Do you cut your own hay or hire it out?

[Fisch]

We harvest hay off of a total of about 15 acres each year. We have our own baler, rake and trailer type sickle bar mover. We usually have to hire out the first cutting to a neighbor who has a hesston discbine because growth can be so rank that the sickle bar just plugs up. We cut a few acres around a pond and some odd pieces at some neighbors places, again with a sickle bar after first cutting. This cutter is getting worn out and is becoming more of a hassle to work with and with respect to efficiency, we are time ahead with a haybine/discbine.

So, my question is, am I better to continue hiring it out for $25 per acre (that's what he has charged the past couple of seasons) or think about buying my own haybine? While I generally haven't had problems with scheduling, there have been days where it would've been optimal if I didn't have to wait for someone to show up when the hay was ready to go. I have a MF 65 and AC WD45 for tractor power and a NH 273 baler. I probably couldn't go much wider than a 7 foot cut on a haybine. I am finding that the cost of one can range anywhere from $1500 to $4500. Thoughts?

[francismilker]

I am in your current situation at the moment. I used to lease a lot of land and run quite a few beef cows. At that time, it was worth my trouble and investment to own and maintain haying equipment. After the drought hit us three years in a row and me not having enough hay to cut, I mostly sold out. Now, on my homeplace, I don't have enough hay acreage to justify owning and maintaining equip. imo.

I can buy hay lots cheaper, (or have mine cut), than I could justify buying equipment to replace my old, wornout junk. Just my opinion.

[Ironbutt]

I found that I can buy hay cheaper on craigslist than I could bale it myself, maintain equipment, pay property tax on it. Less , less worry for me about cutting, curing, rain and hauling now. Life is alot simpler...

[Ramblin Wreck]

In a good weather year, you can buy cheaper than you can harvest your own around here, if you count all the costs. In a bad weather year where you cannot get the hay cut at the optimal time or at all, you could find yourself in a lot of trouble. We've been buying our own equipment, with mixed emotions, but last year we could not get cuttings when we wanted and lost a whole second harvest.

[FarmboyBill]

It may be cheaper to buy hay, I dont know.. What I do know is that, IF you have the year like our last 2 here, and your grass isnt all that tall, You may not find anybody wanting to cut it cause the amount of gas used in money, is more than what is normally charged per bale.
\IF you get rid of all your hay machinery, and theres another year like these last 2, Who yo gonna buy hay from? How far are you going to have to go to get it.?

IF it were me, Id keep my machinery ion top notch condition, then buy it if that was economical and easiest to you. WHEN IT WASNT however, youd have your machinery to do your own, whatever there was of it.

By the way, Did you ever sharpen your sickle? Set the rock guards right?

The only time ive ever heard of mowers plugging up is when, like my dad, they never sharpened a sickle or looked at the position/condition of the guards.

[FarmboyBill]

Ive A:WAYS sharpened my sickle/s before cutting since I was 25 thereabouts. Im 65 now.
My dad never did it, like I said, so I didnt know to do it, until I started plugging up. A old simi mount belt drivin IHC mower will plug up faster than a JD #5 will. #5s were all that dad ever owned, other than maybe owning a #9 IHC horse mower, if grandad didnt own i,

[Kristinemomof3]

I just have to say, I read that totally wrong as "do you cut your own hair?"

[coolrunnin]

Your sickle mower should b able to go through some pretty gnarly stuff, I have a NH 451 and sharpened up with good guards and hold downs it'll go through thick tough fescue about as fast as I want to go. I have gone to the serrated sections that you dont sharpen.

For me and our rocks a discbine just doesn't work all that great. If you do choose to go with the discbine make sure you hear it work because they use gearing to run the discs and if run out of oil all those bearings are a bugger to change.

[Ross]

A Diesel MF 65 should handle a 9 foot haybine, unless you have a lot of hills. You do not have enough power for a discbine. Nothing wrong with a 7 footer though. We get too much rain to custom that out

[hiddensprings]

We have our hay cut on shares. Have a great guy who has all of the equipment, we have the land. He chips in with the cost of fertilizer, seeds, etc. Its worked for us for the last 5 years and I hope it continues. I don't want to have to invest in hay equipment.

[ErinP]

We only have about 15 acres of hay. No one in our area will do such a small area for hire (unless we get lucky and happen to catch them between "real" jobs) so we're on the hunt for our own equipment.
An old sickle bar mower and a rake can be found for next to nothing. The baler and tractor are the challenge.

[Callieslamb]

The answer depends on what your goals are. Are you trying to be self sufficient? or are you trying to make money ( or just not spend so much)? We want to be self sufficient. We have our own hay equipment. It's really hard work for us old people and I hate it. But we do it. Perhaps we can buy it cheaper, but this year with hay going through the roof, we were really happy we had it. We can't get anyone to come bale ours for us, since it's just 3 acres. And I can't run more animals due to township ordinances. I hated to see all that grass go to waste. So we bale it.

This year, we probably saved some money. Next year, if we get rain - maybe not. For us it's not totally about the money.

[FarmboyBill]

I agree with finding a good baler being a hard deal. A good old tractor, like the AC 45, a JD A, B , a Farmall H or M, Massey 44, Oliver 70, Case SC or DC, cant be beat. Look in Antique Power Magazine, Or look on YT Forums for a GOOD tractor of those models. You should be able to get a good one for one side or the other $2000

[FarmboyBill]

AND, When your old and decrepit and have taken good care of those tractors, whichever you may get, They will likely be worth twice what you paid for them. Most, IF NOT ALL of them can be turned into 3pt if you wish. TSC makes kits for many of them

[sammyd]

Get the haybine, a 7 footer will probably be more pricey than a 9 footer. Seems all us small guys want the 7s and are willing to pay for them around here. Your 65 should be able to handle either.
I would also get the sickle mower into shape.

We are small guys but I do like the option of making hay when I want and have been able to buy some cheap standing hay without worrying how I was going to get it made....

[FarmboyBill]

To get a better perspective on the worth of your tractor mower, I dare you to go to U Tubes, and punch in Mowing Hay With Horses, and watch HORSE mowers cut hay. IF they can do so being 3 to 5 times the age of your mower, Your mower can still cut hay too.

[highlands]

We buy hay in. I had considered haying but find that it is cheaper to buy in plus that represents a significant influx of nutrients for our farm. So I buy hay rather than fertilizer. Our land is steep and rocky with thin, poor mountain soil. Buying in valley hay is cheaper and easier. In a SHTF situation I can hay by hand to produce our own hay but as long as that is not the case I'll probably graze that land rather than haying it.

[Jennifer L.]

If I already had an arrangement with a neighbor to come in and cut the first cutting, I would simply keep doing that as long as it was working out for all concerned. That would get your big cutting done every year on a relatively timely basis and with no fuss. They cut, you bale, and that's it. You spend $375 a year, which when you consider the cost to maintain equipment and store it, and it's costing you probably 25 cents a square bale for cutting, that's probably not too bad.

Do you NEED the second cutting? And the bits around the pond areas, or are you just "cleaning things up"? If you don't need it for hay, then I'd go buy a bush hog and keep the place looking good with that and keep going with the neighbor.

If you do need the hay, then I'd go out and find an old haybine and use it for the second cutting. Because if you need the hay, you're farmer enough that you need the equipment, too. AND, I'd go for a 9'. They're more common, and with light second cutting you don't have to worry about power on the tractor, and on top of that, you don't have to cut the whole width of the knife, anyway. Cut at 8', or 7' if you want to. The haybine doesn't care how wide you use it. Second cutting hired out is costing you more like 50 cents a bale, that's starting to be more than I'd want to spend, and the haybine would do the job for you and pay for itself in five or six years. You may find that the haybine will cut that heavier first cutting for you, too, and you could stop using the neighbor.

Normally I would tell people to hire their hay done, but you're talking more than a few acres, and you already have a lot of the equipment. If it were me I'd be finding an older NH 492.

[FarmboyBill]

Good luck finding someone who would just cut your hay while you bale it. Good luck finding anybody to come in and cut less than 8 acres of grass. Good luck finding somebody here who would let you pay them to put the hay up. They all nearly want the hay. Its worth much more in the winter than the price they can get to cut it in the summer.