# Starting Hay Business.



## NoDak (Aug 28, 2016)

Just looking for some information on what type of machinery works best for the operation we are starting. It will include around 15 acres of grass and 20 acres of alfalfa. A lot of grass will be ditch grass.

1.What is the best machine to use for cutting grass and alfalfa. That will work on ditches and flat fields. cutter bar? haybine? discbine?

2.Do you need to use a tedder? or is cutting and raking enough to dry?

3.What is the best type of rake? Should you use a 3 point one for ditches and a V rake for fields?

4. Tractor I'm looking at is a JD 4440 I would like to put 14.9x46 is there anything wrong with running a taller tire? Does it affect any hay equipment sitting up higher?


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

15 acres of ditch grass equates to about 3 miles (both sides) of road ditches. I dont know exactly what type of roadside you are planning on mowing, but any road ditch here needs to be cut with a 3pt cutterbar. Just too narrow and steep to take a pull type unit in.

A good unit for ditches is too small for an open field, but with only 20 acres, it could be done with an 8' disc mower. Unfortunately these don't generally have a conditioner on them.

If I'm not mistaken, a 14.9x46 is only slightly taller than 18.4x38 so I can't imagine it would be an issue.

One question for you. What is the market for grinder hay in your area? You aren't that far from here, and our market is flooded from every tom dick and Harry gonna make big bucks on "free ditch hay"


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## Trillium Farm (Dec 18, 2014)

NoDak said:


> Just looking for some information on what type of machinery works best for the operation we are starting. It will include around 15 acres of grass and 20 acres of alfalfa. A lot of grass will be ditch grass.
> 
> 1.What is the best machine to use for cutting grass and alfalfa. That will work on ditches and flat fields. cutter bar? haybine? discbine?
> 
> ...


There are all kinds of threads with answers to your questions. Just do a search and you'll find all the needed answers


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

NoDak said:


> Just looking for some information on what type of machinery works best for the operation we are starting. It will include around 15 acres of grass and 20 acres of alfalfa. A lot of grass will be ditch grass.
> 
> 1.What is the best machine to use for cutting grass and alfalfa. That will work on ditches and flat fields. cutter bar? haybine? discbine?
> 
> ...


Taller tire will raise the center of gravity, and that's not really what you want running on steep slopes in a ditch-- course it depends on how steep your ditchbanks are. Here they're pretty bad.

I wouldn't want to run anything that's expensive or complex to repair cutting ditchbank hay... Last time I cut road hay I was dodging old tires and even TOILETS that had been dumped out by people... I kept hearing a loud "FOOM!" every so often and I'd look back and see an old oil filter careening down the roadside behind me or even across the road at about 60 mph... it had been shot out the back of the drum mower... thankfully no cars were about at the time. They passed a law you cannot throw away oil filters in the trash pickup, so people just take a little drive and toss them out the window in the road ditches... real smart...

It got so bad around here I just don't bother with road hay anymore.

Later! OL J R


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Trillium Farm said:


> There are all kinds of threads with answers to your questions. Just do a search and you'll find all the needed answers


Just don't use the "search" on this site....."search" with Google and include haytalk in the query


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## Trillium Farm (Dec 18, 2014)

somedevildawg said:


> Just don't use the "search" on this site....."search" with Google and include haytalk in the query


Why? is the search here not working properly?


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

Trillium Farm said:


> Why? is the search here not working properly?


It works. Poorly. Google works better.


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## Trillium Farm (Dec 18, 2014)

deadmoose said:


> It works. Poorly. Google works better.


Good to know Moose, thanks


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