funny!


that's what I was getting at! Some have land levellers and land planes set up with laser controls to grade the land for drainage where I was raised in south-western Ontario.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

shortrow said:


> Wow, must be rough. You have much more nerve than me.


No tilled alfalfa in it awhile ago, never open the baler on a sidehill unless I back up and point the baler down the hill. Not that bad really, all my hay making tractors have the wheels moved all the way out.


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## RockmartGA (Jun 29, 2011)

What are y'all complaining about, lol. Here is a video showing how the Swiss hay the steep slopes the old fashioned way. I especially like the zip lines getting the hay off the mountain.
Traditional Haymaking in the Swiss Alps - The One Scythe Revolution


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

Fantastic! Thanks for sharing. No need for those hay makers to get on treadmills to keep in shape.


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## Flashpoint (May 23, 2010)

After watching that ,cant really complain about handling squares. If i lived there i would be buying me some goats and just have me some cabrito burgers and goat milk. Kinda reminds me of when i was in Cozumel and watched a fella mowing about a mile of highway ditch with a push mower.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

RockmartGA said:


> What are y'all complaining about, lol. Here is a video showing how the Swiss hay the steep slopes the old fashioned way. I especially like the zip lines getting the hay off the mountain.
> Traditional Haymaking in the Swiss Alps - The One Scythe Revolution


 Okay, not to be Mr. Grumpy pants or anything, but screw that noise. You're swiss for god sakes and surrounded by swiss women, I could think of a lot better things to be doing.


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## Nitram (Apr 2, 2011)

I am my fathers son...watching that video and thinking about the hay they were loosing in the rocks when pushing it over the cliffs... and yes there are toooo many beautiful women there to be swinging a stick in the brush all day! One last note the zip line would be a blast even at my age!!!! Martin


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

My fields are all relatively flat compared to some of these stories. But I have baled some pretty steep slopes doing custom work. Baled a field about 20 miles from home one day and actually had round bales go down the hill end over end instead of rolling. After about 10 revolutions, they start to jump pretty high. Also baled a farm for several years for the local vet that was on edge. I dumped a bale on top of the hill, it stayed were I put it, so I continued down the hill for several hundred feet. At the bottom of the hill, turned left to the next windrow and the bale passed me on the right going about 35 mph! All the fields were surrounded by huge ravines with trees. I always told Doc, good luck finding the bales back, it is going to like an "Easter Egg Hunt". Dual wheels on the baler tractor made me feel a lot safer on this farm.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

You dont always need duals. Most tractors as long as your going slow enough will slide down a hill before you roll over. Dont turn sharp and dont go fast enough to bounce and you will be fine.


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

hog987 said:


> You dont always need duals. Most tractors as long as your going slow enough will slide down a hill before you roll over. Dont turn sharp and dont go fast enough to bounce and you will be fine.


Yeah, but baling and slow dont go together for me.


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