We don’t own a tractor, so we cut and bale our hay by hand. Last year, we stored it loose in several sheds and anywhere we could find a few square feet of dry storage space. This year, we have a hand baler. A friend in Texas sent us a link and Hubby set to work on it. The baler in the plans is for use in making a bale of pine straw, but it works just fine baling our mixed-grass hay.
ALSO, I've found a website with directions to build a hand-powered leaf and hay baler. While this one is a different type - horizontal rather than vertical - the principle is the same, and some might appreciate the step-by-step building instructions.)
Our hayfield is about 10-12 acres, so obviously we are doing this a little at a time. Hubby cuts the grass with our brush-mower. Once it’s dry, I use a fan rake to rake it up in windrows.
Right now we are using baling wire because we had two rolls of it in the garage, left by a prior owner. The plans call for the use of baling twine, which will be much faster to set up, and we plan to buy some on our next trip to town. Note that the wire/twine is not run through the eye screws on the bottom of the baler, but between the eye and the wooden piece, just to keep it in place. Once you finish tying up the bale, the wire/twine slips out. Quite ingenious!
So, first we string the wire/twine, then shut the door of the baler. Hay is added through the opening in the top. When full, the plunger is used to pack down the hay, then more is added. Finally, with the plunger depressed, the bale is tied up tightly.
and remove the bale of hay.
They are larger than what we’d envisioned. My best guess is that they are 1/2 to 2/3 the size of a regular small square bale. This will make storage and feeding so much easier.
While I’m down in the hayfield, I fill up the cart with loose hay for today’s feeding.
22 comments:
http://texaspinestraw.tamu.edu/baling.html is the link to the baler plans. For some reason, I'm having trouble getting the automatic link to work.
Kathi
WoW that is amazing.
How much hay are you getting per acre by hand? Bob B
Hi, Bob. That's a hard question to answer. We're getting as much as one would get by having it baled mechanically. The bales are smaller, but the total yield is the same, if you know what I mean. Since this year we had record rainfall in Oklahoma, the yield is much higher than in previous years. In the past we've only had round bales done, so it's kind of like comparing apples to oranges. I know that's kind of a non-answer. Sorry about that.
Kathi
I've devised a system the past 3 years where I bag my clippings when I mow our large yard, dry them, then stuff them into trash bags to store in the barn. I had about 75 bags last year and this one to feed to my cattle. I like your design. Do you think it would work for grass clippings which are finer blades of grass than pasture hay?
Hi Dennis, thank you for stopping by. My husband says "give it a try." We think it might depend on what kind of grass it is, how long the clippings are, and how tight you can compact the bale. It's certainly worth a try, and if it doesn't work, you can still use trash bags. The baler was originally designed for baling pine straw, which is also short and straight, so it may very well work.
im looking to buy one of these but im having trouble finding any
Hey, Kathi--
Over here in Western Massachusetts, I just cut my first acre by hand and came across your blog while I was researching how, exactly, I could turn all this loose hay into baled hay. Thank you for sharing this wonderful resource. I believe I can have this built next week!
If you have any interest in removing even a little more machinery from the process, I really recommend using a scythe--not the kind you find in hardware stores. Those scythes will break your back and wear on your shoulders.
I found out about http://www.scythesupply.com/ who sells handmade handles and Austrian hand-hammered blades. The thing weighs next to nothing, and now that I've had some practice, I am as fast as I ever was with a brush cutter.
And it's quiet. And it doesn't run on gas. And it's pretty good, light exercise. We've had a lot of rain here this year, so I'm almost ready to take the second cutting. Thank you again for passing along your story and the information!
Jason
Pen and Plow Farm
My partner and I studied all the pictures and plans for the baler we could find, then sat down in the garage and built one in less than 4 hours. The only change we made was to put an attachment on the back so that we could secure the baler to the hitch of an ATV to make it easier to move around the field for baling. You could add large wheels and move it by hand I suppose. We have three fields of 35 acres total to do in eastern Maine. Wish us luck :>)
Good luck, Wayne!
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Thanks so much for the pictures! Very inspirational. We only use a half dozen of so bales of grass hay a year for our goats, so my children and I should have no problem putting up enough from our own property for next winter.
We're doing our hay by hand this year, too (and we're using scythes from Scythesupply.com. GREAT tools!)
My question is, "How do I know when the hay is dry enough to bale?"
I know it's supposed to be a certain percentage moisture, but I have no idea on how to figure that one out.
Anyone have a basic rule of thumb?
Pony, you didn't leave an email address so that I could write to you directly. I hope you come back and read the comments so you'll see this.
We don't use a scientific method. We wait till it looks dry, doesn't smell or feel wet, and is still slightly green if possible. In an Oklahoma summer it usually just takes one day to dry it; that's how long the "big guys" wait here.
You might have to turn it to dry all sides, especially if you live in a more humid climate. Happy haying!
i got mine done in 3 hours works great,i use mine to bale grass cilpings thanks for the plans
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I love your answer to the amount of hay produced with this bailer.
It reminds me of an old joke...
A guy goes into a pizza parlour and the owner asks "how many pieces
do you want your pizza cut in, 6 or 8"? The customer replies "6 I don't think I could eat 8"! We have
apprx 2 acres we pasture/mow for goats and will be building this as soon as we can. Thanks for a wonderfull idea, it will save us a lot of money!
Thank you for the excellent posts
Are you still Baling by hand? How is it going? About how many acres do you bale?
Hi Will. We've been in a serious drought for two years here and there hasn't been enough to cut. We have approximately 12 acres that we use for hay. Two years ago we fixed the holes in the fence and have let the horses in the field to graze it, but the goats still require hay, which is hard to find and expensive right now. Praying for a better year!
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