# free hay 12.5 miles away...



## MyDaughtersPony (Jun 12, 2016)

This question will mean many different things to many different people. I found this posting on craigslist and the guy wants someone to cut and bale 2.5 acres.... for FREE just take the hay. My only hang up is he's 12.5 miles away. I'd have to butcher the field with my brush-hog. I could use the extra money selling the hay to invest in a rake or sickle bar... I don't care if he's hard work or a pain in the ass... would anyone else do this to make a tiny bit of money... or am I literally insane for even thinking about it... considering it's 12.5 miles away.


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## BWfarms (Aug 3, 2015)

I wouldn't touch it with a rotary mower. The distance and size isn't much of an issue, it's the fact you want to make money. If it's rounds, you ain't going to make money. If it's squares, you might make a few bucks. Say you get 300 bales, that's a tidy sum at $1200 gross.


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## MyDaughtersPony (Jun 12, 2016)

My dad has a small garden tractor with a 4 ft bar. He can trailer the tractor and bar... Mow. That way I only need to make 1 round trip with the baler. I'd probably pull it with a truck and drive the tractor solo. I'd be square baling.


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## BWfarms (Aug 3, 2015)

Might as well pull the baler behind the tractor if you're driving the tractor over. It's not recommended to pull implements at high speeds anyway. I would urge you to find a rake, you're going to leave a lot of crop on the ground.


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## MyDaughtersPony (Jun 12, 2016)

Yeah I'd drive slow with the truck pulling the baler. I'd just be able to travel faster on the tractor farmall 200 without pulling the baler. Also I'll hand rake 2.5 acres. I'm young I can handle it. I'm trying to buy a rake by selling second cutting. Plus if I do this field I'll probably have enough.


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## MyDaughtersPony (Jun 12, 2016)

I need to find a good route to the field... Don't really want to drive in traffic.... I'll leave early morning to avoid as much as possible...


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

MyDaughtersPony said:


> Yeah I'd drive slow with the truck pulling the baler. I'd just be able to travel faster on the tractor farmall 200 without pulling the baler. Also I'll hand rake 2.5 acres. I'm young I can handle it. I'm trying to buy a rake by selling second cutting. Plus if I do this field I'll probably have enough.


Go for it.


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

MyDaughtersPony said:


> I need to find a good route to the field... Don't really want to drive in traffic.... I'll leave early morning to avoid as much as possible...


Early in the morning works in my area too, the liberals that don't know how to drive (or what a SMV sign means) are still in bed, the 'free' hand out office isn't open yet. :lol:

Larry


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## SCtrailrider (May 1, 2016)

If you're confidant enough and able to handle the down side I say jump on it...


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## MyDaughtersPony (Jun 12, 2016)

I think I might pull the baler with the truck on the field. It has a motor... As long as I go slow should be fine... And if I can trailer the small tractor and bar... Might not even have to drive the tractor.


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## bool (Mar 14, 2016)

Pull the baler there behind the tractor. Several reasons. It will be harder than you think to go slow in the truck. You think you will stick to 15 MPH, but you find yourself doing 20, and it doesn't seem too bad, then you are doing 25, then 30, then 40, and suddenly you hit a bump. More importantly, you need all the visibility you can get when baling, and you won't have much of a view of the baler from the truck cabin. Also, you will find it hard to drive slow enough in the truck when baling.

You could pull a rake in a field with a truck, but I would caution against baling with one.

Roger


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## RuttedField (Apr 24, 2016)

For us in Maine where only 10% of the area is in fields, 12 miles is nothing. Back when the big dairy farm was operating, the farthest field was 38 miles away! Another big dairy here travels 46 miles to their furthest field. Even the Amish, they are traveling 5-6 miles away with horse drawn equipment. (Mowing/tedding/raking and paying contractors to bale it).

I'd do it. You are not the only person to use a bushhog to mow grass for hay bales. I've done it.


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## Swv.farmer (Jan 2, 2016)

Just a word of encouragement.
Only those that have enough brass in their back side ever make it in life so if you never try how will you know if you have got what it takes to make it.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

You need this gal to help you hand rake it.




__ https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152881255786795


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

Might want to walk it first, never know what lurks in there to kill a tire....or worse.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

swmnhay said:


> You need this gal to help you hand rake it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yep, that is Mike Harris' favorite video....sure do miss ol' NDVA HAYMAN....but we all have to retire sometime.

Regards, Mike


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## RuttedField (Apr 24, 2016)

carcajou said:


> Might want to walk it first, never know what lurks in there to kill a tire....or worse.


You got that right! I blew a tire on a bulldozer once by not walking a field. Darn bulldozer was sunk in the mud and drove my Kubota's front tire right into and blew it to shreds!


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## RuttedField (Apr 24, 2016)

My hayrake...


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

That person would have to pay me high custom rates and give me the hay to go 12.5 miles for only 2.5 acres. I find it interesting in some regions 2.5 acres is a good sized field. Here it isn't worth much of anyones time unless it is right next door. And even then.....


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## BWfarms (Aug 3, 2015)

Teslan, it's a not a hired job, it's free grass. You're just spoiled by large sections. 2.5 acres on the east coast will have high yields and you grab what you can over here. Plus Pony needs the practice


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## MyDaughtersPony (Jun 12, 2016)

carcajou said:


> Might want to walk it first, never know what lurks in there to kill a tire....or worse.


I'm going today to check out what type of grasses are in the field and to do a walk through. This field has not been cut so technically it's still first cutting. Is the grass less nutritionally potent because it's more mature?


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

BWfarms said:


> Teslan, it's a not a hired job, it's free grass. You're just spoiled by large sections. 2.5 acres on the east coast will have high yields and you grab what you can over here. Plus Pony needs the practice


yes I know. I just find it interesting how land and grass is valued in different places.


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## MyDaughtersPony (Jun 12, 2016)

I do live in an agricultural area so literally all potential fields are hayed. Not many people post on craigslist saying come hay my property for free and take what you make... I do need the practice to get my baler making good bales before second cutting. I have a customer who wants 200 bales and I need them to be solid near 50 pounders.


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## RuttedField (Apr 24, 2016)

I did a job sort of like this once, but it was in regards to logging and some 50 miles away. The guy wanted me to log off a few acres for a pond, but man it was so far away for only a few loads of wood. I told him I would do it, but because it was so far to haul my equipment, I would not pay him stumpage, just take the wood for doing the job.

He agreed.

That went well, but he was so happy with what I did I ended up clearing out some of his woods for fields. About halfway through I was just like, "well you made it worth my time to come out here", and just started paying him as if he was any other landowner I logged for.

The point here is, you just never know how little jobs can turn into something bigger. Even if the guy has no other land, he might have friends that do. Word of Mouth advertising is the best! The next thing you know, you'll be trading in that Simplicity Tractor for a new Holland self propelled mower and chopper!


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