Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Mini Horses]

They say -- bad things come in threes. You got those all in one day gotta get better. Nowhere to go but up.

 

[farmerjan]

They say -- bad things come in threes. You got those all in one day gotta get better. Nowhere to go but up.

 

[farmerjan]

71 overnight. No relief. Sun just hit recording thermometer sensor... 100 with the sun directly on it... NOT the way you want to start the day...at 8:30 in the morning.
Y'all please take TEXAS weather back....

Heading for the tractor and the rake... DS says he can't get the 4600 ford fixed has to order the tie rod ends... the JD has a cab and AC... it is just so big and bulky a tractor...guess I will be thankful for the AC today. He is going to hitch up the little Massey to the side delivery rake to do the small fields at Deb's... I will do the 2 bigger fields with the JD and the wheel rake.
He put another tire on the baler last night off the "spare parts baler", and took 2 down to the co-op and left them to get tires put on. The sad thing is the baler sits for months and the tires get dry rot... not like we are running it during the winter...
Watered and fed chickens, turkeys out and feeder and waterer full, Ate some cereal... heading out the door.

 

[fuzzi]

When you rake the fields what happens, does it get cut?

Suburban gal here, learning, ever learning.

 

[farmerjan]

Fields grow... hay gets cut... then tedded sometimes to get it to dry faster (think whirly gig fluffing/throwing hay in the air)... then it gets raked into windrows so that the baler can go down and pick it up to bale it. Raking gets it up off the ground so it dries underneath... flips the underneath part up to the sun... plus lifting it so the air can flow through it too.
There are countless sites... type in hay rake types... the 256 side delivery rake is the old standard... tractor rides over top the cut swath of hay, rake pulled directly behind, and the rake will lift it and it has lots of metal teeth that feed it off to the side... hence side delivery... rakes one row at a time.
We also have a 14 wheel V-rake... 7 wheels on a side... most around here are 5 on a side... but this was part of the equipment that DS bought from doug's estate... it opens up and normally we rake 2 rows together at the same time so much more efficient... "folds/rolls" the hay into the middle to make a larger windrow for baling.. it also will adjust with hydraulics in and out so can actually rake 3 rows... used for sparse/light amounts of hay. Helps to save time and fuel with baling... plus the balers are geared to have a certain minimal amount of hay to go through them... so don't bale as tight if the hay is too sparse. We normally do not rake more than 2 rows together..... so you drive down between the swaths of hay on the ground and the sheels catch the hay on both sides and it rolls it into a windrow and comes out the bottom of the "V" in the back...

 

[farmerjan]

I 'm home for a bit. raked part of the 2 biggest fields at Deb's with the JD and DS came with the little Massey tractor and hooked up the side delivery rake and I was on that for a couple hours. Got all of Deb's raked. Takes longer with the side delivery rake since it only does 1 row at a time... but it is so easy to go around the trees and along the fences, in and out of tighter corners and stuff. Only downfall is it does not raise up so you have a harder time going from one spot to another without dragging the hay ... but I really do prefer to rake with it in all the tighter spots. They do make newer ones that you can lift up, with the 3 pt hitch on the back of the tractor somehow. BUT not going to be one of those here... You rake in one direction... then come back on the next row in the opposite direction, and rake it against the 1st row... so double the tractor time...compared to the wheel rake that rakes 2 into each other... but it requires hydraulic hoses/hookups... and the side delivery rake works off the wheels turning and driving it... so doesn't need any hydraulics... simpler...called ground driven because it turns when the wheels turn. The wheel rake also works on the principle of the wheels turn as the rake is pulled... but the wheels lift up and down for corners and such... to not drag the hay everywhere....They were such a big improvement over the old "dump rakes"..... that were a big improvement over raking hay by hand....

So, got here about 3.... DS sent GF to come get me, we went and got my car where I left it at the field yesterday when I brought the tractor and rake to the field across from my house...then left the car at DS's so close to where I am going with tractor/rake next.... ate a little lunch. sitting cooling off. I will go back to Deb's in the other car.. and get back on the tractor around 4:30 or so. Go back to raking... Deb's is alot closer to have someone drop me off to pick up a vehicle than over in the subdivision where it was... but in case of a breakdown, it helps to have a vehicle to drive. Plus, you are not dependent on someone at a certain time...

It's hot... 95... there is no breeze either... Not looking forward to getting back on the tractor yet. Maybe will get the JD with the AC and go do the bigger fields in doug's subdivision across from DS's house... then do the little fields later when it cools off and the sun goes down. They all have to get raked ... my house, snyder's section, the small fields at DS's house and the bigger fields in the subdivision... It's a little after 4... guess 5 is the new "start time"....

Yeah, I am dragging my feet a bit., It's still DA#@ed hot out there.

 

[farmerjan]

Heading to get tractor... It's still 92 in the shade... unreal for here. Humidity is wicked... plan to use JD... turn all the hay "up/over"... then rake with the massey and side delivery rake in the morning on the 5 little fields....I can take the heat first thing before it gets stifling.... and DS can use the JD with the AC to bale... the compressor blew up yesterday, on the Agco, so he has no AC...closed in cab when baling with the round baler due to dust etc.... forgot that made 4 strikes yesterday.... gotta get better......

 

[fuzzi]

Fields grow... hay gets cut... then tedded sometimes to get it to dry faster (think whirly gig fluffing/throwing hay in the air)... then it gets raked into windrows so that the baler can go down and pick it up to bale it. Raking gets it up off the ground so it dries underneath... flips the underneath part up to the sun... plus lifting it so the air can flow through it too.
There are countless sites... type in hay rake types... the 256 side delivery rake is the old standard... tractor rides over top the cut swath of hay, rake pulled directly behind, and the rake will lift it and it has lots of metal teeth that feed it off to the side... hence side delivery... rakes one row at a time.
We also have a 14 wheel V-rake... 7 wheels on a side... most around here are 5 on a side... but this was part of the equipment that DS bought from doug's estate... it opens up and normally we rake 2 rows together at the same time so much more efficient... "folds/rolls" the hay into the middle to make a larger windrow for baling.. it also will adjust with hydraulics in and out so can actually rake 3 rows... used for sparse/light amounts of hay. Helps to save time and fuel with baling... plus the balers are geared to have a certain minimal amount of hay to go through them... so don't bale as tight if the hay is too sparse. We normally do not rake more than 2 rows together..... so you drive down between the swaths of hay on the ground and the sheels catch the hay on both sides and it rolls it into a windrow and comes out the bottom of the "V" in the back...

Thank you. I can look up stuff online, but YOU make more sense.