As I was trying to get our first harvest of hay done this past week, and my patience being tried and tried again, it got me to thinkin’…..is New really better??
My hubby and I started doing our own hay for the cows about….ehhhh, I guess this will be the third year. We, or I should say, my Hubby searched around and found some good, used hay equipment that was reasonable enough we could afford it to get us started. I’ll tell ya, even used equipment costs a lot of money!
So, he found a hay rake from a local used auto dealer. Maybe he took it as a trade??, I have no idea but it was close and affordable. Then, a hay cutter, from our neighbor across the street who was no longer going to do his own hay. And finally a round baler last year, from one of my best friends in the whole world that I’ve known for ever now. We were now ready to harvest our own round bales for the cows. I still buy square bales for the horses. We also bought a Mid 70’s model Case Agri King tractor with a cab frame. Not an enclosed cab, but a framed, open cab. I LOVE that tractor!!
The baler we bought makes some pretty good-sized bales, which are a little too big for our little NH 40hp utility tractor (that I use for almost EVERYTHING), so we needed something a little bigger to move and stack these bales and to use when we put them out for the cows in the winter. It gets REALLY muddy in the winter in the feeding area and it’s tough on the little ole 40-horse to get around trying to carry those bales. Not to mention having a few “pucker moments” when I got off-balanced and almost tipped it over!
So, John, being the thoughtful person that he is, found me a ‘newer’ 75hp tractor with a cab, A/C and heat, a radio,…you know, all the bells and whistles! It’s big enough to move bales easily, has a front-end loader so I can stack the bales, and I’ll admit, it’s nice to be out of the cold in the winter while feeding cows, and cool in the summer when using it. Problem is, we’ve hit a few bumps in the road with it since we’ve had it, and I think it’s been in the shop more hours than it’s been in the field.
I have learned a lot about the equipment we have, and how to do the maintenance on all the tractors and equipment. I have also learned a lot about how to fix them. Thankfully, I have a few good folks around the area that are great when I need a hand or if I need to ‘pick their brains’ to figure out what to do, or where to find something! At times it has just been pure trial and error……..or a Youtube.com video to learn on my own.
Ladies, Youtube.com….it can be a lifesaver!
While working on the tractors in particular, this newer tractor (2019), SHOULD be the easiest to deal with since it is newer and all……you would think. Well, let me tell ya, when it comes to maintenance and/or repair….well, let’s just say…..I’d rather have an old one! 🙂 They are sooooo much easier to work on and have less things to break on them!
I am currently having ‘a situation’ with the 75hp. We’ve troubleshooted and narrowed it down to what we think is the temperature sensor, so we are going to replace it and see what happens. Trouble with all the ‘bells and whistles’ these days is they most likely involve computers, and you know what that means!
When I was a kid, I hung out in the shop with my Daddy a lot, and he taught me quite a bit about working on vehicles. We didn’t have our own tractor or equipment back then, but it kind of translates over…it’s still machinery! I miss those days. My Daddy’s been gone for several years now, but when I work on stuff, I think about him often. He used to always say, “Let me show you an old Indian trick!” We are part Cherokee Indian, and that was always his reference to our heritage.
While I was getting everything ready to go, I felt good!…..confident that I did all the pre-season work that needed to be done, and it was gonna be smooooth sailing! NOT!
I hooked up the cutter and headed to the hayfield. When I kicked the PTO on, the most horrendous noise I have ever heard rang out in the still morning air! What the Heck!!!?? I cut it off, climbed down off the tractor, removed the shield over the belts to see what was going on. When I turned it back on, the pulleys were turning but the belts were slipping! I tightened the belts…..still slipping!
I called my husband, John to help. I needed someone to help me troubleshoot the problem and who better than him. Neither of us could really figure out what was going on, so I had to pull out the big guns, lol. I called my best friend, who by the way used to work for my Daddy when he was a teenager, so I know he knows a lot of the same things Daddy knew. I sent him a video of what it was doing, he told me what to do, John helped me do it, and I was up and running again!
Now, working on your own stuff, especially as a woman, it CAN be challenging but NOT impossible. My first go-to is my equipment owner’s manuals. If you buy used equipment, and they don’t have the owner’s manual, don’t panic! You can go on-line and google it and buy it for a few bucks, it’s worth it!
I am lucky I have great resources and not everyone may have resources like that available. Or you may have, and you’re just not aware of them. My advice for that, get involved with your local USDA and County Extensions and get to know some of your area farmers and ranchers. THEY are your resources!
As far as the New vs. Old……I prefer the old, but that’s just my opinion. What do ya’ll prefer? Drop me a line on my contact page, leave your email and follow along with all my Ranch and FD adventures. Maybe I can be helpful, or at least entertaining to brighten ya’lls day, or help you in some way!
Until Next time! Be Safe and Be Blessed!