# could it work?



## hayrat (Jun 5, 2013)

I've been thinking of trying a custom hay picking up type of business. Basically it would involve picking up bales in the field and based on what the customer wanted, stack at the edge of field or haul and unload and stack at a specific place. I was curious if anyone dose such a thing or if there would be any kind of a market for it. And if so would a guy charge by the hour or by the bale?


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## hay hauler (Feb 6, 2010)

Fair sized market on the west coast.

By the bale, try to make your hour mark on each bid. By the bale allows you to make more $ if your good. By the ton allows for conflict if the owner, baler, and your bale weight figures are off by 5#/bale on a 100 ton job.

You need to find out what your local market requires. Block stacking, rounds, 60# smales, common barn sizes, distance on average job, big squairs. All of this depends on what type of machines you need.

Lots of options with reguard to equipment, Balewagons, Grapples, Trailers, Trucks, Spikes, Accumulators.

Major problems are you rely on your customers to not by a balewagon or something like that, the people baling a field and bale size you can actualy stack. Schedule can be difficult, your at the back of the line. Did the customer get the water off when they said they would, did it get cut raked and baled on schedule. Its easy for the end baling day to be off by a day or two. Schedule 5-10 jobs in a 3 day window can be difficult if weather is bad, and schedules are off.

Fair amout of money in equipemnt you use for two to three cuttings.

In my oppinion you need equipment that will get the hay moved faster and less effort than the customer could. And at a cheeper customer cost than they could do themselfs. Thats what there paying you for right?

Hope it helps.

We have two wagons, one straight truck, two gooseneck trailers, bobcat and grapple, tractor and grapple, and three highschool kids. All for 800 acres, and 1000 tons of barn to barn stuff, all small bales


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## hayrat (Jun 5, 2013)

Very helpful, thank you.


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## hay hauler (Feb 6, 2010)

you bet. where are you located at?


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## fholin (Nov 5, 2009)

Hay & Forage Grower just did a story on a custom stacker, a young guy, who is using the custom stacking business to help support his farm: http://hayandforage.com/harvesting/finding-future-custom-forage-work


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## Stuckey1 (Jul 9, 2010)

My biggest issue is finding time to get hay in the barn so i dont see why not!


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