Very small scale farm equipment .....

How does this "mini" equipment fair to the old gone by?


Like the Mini Combine, surely it cleans the grain better than a '67 John Deere 45?

and surely a mini planter would work better than a used John Deere planter from the 60's.

Id take a JD 45 or a 55 if I could find one running. I know where there is a 4 row JD planter with the individually driven units that is in great shape, but the guy seems would rather it sat the and rusted away instead of selling.

I recently found an old Case ( not Case-IH ) 6 row planter with individually driven units, but the guy wants more than I can stand for it, especially since all I need is 2 units and I cant gamble my cash on being able to sell the rest of it.

I know its out there, even in TX, but the stuff I need is hard to find and dont last long.

I do know of a place about 2 hours away that has about 20 acres and 2 big buildings that buys and resells tractors and equipment. They told me the buildings are full up with parts of all kinds. I need to get back up there. The last time they had of all things, a horse drawn corn puller that looked like it could be made to work again with some time and labor.

__________________
" Do or do not, there is no try. " - Yoda

As a side note, I am looking for a Van Brundt grain drill. Since my tractor is an 8N , I need something that works without hydraulics.

If any of you know where a decent one is, preferably an 8 footer, let me know. My vacation days just started over so a road trip may be in order.

__________________
" Do or do not, there is no try. " - Yoda

I started farming with dads JD hi-Lo 45. I moved on to Gleaners since, but I would take a well maintained JD 45 over the mini in the pictures.

Now don't get me wrong, I like the mini, and for 5 acres the mini might be more practical, that is what they were designed for over in China working on 5 acre farms. And I like this thread, and the original posters points.

But - I would take a working 45 over the mini.

A 1960s planter, that would be a tough one. Best planter ever made is the JD 7000 or 7100 series, now newer machines have more options, and can plant much faster, and so on. But for a small farm of 500 acres or less, you won't beat a JD 7000. I just added some Presision Planting parts to mine, and a new monitor, and it plants as good as the $225,000 planter my neighbor has.

But, I think the 7000 came out in the 70s, not the 60s.

A JD 1240 or 494 or a International 56 is a pretty good planter from the 60s, but does your new mini have good depth control, and finger meters to use any size seed? THRN maybe the new mini planter might have an edge, but not by much.

Paul

I would love to make one of these balers!
http://essmextension.tamu.edu/pinestraw/baling.html

__________________
I'm so done here.

I have watched a couple youtube videos using those. They certainly would work, but again, I have too much to do and cant spend all day baling 100 bales and have to let other stuff go. If I didnt have to work a full time job, then it would be a bit different.

__________________
" Do or do not, there is no try. " - Yoda

With the difference in size of the rotor,walkers, screens and blower, I would take a 45 over anything mini in a heartbeat. Just because it's new doesn't mean it works better.
For less than the price of one of those new little round balers I have a whole line of machinery that will do 1 acre or 80+. I can cut the hay 7' at a time instead of 3 or 4 and I can go faster doing it. I can run bales through the baler without stopping after every one and they will stacked on a wagon as I go rather than dropped all over the ground for me to pick up later. I've done it that way and it's not fun.
As homesteaders the goal should be to work smarter not harder. Making sure that you have what you are going to need to supply yourself and your animals enough to get through the winter or any other hard time is long and hard work. I work a full time job as well as what I do around my 9 acres but even if I was home full time, spending the day walking around behind a 3 foot walk behind sickle mower wouldn't be my idea of time well spent. Putzing around with fiddly stuff like that isn't my idea of working smarter.

__________________
Deja Moo; The feeling I've heard this bull before.

When all else fails. Put it up loose and bale when there's time. I don't have all the time in the world. 8 kids to tend too including their education, and lots of farm animals. Yeah I'm short on time. But my children know if this isn't done we don't eat. And momma isn't stopping to make dinner till the job is done!

__________________
I'm so done here.

We did look at getting a small baler but for 25g no way is that cost effective for us. Some one gave us a baler. Needs to be fixed. Haven't had time. Come to find out the gifting of the baler had strings attached. Wasnt told anything but im moving want it. Needs new tires. comento find out.We are to own it and do all repair, upkeep, and string buying. They are to use it when ever they want. Told Them to come get their hunk of metal. It still sits on my farm taking up space.

__________________
I'm so done here.

bobby b-go to yesterdaystractor.com.lots of implements for our older tractors

When figuring durable equipment cost especially durable multi generational equipment I do not really worry a lot about cost . If I buy something at $1000 an I sell it after using it for 30 years for $800? IF so I figure it will "cost" me $200.


I recall being surprised to see some Ford N 9 tractors still being used in 1976. Thin is that same tractor is still being used today. No idea what it would sell for today but I would not be surprised if it were not worth more than when it was new.

I see hay rakes that I think are close to being 100 years old.

Shed it, pull maintenance use it but do not abuse it and you would be surprised how long stuff last.

__________________
Health Care is vital to all of us some of the time but Public Health is vital to all of us all of the time. C. Everett Koop US Surgean General 1981-1989.

I have an 8 footer rubber tires single disc openers grass seed box with clutch lift I could take offers on. Got a nice 12 footer with double disc openers and grass seed box as well.
http://sefsufficient.com/drill/4.jpg is the small one it's a Case.
Don't have a pic of the big one handy and am not sure of the make but it looks newer.

__________________
Deja Moo; The feeling I've heard this bull before.

Yeah.....I said they had them.....I didn't say they were cheap

I don't own one either.

But then, I sold all my conventional haymaking equipment some years back because I figured my time alone was worth more than what I saved on buying hay.

Your implication that spending a million to homestead on 10 acres means it's a hobby and not really homesteading, is very similar to someone saying that anyone who isn't totally self sufficient off of their farm, or who doesn't make a living off their farm isn't homesteading.

To push it to an extreme, what if you had a million dollars. You spend all of it to set yourself up on land, with house and equipment to be self sufficient for the rest of your life. To me, you would still be homesteading.

To me, Homesteading is a lifestyle and has very little to do with how you get to the point of being able to live that way.

We were farming three acres and had the same trouble with most equipment being too big. My DH did get me a backhoe which was a hoot to play with, but not really farming equipment. The most useful thing was the tow behind tiller that fit behind the riding lawnmower. Then there was the walk behind seeder and the rest was just regular hand tools and a garden cart. If the feral pigs had been fenced out and if we would have had irrigation, it might of worked. It was lease land so we gave up the lease after growing feed for the feral pigs for a few seasons. We did get good at making sausage, though.

I actually am seriously considering purchasing one of those small balers someday. Sure its small and it's pricey but it does have a lot of attributes going for it one of it is being it's size.

With the size of the baler you can easily fit the baler and the tractor on an 18' landscape trailer or put it in the bed of the pickup if you wish. I'm willing to bet you could get a bunch of small plots to bale for free just because the owners would want it mowed. Free hay is always good or even if you sold a few hundred bales it could help offset the cost.

The other thing is could be used to bale on less than ideal areas such as slopes. The thing is only I believe about 850 pounds where a regular baler is around 3000# for a smaller one I believe.

Lastly all these older balers have huge flywheels that increase the torque of the baler for the plunger to pack the hay but they create a lot torque feeding back through the driveline. Older tractors never had much issue with these because they were built like tanks and had cast housings. Some newer tractors such as the JD 3038e have aluminum cast housing. While being lighter they most like won't handle the abuse cast iron will.

I agree it's a pricey venture where one could get set up with a used tractor, baler, rake, and sickle for the cost of one these mini balers so it doesn't make sense to a lot of people but for some it might be a worthwhile investment. I can just about guarantee it would depreciate a lot slower than the cars we drive.

On another forum I frequent a lot of individuals had paid 6K plus for Kasco no-till drills. While it doesn't do the work of the big boy drills it fill their niche perfectly and many claim it was the best investment they ever made.

I know I don't have many posts yet but I promise you guys I am not a troll on this thread trying to promote a product. I guess if your a Yooper than you call me a troll.

I've been working 3 pastures (totallying about 4 acres) with a "walk-behind" DR Field & Brush Mower. It lays the grass down nicely in rows that are easily turned over (if weather dictates) by a "leaf rake". Then I use this leaf rake to "roll" the cured grass up into piles. Then I take my "mesh" sheets (about 10' x 10' in size) down and place those piles onto the mesh sheets. Then I put those mesh sheets onto an old tarp, hook my Nubian buck up to the tarp and take it all to the barn. The hardest part is getting those mesh sheets (each one tied up with the 4 corner ties) into the loft. I have two 3' x 4' steps that aid in this; however, at my age it is still difficult, though manageable.

I've been looking at those "bailers" too though cannot afford the mechanical one. Still the home-made box one looks doable.

All this is time consuming; but I'm retired with only the 6-acre homestead to concern myself with; so I've plenty of time. I can also organize all these chores pretty much to suit myself, as long as I adhere to weather conditions. Now I know this is not what others would be inclined to do; however, it sure makes my homesteading more self-efficient.

__________________
I am what I am! Acknowledging this is the beginning; and my growth is yet to end. http://motdaugrnds.com/farmsales ~~~~~ http://motdaugrnds.com

I'd love one of those little round balers, I could bale the grass between the rows of trees.

I've never been able to pencil the small equipment out to be cheaper then buying. I prefer to support local mid sized farmers for hay and grain.

Just my experience

@Super55

I have been very slightly tempted by those small balers, but not because of the size of the equipment but for the size of what seems to be a perfect sized bale of hay for our goats, sheep, and horse. For the cattle, I still like the big rounds. I just don't think I'll ever have a total lapse in judgement and plunk down the cash for one.

__________________

Honesty and integrity are homesteading virtues.