[Y 4 Ranch]

Hey Donn,
I think I paid around $10, it will add some friction but I think it’s minimal for the better cutting action. There is a small poly bushing that runs against the knife. If there’s too much drag or it feels too tight we’ve added a washer to give some extra room, but we’ve done that only once when we used the thicker haybine sections on the knife.
Mike

[Y 4 Ranch]

Hey Donn,
I think I paid around $10, it will add some friction but I think it’s minimal for the better cutting action. There is a small poly bushing that runs against the knife. If there’s too much drag or it feels too tight we’ve added a washer to give some extra room, but we’ve done that only once when we used the thicker haybine sections on the knife.

[Y 4 Ranch]

Second nice day in a row for us finally. Spent 3 hours on disc, the 3 boys’ noses were hanging in the dirt; gave them and myself a break so you could get this.
Spring loaded hold downs are made by Tisco, Part number SLC 371, sikl-clip
Ledger plates came from D.A Hochstetler, Part Number 455634R1
Smooth sections come from same place, 520-1144, made in Germany, other number on sections was MD333
40 section, 20 ledgers and the accompanying rivots cost $94.00 including shipping.
D.A. Hochstetler and Sons LLP
4165 S 500 W
Topeka, IN 46571
Mike

[Y 4 Ranch]

Our local Amish order them through Mullen’s, I believe got to double check, I just received this years new parts last week.
The spring loaded hold downs I found at our local Farm and Fleet store in Wadena, MN. They really work nice, I’ll get the manufacture info tonight.
Mike

[Y 4 Ranch]

I’m not Donn, but if you don’t mind I’ll lend my 2 cents.
I agree one part needs to be rough and the other smooth, I don’t think it really matters which one. I believe that the rough edge of one or the other allows for the material to be held for a split second in place as the knife does the slicing action, if both are smooth I think it may have a tendency to slide over more than cut.
I do sharpen the ledger plates with a cutting wheel, an old timer showed me, I called his bluff and he set me straight. He was the State Vet and did all his field work and haying with horses, but you do need the ledger plates that have a slight taper to the sides, mine are stamped Germany and will sharpen nicely. I agree that only a pass or two, don’t heat them, lose the temper and might as well throw them away.
Mike

[Y 4 Ranch]

We have 4 #9’s in the field, lucky enough to use the old style guards with replaceable ledgers, smooth sections made in Germany work really well that way. We also use spring loaded hold downs with poly shims and normal wear plates. We like that combination, easy to sharpen the knives, you can find the old hand grinders on ebay every now and then. If you have the mower close to home you can sharpen the ledgers with a 4.5 angle grinder and a cutting blade, be careful, be quick inside of there you can cut too deep. We spend about $100 for parts to get a mower cutting bar for ledgers, hold downs, sections and wear plates at the beginning of the year.

[Y 4 Ranch]

I sent pic’s to Wes this morning by hotmail, I can’t get them to upload, maybe he can. If you’d like pic’s please send me an e-mail at y4ranch@hotmail.com and I’ll forward them.
Mike

[Y 4 Ranch]

Sorry been real busy, I’ll get them today.
Mike

[Y 4 Ranch]

I built one 2 years ago, don’t think anyone has one like this but could be. It has a tri-cycle type chasis with 2 wheels up front and 2 wheels spread 7 feet wide at the rear. A flat bed 7 foot long by 8 foot wide sits between. My son and I opted for and 8 hp Honda powering a hydraulic pump sitting inside the A frame of the tri-cycle front frame work with 2 controls. 1 control handles the closing and 1 handles the rolling forward of the bale roller, enabling 1 bale to be placed on the bed and 1 on the arms. I have raced a tractor, my brother-in-laws, and beat him feeding the cows, believe me I rubbed it in. Obviously it wasn’t a big, new tractor but he could carry 2 bales and I could carry 3 of his sized bales (800 lbs). The bed sits about 16 inches off the ground, easy on and easy off. The frame is built out of used oil field 2 3/8th pipe, with the bed made out of rough sawn 2 x 6 pine with 2 x 2 angles capping both sides of the bed.
We use this wagon as a forecart also, we just roller the bale carrier forward and place a 3x3x 3/8th square tube with a flat bar type hitch point in the middle on the back locked in by the wheels. Disconnect the 2 hydraulic lines to the easiest ones to get at and put on 2 pioneer couplers. We’ve used this to run our 11 wheel V rake with 4 horses.
I’ve tried to place pictures on this site before but to no avail, I’m not smart enough. This unit works great, can’t say that I’ve had many times I’ve cussed it. If you need I can e-mail pictures, maybe you can post them here after you get them.
Mike

[Y 4 Ranch]

We run a 24, love it, but we had a front compartment divider gate further to the back. The team fits in the rear compartment and wagon or mower fits the front nicely.
Mike

[Y 4 Ranch]

@Livewater Farm 18333 wrote:

did our first haying today early for Vermont but we are making balage for our dairy good quality early cut 1000# bales double wrapped started with a small 3 acre field all equipment worked without a hitch mowed another 5 acres to be baled tomorrow rest of the week looks like good weather also hopefully in 3 weeks we will have weather for dry hay and we can rake and tedd with a team ,how are others doing any one getting started we make 700 wrapped bales and as many square and dry rounds as the weather permits mixed power 2 tractors 3horses
Bill

We’re in the same boat, mixed wise, 1 tractor and 6 horses, started on Sunday. I try not to work on Sunday but this year we don’t have much choice for Minnesota. Hay looks very good if we can hold the rain off for a week or so. We hope to have close to 1200, 900# by fall.
Mike

[Y 4 Ranch]

That’s interesting, it’s a 2 btm riding gang, according to the book, it’s old.

Mike

[Y 4 Ranch]

Hi Bill!
I’ve not seen any new Hydro Forks, not sure if they still build them or not. I own one and have used them for some time. I don’t believe they are built heavy enough to make that kind of pick and if they could I’m almost positive they won’t stand up to prolonged heavy lifting. The grapple head on mine doesn’t have a rotational option which would make it very difficult to make a grab. I will say that they work very well for handling loose hay.
I would suggest looking at either the last or the one before of Small Farmers Journal, there is a wagon built in Canada by East Bruce Manufacturing, it side loads 5 or 6 bales and unloads them also. I think that having wrapped baleage would benefit from that wagon or something simular.
Mike

[Y 4 Ranch]

My Dad is in Miles City and works for the Cross 4, might have something to do with influencing our operation. The rest of the outfits, one I know of worked on the Padlock, another rode in the high desert country of Oregon and Idaho. Yet another worked for the Haythorn, 4 , although I don’t know how long.
Western is a way of life and many of us find a few more drops of rain here makes the difference. Others, myself included, have married and can’t get back out there, so we make do with what we have here and make bring the west here. It works but I miss the hills and mountains so every 2 years we travel out that direction and hit a rodeo or two, the last was Cheyenne in 08.
Mike

[Y 4 Ranch]

J-L
We run Angus X Hereford, about 1200 pounders, they wean off a calf 1 Nov weighing 536 H and 550 S, born in April. We breed to Reg. Angus bulls with birth EPD’s of +1.5 or as close to it as possible; I don’t like to worry more than needed at calving time. The same buyer every year takes them the West Point NE and they do well enough that he keeps coming back except when I was over seas.
We still use a wood fire inthe spring with rope and horse, cold beer and plenty of food follows the work. No less than 30 outfits of various sizes doing it that way around here.
Mike

[Author]

Posts