DAPNET Forums Archive › Forums › Equipment Category › Equipment › My Fall Projects
- This topic has 7 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 16 years, 1 month ago by
Donn Hewes.
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- October 6, 2008 at 11:46 pm #39820
Donn Hewes
KeymasterThis fall I am working on a spreader, a #9 mower, and also potato hiller and digger. You can see a few pictures of my projects here. #1 and #2 are a new idea spreader that just got steel wheels (amish made), and a pressure treated plywood deck. It only awaits having the chain repaired and put in. #3 is a good spreader with onions curing. #4 is a home made forecart, all made out of scraps I had. If you start the frame with three pieces of 4″ channel facing the front, (one in the center, one on the right, one on the left side) your tongue can easily be moved from center to left to right. Make sure the bolt holes line up in all three pieces of metal. This is a nice three abreast cart for snow plowing once I move the tongue. #5 and #6 the potato hiller and digger. I think the beam is too short on both of them. Neither works at all, I will try to fix them. #7 A good working #7 mower. #8 is a #9 mower with new steel wheels, (cost the same as a set of new rubber tires). I just finished assembling a new knife and bar assembly for this mower and hope to put it together soon. Usually I buy a new knife all put together but I had a box of knife sections so what the heck. I did learn how to knock the old sections off the knife with a vise and a hammer, but all told buying the brand new ones for about 65$ is a good deal. #9 is a tongue truck that was supposed to be for a mowing machine but I am not so sure. In Pa. you can buy a tongue truck made for a mowing machine for about 165$ plus shipping. I thought I would save the shipping as my local Amish welder is so clever. Unfortunately his community does not use this particular device so he kind of invented one. It may work, or it may end up on a rake or something. Weights about 100lbs.! Pictures #10 to #15 are good parts mowers, mowers that hit stumps. plows and rakes that probably never should have followed me home. Feel free to shoot me some questions. This week I am putting a new roof on a hay barn full of hay. Kind of like rolling it all back out in the windrow after you thought it was all safe. Half done and so far so good. Donn
October 8, 2008 at 12:19 am #47563ngcmcn
ParticipantHey Don, haven’t had time to check out your phots, but i did have several questions about gear. On your #9 , where’d did you get the steel wheels and how much were they. I have a rubber tired #9 with a blown tire. I actually like the steel better, seems to run smoother. The other thing is, did the relpacement wheels, that bolt to the spyders, change the knife speed?
Alot to do this fall to get ready for winter, we have a little more hay down to get in with this beautiful weather this week. It seems all my mowers need something which i will get to this winter. the other question i had for you and to any one else reading this, is……how much hay do you put up by yourself, or with one other person and what ,maybe two teams or the equivalant. We have improving fertility,maybe 10 acres but definitely not flat and square fields, that we hay. Not to hilly either. I’m using all ground drive gear except for the baler which my girls pull. A third horse on the baler is in the future. I have done 1000 bales by myself, no help, but with another team,and good fertility i know i could up that considerably. What do ya think? I know some folks in N. Vt who put up about 5000 with two teams all done with the horses except the baling.
Hope the roof got done.
Take care
neal McNaughten
Unity, Maine.October 8, 2008 at 11:02 am #47564KeymasterHi Neal, Yes I think the steel wheels have been used to adjust the speed of the knife, all thought I just wanted the standard size wheel. I make between 2500 and 3000 bales a year; first and second cutting combined. There are a lot of possible limiting factors. Fix one and you are up against the next. Four Horses make more hay than two, but it may depend on how many teamsters there are. Once you have the horses and the people, the equipment can make a huge difference in how much hay you can make. In June when the weather is only good for three days I really like my gas powered PTO cart. I have worked with four for the last few years but this was the first time in a awhile where I had someone working with me that really could/wanted to drive. I quickly realized I didn’t have enough hay ground. Started mowing abandonded ground across the street to turn it back into hay ground. I baled for a few years dropping the bales on the ground, and thought that was pretty good. Nice horse work to come back and pick them up. Baling with four head and pulling a wagon great. There are only a couple spots on the farm where I would drop bales on the ground, and that is for the hill. My wife out the door so I better be too!
October 8, 2008 at 11:45 am #47560Rod
ParticipantHi Donn
I had a question on your forecart which I admired a lot. Do you use it to driver your square baler?
Sorry I missed meeting you at the field days, you were busy everytime I was nearby.
October 8, 2008 at 4:18 pm #47565KeymasterHi Rod, Yes, wanted to catch up with you also. Wanted to talk about cattle. Maryrose and are taking a quick swing through VT in the first week of Nov. If we get close by maybe we will try to stop. If you are talking about the fore cart at NEAPFD yes that is what I use to run the square baler and it works great. The last couple years I have been adding little features to make it better. About the only thing left I can think of is an umbrella holder! Donn
October 8, 2008 at 9:00 pm #47561ParticipantHi Don
Do plan to stop by, would love to meet you both and talk cows.
I was interested that 24HP would run a square baler. What kind do you have ?
October 9, 2008 at 12:34 am #47566KeymasterYes, the honda runs very easy while it works at baling or mowing. The reason I went with a new honda vs. older Wisconsin or something like that is, I am not a great mechanic and I would hate to be out in the field trying to fix a dang motor. Diesel would have been nice but I couldn’t justify the added expense of 2,000 or 3,000 extra dollars. 24hp and 25hp commonly run balers and even 9′ haybines. It was interesting to see it pull a small round baler. We wanted to hook up to a 8′ dicsbine but the hitch didn’t hook up. Just finished the hay barn roof and now it is raining! Talk to you soon, Donn
Rod – Just realized you might have meant what kind of baler do I have. Just the standard issue NH 468 I believe. No kicker although it would probably work.October 14, 2008 at 10:16 pm #47562ParticipantHi Donn
I really liked the power forecart you built and am thinking about doing one for myself. I have a good base already and can easily find a engine. Wondered if you would be willing to share the following information? Where I can find the spline shaft and pillow blocks? Also does your unit have a single or double drive belt and what size was it? Also what are the pully diameters? Thanks.
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