ground driven Forecarts?

[PeytonM]

are the ground driven for carts worth the $$$ I&J’s HD’s list for 4K I think, Its pretty steep investment. I’m working out getting 20 acres to rent from my folks of hay ground. I have a case #5 mower that I can use and dad has side rakes and a JD 335? small sqr bailer.

thanks for the help.

[Does’ Leap]

I am not directly familiar with the cart but came across this a few weeks ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvHLr6imvzY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPQk65Dnz_0

George

[dominiquer60]

If you don’t want a tractor this is the next best option and more than likely cheaper.

Here it is in action at our 2011 NEAPFD event. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DThHZ9rXkQ0

Sam had 4 abreast on it because that is what they asked him to bring, but 2 well conditioned horses could us this, but not all day. Sam recommends being very diligent about raking small even rows or it will clog. There were some bale tension and traction problems with this rig that day, so having wheel weights or extra bodies around can aid in gaining traction. They find that it works better with JD model balers because of the way the fly wheel is positioned.

[PeytonM]

well its not that I dont want to use a tractor, dad has a few IH 886, 766, 460 an oliver 770 and I got a farmall H. but I want to sell my tractor cause she doesn’t have much power for what I’d like to do and buy another team or dad’s 770 just cause it was part of the farm when I grew up. I learned how to drive tractor on that tractor also.

I just figured I have the horses that can do all the work to feed them self, I would have to buy anything extra other than rent the land from my folks.

So if 2 well conditioned horses can handle the cart could 4 handle a bailer and a wagon?

[chrisf.]

I’m really impresed at how good it seems to handle the bailer. I would have been pretty skeptical but I may just be interested now.

[Eli]

I have been looking at the ground drive forecarts also also the ground drive mower can’t afford both. I have a pto mower that needs work that could work behind the cart, but really like the mower. Eli

[blue80]

I think both the hd and standard carts are worth the money. Check out ebay for double cutting mowers, they are $5-7K, so I and J’s 9 ft. mower with trailed cart is great value.

The big GD cart with dual disc brakes will stop a truck and is a fantastic safe training platform for both team and driver, with fantastic visibility. It leaks hydraulic from day one though….

Cheapest way to get you haying is gas powered I and J trailed mower behind a conventional forecart. You will get a lot of acres down a day.

I went with the ground drive carts for a few reasons.
1/ I didn’t want to pay tax that year so spent money on horse drawn equipment that nobody seemed to have out here…Figured it’d be cheaper to buy and get a lot of it than go to horse progress days and ogle but not touch it….
2/ I wanted to put a most versatile farm package together that would work off ground drive forecarts/motor pto forecarts with drafts, or tractor under 50hp. And when neccessary I have no problem putting the pickup to work in the field either….
3/ They are the only Ground drive cart in mass production, I wanted to support the industry and critique them and help people decide whether it would be a good investment for their operations. Buy a team, you invest in your personal operation, buy new HD equipment, you invest in the whole industries future….

With our big GD cart and 9 ft. mower I cut 20 acres per day a few times this summer. I used two horses on, two horses resting, for 2 hr shifts throughout the day for total field time of ten hours. Next year will probably go 3 horses barely resting and cut 15 acres each day, as I just sold my jiggy mare and am now down to three drafts…..
These carts with mowers are a fantastic training tool, and offer a solid consistent workout. Mowing with this setup has really made the rank horses I have honest. Theres no gawking and dinking around, they have to lean into it or quit, much more so than the md#9 high gear I was using.

Mowing has always been the slow part of haying with horses, and these mowers are a non clogging non sharpening game changer…..

I am in Wyoming and would consider selling a cart and unused 9 ft. mower if anyone out here is in need…You can take my MD#9 while you are at it….

Those were my videos referenced above, feel free to call me with questions to discuss, or come visit and try them out.
three oh seven, 254- 25 eight 2 cell
Kevin

[Eli]

I am leaning towards a heavy duty ground drive fore cart it gives me the most options down the road. I have access to several pto mowers so the the pto cart would give me the most bang I could spreads manure, cut hay, rake hay, bail hay, pull a finish mower and the brakes would be awesome for training. Time will tell. Eli

[Eli]

Just be careful those blades are sharp as a kid I mowed hay with a new idea mower and a farmall H tractor then when I was about 13 we got a IH fast hitch mower and I steped up to the 460 farmall and no pitman arm to break. But when I was folding the cutter bar to go down the road the rotation moved the cutter bar and cut the crap out of my fingers. Still have the scars. I was 13 and I’m 48 now that so was 35 years ago and I still rember having to lift the cutter bar up to get my fingers out then drive 3 miles home. I don’t know what my parents were thinking

[PeytonM]

well I think I’m going to buy one this spring if I have enough money. I talked with the people that do my taxes and they said that as long as I’m using my horses to farm with them I can wright it off but if I don’t show some profit with in 3 years they will try and say I’m doing it as a hobby… I don’t know how much hay you’d have to make in a year to bring in a profit but I guess I’ll find out. with the way hay prices were this last year if a feller had any good hay and got small squares made he could made a killing, most the places around here are get 4-6 a bail and I’ve seen 8 and even 10. I know this might be knocking on my self cause I’m a horse guy but I dont under stand why some Horse people spend so much money on crappy hay that most farmers wouldn’t feed to their beef.

[Author]

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