The cv joint on the driveline on my Hesston 1340 disk mower failed. We ordered a new one from TISCO which was half the price of one through Hesston, but it didn't arrive till yesterday. Of course it has been in the 90's and my hay is over ripe. I did borrow a mower but it was too little too late. When you think something will be here tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow you don't always act as if you knew it was going to be at least a week away.
This hay was hopefully going to bring top dollar as exported hay to Japan but now the fescue in it is too ripe. The timothy is fine but the fawn fescue is not. Fawn fescue was such a bad idea to plant. Gets ready too early and has thick stems. I wonder if I could weed wipe it and kill it? I think I may have to just plow it out.
Today I have thousands of bales to pick up for the neighbor...Probably on hills...
I will add one thing, not to be ungrateful to my JD loving neighbor, but... A White 2-135 attached to a Hesston 1340 12-foot diskmower will do a lot more acres in a hurry than a New Holland
911 411 attached to a 4020 JD, and the White has A/C! Actually, a G1000 Vista will pull the 1340 faster than a 4020 on a 411. (9.5 feet)
Actually, a hamster in a plastic ball would probably have more bottom end than a JD 4020- that is not a popular replacement for the JD 4020 as the hamster ball has no provision for 540 PTO. And there are no green hamsters...
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I am curious to know how big is your farm?
ReplyDeleteI just started reading your blog so I'm trying to get on the page with your story.
Is the any use for over ripened hay? I am an Ohioan but I'm live in an urban area. So I am always interested in learning new things.
Hey Budd, I can't comment intelligently on things that you real farmers do; I and most of my kin have always been hill-farmers. I did get proof of one of my suspicions today, though. There is absolutely NO American-made farm tractor small enough to be used by the average hill-farmer today. The closest is John Deere, and they're too big for most of us and are used mostly by flat-landers and loggers. No wonder the economy sucks!
ReplyDeletemsladydeborah, thanks for joining. I found your blog very interesting. We farm around 500 acres but do some hay and other work for people outside our farm. The hay is still good even though it is over ripe. There is not as much food value in the mature hay but that is not really the problem. The issue is that it is being sold to people with horses who want greener hay. The market is based on appearance and smell and not food value.
ReplyDeleteGorges, there are no America-made tractors under 100 hp. I doubt the Deere you saw was made in the USA.
We really don't do much in this country anymore!
Budde: You're kinda cheatin' on your comparisons. The JD 4020 is about an 80 to 85 hp tractor while the White 2-135 is (in most cases) 140 hp tractor. Plus the 4020, on average, is anywhere from 5 to 10 years older than the 2-135. My 2-135 was made in 1977. My White 195 was supposed to have been made in 1989, but the engine has a 1990 manufacturing date.
ReplyDeleteAs for modern American made tractors, John Deere doesn't make a tractor below 170 hp in this country anymore and Case doesn't make one under 220 hp. Deeres are made in Moline, IL and Case makes theirs in Racine, WI. ALL of Agco's row-crop tractors are now made off-shore. I think they still make some articulated 4 wheel drives in this country, but I'm not sure.
All The Best,
Frank W. James
Frank,
ReplyDeleteOf course 12ft in heavy hay is a lot wider than 9.5 feet, but yes the 2-135 is a much larger tractor.
A M670 moline works very hard on a 411 diskmower (75 max hp) but a G1000 will pull the 12 foot hesston with ease. A G1000 is a 95-110hp tractor. The G1355 (same as a white 2-150) is very nice on the 12 foot mower. But, it would kill a 411. When I had a 411 the rubber connector between the gearboxes would hardly last a season. I think the 585 cu inch MM motor had way too much torque.
I do not like the JD tractors previous to say the early 1990's. I think they are pretty gutless. But, that is just my totally biased opinion...