[Donn Hewes]

There are a few pictures of us baling hay yesterday on my web album. Here is a link!

Baling a few more today.

[Donn Hewes]

Last night I was in bed about 9 pm. (don’t tell anyone) and the phone rings “Donn, my mower stopped working – can you take a look at it?” Needless to say a ran over there this morning about 6 am. After driving up a long dirt road behind the barn, thinking maybe i am lost; I break out into a beautiful sun rise out of the fog. I find Poor mower standing out in the field of heavy wet clover and rye. The mowed forage has all the signs of a struggle. Long wads of grass pulled in ever direct. The pitman shaft is seized up but I didn’t bring enough tools to get it out. Back down to the barn for a clevis and a large crow bar.

Fortunately I was able to get it out and the only thing holding it was … Grass! I cleaned up the shaft put it back in and returned home. I only charged 17$, 12 for labor and 5 travel and the farmer actually gave me a 20 and told me to keep the change. Fun and satisfying.

[Donn Hewes]

I get knife backs from Master equipment in Ohio. 330-695-2603 Donn

[Donn Hewes]

Hi all, I / interns have mowed about 5 acres tues and wed. Today we will be tedding half the day. Hopefully, we will be baling tomorrow and Sat. I haven’t finished the new PTO cart yet (bummer) I would have liked to used the rotary tedder today. Coming soon.

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Mitch, I will get some measurements tomorrow when I get home! My tongue has always been a little short and my overlap too. Probably ran into the same problem you did.

[Donn Hewes]

The sliding tongue is pretty easy to make and has proven very handy. I leave it short and pull it with a forecart most often. When a wagon is full we will unhook from the baler and hook to another. Now the full wagon is much easier to hook (pto cart, forecart, tractor, or truck) with the sliding tongue. Once you back up close (with in two or three feet) hop off and slide the tongue out, hook pin to cart, then back until you hit and add a second pin. Ready to go.

My sliding tongue is made of two pieces of square tubing, I think they are 2 1/2 and 2″. with 3/16″ wall thickness. the smaller one has two pieces of channel about a foot long welded above and below the end forming the hitch. When you back until the channel hits the larger square; this is where a set of holes is drilled through both tubes for a second pin, making it easy to lock after backing into it. There are also a second set of holes that can be used when the tongue is long enough for horses. A neck yoke with a ring will slip over the channel on the end; and a hammer strap and hole for a pin are in place for an evener. Make sure the tongues are long enough so you will have a good overlap when using it long. Mine got a little short at just under a foot. Two feet would be much better. My horses are also a little close to the bed of the wagon but this is just an over-site in design.

[Donn Hewes]

I have been struggling for years while trying to make early hay with horse power. Our farm can use a good supply of dairy quality hay to feed pregnant sheep. I have been looking for ways to stop fighting the weather and make my life easier. It will take a few years to implement some of these ideas; but here is what I am thinking.

First, one of the big advantages of making early hay (think may 20 to june 5) is uncovering a large part of your farm to good regrowth, for either second cutting hay or future grazing. I think baleage and silage where just a mechanical solution to this problem. Those of us making dry hay just wish we could do what they are doing.

As a sheep dairy that feeds no grain, our lambs are very challenged to grow on pasture alone. historically we have slaughtered all our lambs, except ewe replacements, before winter. My plan starts with keeping up to half our lamb crop each year and feeding them into the following summer. This will accomplish a couple things: This group will help eat (as they winter feed) the abundant later (mid June to early July) first cutting hay we can more easily make with out fighting the weather or wasting horse power. Second, they can “uncover” or graze a large number of additional acres in May and June as yearlings; that the weather didn’t allow for making hay. Now these fields will be available for second cutting hay or good grazing later in the year. Finally, this is the flexible group (not a milk flock, and already big enough for slaughter; they can start to go, dependent on drought or other forage stockpile levels.

Next I want to stop trying to make first and second cutting off the same fields. First cutting will be the long, sometimes over mature fields that make good yields, and feed horses, mules, cattle, and ewes in early gestation. My second cutting will come from pasture that were grazed early (like late may). This will improve the horse efficiency of making enough bales off an acre to make it worth the effort to handle second cutting with horses. I am tired of 20 good bales from an acre of work. These fields will need longer rests before possible re grazing in Oct or Nov.

One final piece of the puzzle that I have been working on for the last few years is mowing a few acres, just to let it grow back. Just yesterday we moved milking ewes from tall, over mature pasture to ground mowed in mid-may. This is a prime dairy pasture at this time. The mowing is easy and I should do more of it.

There is probably some history to these ideas. With less sophisticated weather forecasting, hay making equipment, and the pressure to produce every once we can, I think folks may well have set out to make hay in the middle of summer when the weather was more likely to be good, and high yields would reward your effort. Just some thoughts on a rainy day. Donn

[Donn Hewes]

You can even make them 17′ 6″. For flat ground and longer fields. This keeps you from having to stack them so high. The extra foot and a half will allow you to stand on the wagon and pull it with horses, if you have that kind of tongue. I have two wagons with a sliding tongue. Slide it in and pull it with the forecart, tractor, or baler. Slide it out, put a pin in it, evener on, and pull it with a team. I have found these tongues to be useful. Nice even for backing up to the loaded wagon. Slide the the tongue out to hook up. drop the pin in and back up until they hit. Drop the second pin and go.

[Donn Hewes]

You can even make them 17′ 6″. For flat ground and longer fields. This keeps you from having to stack them so high. The extra foot and a half will allow you to stand on the wagon and pull it with horses, if you have that kind of tongue. I have two wagons with a sliding tongue. Slide it in and pull it with the forecart, tractor, or baler. Slide it out, put a pin in it, evener on, and pull it with a team. I have found these tongues to be useful. Nice even for backing up to the loaded wagon. Slide the the tongue out to hook up. drop the pin in and back up until they hit. Drop the second pin and go.

[Donn Hewes]

Hi George, You are using D ring harnesses, right? I have had these wrinklies at different times with different horses and collars. Always seems to be an animal that is a little bit of an easy keeper. Not fat, but not worked down either. In some cases I have found a shorter collar made a difference and in others not. I have been suprised how much the collar fit changes under load. Remember to check them while you are working. It is hard to say if I would change anything on one of those collars; with out being there, but the smaller ones all seemed as if they would work. With a pad I like a little closer fit on the sides that I do without a pad. But I have no experience in working with out a pad.

It doesn’t look to me as if you need to buy collars; but for anyone buying collars, I have found the adjustable collars very useful. Now if it would just stop raining! d

[Donn Hewes]

Sorry, Jay. No rain date. Donn

[Donn Hewes]

I am still fixing a tedder and wagons, so the rain is alright with me. I hope we get some haying weather in the next week or two. Donn

[Donn Hewes]

In theory, I think that unicorn hitch might work. I am not sure how much power you would add this way but it might make a difference. I think the front horse could walk on the land, just at the edge of the furrow. It would be a neat peice of driving though. I don’t imagine that a lack of power is the main reason this is “not a primary ” tillage tool. It might be easier to find something else to plow with.

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Paul, Of course it is difficult to say with any certainty, but you instinct that he is taking advantage of you is probably in the right ball park. Please don’t take this as a negative comment. Only that is a common problem, you are experiencing. We often tend to seek some kind of mechanical explanation for what is going on; ie, different bit, or harness fit, but it is likely the mule is confused by the signals you are sending.

If this mule wasn’t using a twisted wire bit before, I would expect a bit of a reaction when you try to work him in one at 15. The rubber bit is fine, but probably not necessary. A simple straight bar bit or liverpool, will likely work fine for this mule. The most basic advise I give folks that are just starting out (or with a new animal) is go slow, both in the number of new things you try to do, and just in how you work around the animal. Make him calm and relaxed as you work. Good luck and let us know how you make out. Donn

[Donn Hewes]

You are probably right about the wd 45 being twice the tractor of the VAC.  I am not sure that means it will be twice the PTO cart.  I think the VAC (it might actually be a V or VC?) is smaller and lighter over all.  I hope this is the “right”size.  Since I have not pulled it out of the shop yet it is hard to tell, but I do hope to work on it soon, and ted hay with it this summer.  So I will know before long.  Donn

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