Bringing loose hay to a baler at the barn.

[jac]

Sean I read about those ground drive balers…i think they were all John Deer’s because of the side mounted fly wheel.. it seems to take four up to pull them. I suppose if you dropped the tension on the chamber a team might manage it but then you get a lot of bales to the acre and loose hay would probably be a more efficient method…mabey:D…
John

[mitchmaine]

@jac 27056 wrote:

Sean I read about those ground drive balers…i think they were all John Deer’s because of the side mounted fly wheel.. it seems to take four up to pull them. I suppose if you dropped the tension on the chamber a team might manage it but then you get a lot of bales to the acre and loose hay would probably be a more efficient method…mabey:D…
John

john, i saw a jd ground drive baler at horse progress days in 1998 at mt. hope in ohio. four horses were baling heavy alfalfa, and they stopped and started again in a pretty good windrow. very impressive. it had a three foot or better drive wheel made of expanded steel for traction driving a big sprocket with chain drive to the flywheel. it had an offset axle to level it out and even the height with the new wheel. not alot of changes, and put up against a wisconsin engine and fuel and oil and maintenance, i bet the numbers could have been equal. but i guess it didn’t catch on, cause we never see ’em around.
mitch

[Donn Hewes]

Sean, That is a motorized baler in the video (or cart). Don’t pay attention to the title. Pulling that rig with two horses is just over loading. I have made my hay with four on the motorized forecart and it works well. Two would not pull it for very long or fill many wagons. This year I might experiment with five as the baler will move a little faster and I will fill the wagons a little fuller.

I also have seen the ground drive baler at Horse Progress Days. I liked them, but not enough to put my bales on the ground and go back and pick them up later. I will go to loose hay before I do that. Eight horses to pull the baler and the wagon.

[sean518]

@Donn Hewes 27061 wrote:

Sean, That is a motorized baler in the video (or cart). Don’t pay attention to the title. Pulling that rig with two horses is just over loading. I have made my hay with four on the motorized forecart and it works well. Two would not pull it for very long or fill many wagons. This year I might experiment with five as the baler will move a little faster and I will fill the wagons a little fuller.

I also have seen the ground drive baler at Horse Progress Days. I liked them, but not enough to put my bales on the ground and go back and pick them up later. I will go to loose hay before I do that. Eight horses to pull the baler and the wagon.

I wondered if it was actually motorized, but I didn’t have the sound on, so I couldn’t tell. I’ve certainly got the space in the mow to put loose hay in, but then getting it outside to the sheep and goats seems like a hassle. And I doubt I could get my wife to sign off on another six horses. Donn, do you pull a motorized forecart, baler, and wagon with four?

[Donn Hewes]

Sean, yes, make about 3,000 bales a year, pulling the baler and wagon with four. it is honest work on a hot day. Each wagon starts out easy and gets harder to pull as it gets full. If you turn up hill on the last windrow I have a tendency to not put as many bales on the wagon. Like about 80 instead of 100. it is fun work that takes two people and good horses.

My wife doesn’t even want to hear people talk about loose hay, otherwise i think I would be slowly transitioning toward that. You can see alot of hay making pictures at my web album:

[Author]

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