Hay baling by hand!

Ok the wooden bale block had groove routed in it to push wires through
you drop one in at the start , begin feeding in hay. hay is compressed against the block which slides into the compression section you drop in a second wood block and when both are in the compression section you stop for a minute and push wires through the grooves and tie off the bale . the process continues with the blocks and tying wires until all your hay is baled .
this is actually very much like the earliest square baler . Ive seen a Case model in action, my mom and dad used one years ago

I wish I could take credit for the drawing.

You could simplify the design, even though I think PyroDon has a great design.

You could make just a 'ram' with a long handle to compress the hay, just like a wood rod pushes down a ball on a muzzle loader.

I would definately add wheels so I could tow it to the field.

Clove

Wishing you well with it. Here are some thoughts I had. I let the neighbor make the first cut, take a few rolls for mine, he gets the rest. That takes care of the first flush. I like feeding the goats and rabbits from the small bales so I plan to build a hand baler to use here for small bales. I figure to build a double box though. I figure I'm a pretty big boy, plenty heavy enough to pull a plunger down on two boxes. I figure to put them on the back of my trailer and tow it to the field. Finished bales can go into the front of the trailer. I think a cutter between the boxes is needed to cut the longer stems so they don't bind. I do have a sickle to cut the hay, so the scythe is strictly a backup. No rake yet, but I keep my eyes open for one in my price range. Till then I'll use a 6' hand rake to pull it into windrows. Sure, it's a lot harder and longer than letting the neighbor roll it all but I only need so much, my time and sweat are my own, and I can clean areas he can't get into. Every blade I get is one I don't have to pay for. That together with smaller paddocks to rotate the critters through are what I'm shooting for.

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That was the first thought that went through my mind, too! I mean innovation and independance are good things, but unless you're sure you'll need all the hay you'll end up with, having someone else do the work would be so much easier! I want to say most people in my area that do it this way do it on 50/50 shares.

BTW, you might be surprised how cheap an old square baler can be. Friend of mine just asked around until he found one out in someone's boneyard that he just got for free. Same with his sickle bar mower and dump rake. For the cost of his old Ford M (or was it an N?) he started a custom horse-hay business.

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Currently we are using old feed bags to store in, but was going to make a baler, the one in your link. I also have a crazy Idea of using a garbage compactor to make bales with. Don't know if it'll work but I am looking for one to test out.

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Look at it this way what you bought was an entire bale of hay , what I advise is purchasing just the baling. at $1.50 or less a bale you will get 10 bales for your hours work you might not be able to make that many in an hour.
But looking at your situation Id think about renting a sicle mower or or tractor , buying or renting a rake and then picking up the loose hay and stacking it.

You might also look for 'tobacco balers' since alot of tobacco farms are no longer in operation. Most of them make a bit more square a bale than most people are used to seeing hay in, but they work well for us. Same principle as the hay presses of old...and the rubbermaid container idea folks have submitted.
Good luck...and happy haying.
Andrea

I have put a lot of time into thinking about this subject myself. Thank you so much for the link to the box baler! That is so close to what I had come up with it's scary. I hadn't worked out the tying bit, and the eye-screws in the bottom are ingenious.

I've been using my scythe for a couple of years now, sporadically. There is definitely a technique involved, so if you've never done it, I suggest you find an old overgrown field and practice there, well before your hay needs cutting. Even with a razor sharp blade, if your technique is bad, you will lay the grass down rather than cutting it, and it is a pure bad word to cut grass when it's laying down.

My scythe is an American style scythe, with heavy, bent wood, and a heavy Styrian blade, 20 inches or so in length. The heavy blade is because of the seedlings in my still-under-development pasture. Also, most of my pasture is fairly sloped, which adds challenge. Even with my less than elegant equipment and challenging terrain, I can cut enough grass to feed my goats, rabbits and horse in about 15 minutes. I generally feed about 20 pounds of hay a day, so that would be about two 40 pound bales for every hour of cutting time. Mind you I'm a middle-aged woman with a desk job and have only been doing this for a few days so far this year, so I have to stop and breathe about every eight feet. The standard for a fit man with good technique using a European scythe is to cut an acre a day.I long for one of those nimble, lightweight European scythes but haven't been able to bring myself to part with the money for one yet. I have a wonderful, expensive blade, but my pasture is so rough I'm afraid to use it. I'm rambling now, so back to business.

Oh, as added value to your haymaking, consider the workout you get when scything. I promise, once you start, you won't be able to avoid considering it. I consider it my evening workout and don't feel nearly as foolish as I would trotting on a treadmill.

If I had three acres of pasture, instead of 3/4 of an acre, I'd just make hay a bit at a time. Sure, the first cutting might get a bit long toward the end, but then when you go for the second cutting, you'll be starting back at the beginning and cutting at about the same speed, so you'll wind up with consistent hay even if you do it a bit at a time.

This is my favorite scything link. http://www.scytheconnection.com/adp/techn1.html It's very comprehensive. He even gives detailed guidance for making your own snath. And on this page, http://www.scytheconnection.com/adp/video/index.html , there are links to a Youtube video that shows some very nice scything.

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If we ever do our own haying I sure don't plan on baling. what a lot of work for nothing. where do you keep the hay? Last year I put up some cattle panels to make a section in the barn and husband forked it in and I stacked it down. I lived on a two cow homestead as a kid and everybody put their hay up loose. the biggest problem with that is hauling the hay to the barn if you do not know how to stack it well on a wagon. that takes two people. One is on top, the other forks up the hay, make sure you keep the tines pointing down when you swing a gob up. You take it off the fork and put the gob down, on our truck, three gobs one way, don't put it down randomly but with system, neatly in row. stack it up neat and when you are done, put a long four by four on top lengthwise and tie it down on the ends. this will hold the hay in place. what kind of scythe do you have? If it is not top notch sharp it will wear you out. I know how to do it and I would not want to mow three acres by hand. But then, I am not as young as I used to be.

I don't have a scythe yet, I'll get around to ordering it one os these days here pretty soon. How much space did your loose hay take up Tabitha? Seems like it would be a LOT and my barn isn't very large... 16 x 16, 1/3 being stall, a little bit for a walkway, 1/4 for storage of feed, tools, ect, and the last 1/3 I use for hay, stacked right to the cieleing, I can fit about 60 square bales... but its tight.

Goatguy, we're looking to do the same thing so I'm watching your thread with interest.

If you were closer Id sell ya one cheap Ive got a good collection of old scythes
I suggest you hit a farm auction or two they sell for about $5 unless its around halloween