what a blessing that you have time with your dad working on your farm. Making memories with your dad, both now and when you where young. That's what adds up when you're older.
Granddaughter of a hay farmer here. My Dad learned to drive the farm machinery when he was 8. People that bought my grandfather’s farm after he passed away cut the hay too early and put the bales in the barn way to soon. Barn caught on fire. Expensive lesson.
I'm a retired architect/full time painter. My favorite painter is Van Gogh. When living in Germany I often times looked out my bedroom window watching farmer drive their tractors up and down and across the fields. The tractor and other equipment was always painted a bright primary color giving contract in an ultra modern experience against a rather historic background. Watching you and your dad driving around gives me a similar artistic moment recalling the Van Gogh hay fields and his farmers driving a horse with a hand held plough. Van Gogh concentrated his studies on the common man and his activities. Though he was far from being high tech, he was very much a modernist in his color sense and willingness to push for a new way of doing things. Maintaining an humble attitude and moving forward without forgetting or giving up the past. I think that might be you as well.
Hi Pete I noticed you had on an Ohio State Tee-Shirt, I am in Ohio and GOOOO BUCKEYES.... It was great to see you and your father out there together...
I remember when one of my old mans friends would take me to a ride in a crawler. As a 5 year old kid that is like winning a amusment park ticket. The joy and memories i have from that time I shall never forget as long as I live.
That was nice, your dad still being able and wanting to help with chores. What a wonderful example of family living. The flat tire couldn't ruin your day either.
Just discovered your channel today and really like 👍 it. Watched entire video of your rebuilt of your farmhouse and outbuildings. Next I watching hay balling. I am a fan of your story, you are really a great 👍 guy, thanks 🙏. Take care.
A flat tire. Didn’t see that coming! But the rain drops, I did. Whew! Hay. It’s what’s for dinner. I sure enjoy my time with your videos. A smart man , should get lucky often.
Watched this video with my cousin John a retired small farmer who had a milking herd in the day. He reminisced about doing the same job for years and how hard it was to make enough hay to last the winter here in the UK. In the end he ploughed up all his hay fields and grew crops - wheat, barley, or beans etc. sold the crop and used the money to buy in hay... he always had plenty of good quality hay from then on.
Your list of blessings are long Pete! But I notice your heart is towards doing everything the best you can do it, and I'm sure that adds more to your blessings by virtue of your work ethic and attitude!
Dad, my brothers, and I turned hay with 3 tine forks. Also used New Idea rakes with the big steel wheels. I have you beat. Dad had a Minnesota hayloader built in the penitentiary. Actually worked good, but a full rack was the equivalent of 5, or 8 small square bales. We did bale most times. Thanks for taking me down memory lane Pete.
Loved the very rare off-camera comment from Hilary responding to your comments about her delicious dinner creations. She was humble, but I'm sure everything tastes good with extra hard-day's-work sauce!
Love your videos. I'm 24 and I just started my own hay operation. Us younger people look up to you older guys for wisdom you cant get from a book. Thank you for sharing your story's and wisdom. Keep it up!
Pete, Thanks for the Vid, and since I have zero knowledge of farming (Electrical Engineer) can not provide critique. Simply wan to say thanks for sharing your day to help me escape. Much appreciate the efforts you put in to get these videos out.
The baler on the farm when i was growing up was a New Holland 66 with a Wisconsin 2 cyl. motor. When i watch a video of this baler on youtube, I broke out in a cold sweat when moto starts pulling hard!
So wonderful to see you and your Dad working in the field of Hay together…I don’t know who looked Happy year? Him or you. I truly enjoy your story of why you like making hay so much!!! It’s really quite a story and I think that it goes clear back to when you were full years old. I can’t believe you were driving a tractor at four by yourself! Now, I do understand You being on the tractor with your Grandpa, or your Dad, but not driving at yourself. Usually kids are riding on laps😊❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️I’ll be honest, that was very hard for me as a mother to allow my children whom I love so much and they were so tiny to get on the tractor with Grandpa (whom I love very much interested as well but the fear of my baby falling off his lap and under a piece of equipment terrified me more and I had to really work on that until one day my father was getting off the tractor and he looked at me and I know the fear had to been very clear in my eyes it probably even tears on my face and as he handed my child to me, he said very simply, “Susie, children have been riding tractors with their dads and grandpas for generations and we don’t want ANYTHING TO HAPPEN TO YOUR LITTLE ONE, ANYMORE…I want to reassure you, and squeeze in that little guy so tightly to ensure his safety, that if I squeezed him in ANY Tighter, he threw up. You just got to relax a little bit, little one, or you’re going to take the joy out of this for all 3 of us!!”…. And then he put his arm around me, and HUGGED ME HIS BIG, Wonderful Bear Hug he Always gave me, And he said, “let’s go get the boys something to drink”, And we walked arm-in- arm back to the farm house We never spoke about again! Nor did I ever stand around clenching my teeth is my dad gave my son rides. In fact are usually busy myself in the garden or with the cattle until they came back so that I worried less and less every time. But when I think about what I did starting at the age of four and five on the dairy farm, I marvel that I was able to not only do it, but yeah it was just kind of expected of you to get started on whatever chore you were capable of doing and then it was full speed ahead on becoming a farm kid! I loved it just like you do and I can tell that. I’m 68 years old this year yeah it seems so strange to say it because I don’t feel even 48 years old and I’m no longer living on a farm but I have begun watching all these RU-vid channels, living vicariously through everyone else actually, to be honest, I’m only watching a half a dozen or so of the best. I miss it so much. I want to ask you a question Pete and I know you’re not gonna laugh at me but there will be people that do, and that’s OK..I’ve told you before, that my father did not believe in the girls handling farm equipment… That means a tractors and Hay Baylor’s, etc…. However we could hook up the wagon to the tractor when we were going to cut hay. But that’s as close as he let us get our fingers she possibly being hurt. He really truly wanted to protect us from 80 farm injuries. So my question is this since I have truly no idea or understanding except from when I had my own land and I mowed the grass with my lawn more, but that’s not good enough. As I watched you in this video I don’t know where you’re looking as you drive the tractor and you’re trying to cut the wind row and then Riggs wind row and then billet. I watched your head going side to side and then you’re turning around and then you’re looking up front and then you’re looking in the back but I can’t figure it out how do you know where to keep the wheels of the tractor…?? It looks to me like you’re keeping them just on the Inside left of the role you’re coming down whether you’re cutting or making a wind row, or bailing…but am I wrong? I’m not too embarrassed to ask this question because my grandmother taught me there are no dumb questions how many dumb people who aren’t willing to ask so they can learn! So here I am at 68 years of age wanting to learn. You don’t have to answer it so everybody else hears the answer unless you want to… You can email me or ignore it because you’re too busy LOL somebody please help me know the truth because I never got to drive a tractor… But I rode a lot of horses and I rode on top of a Lotta Haywagon‘s, stacking it for the barn and also putting it in the barn. By the way, your field sure was BEAUTIFUL WHEN IT WAS ALL BALED😊❣️❣️
Hi Pete...the smile you gave at 8:15 spoke volumes of the pleasure that doing the hay brings you. I love that you seem to enjoy triggering ocd'ers...love your vids. Thanks again !! 🙋
I really enjoyed your reminiscing about working with your grandpa and dad on the farm. I too have fond memories of my grandparents' farm and helping them gather eggs, shelling the corn and grinding it for chicken feed, feeding calves, slopping the pigs, checking on the cattle, and if we were lucky, helping feed Grandpa's pride and joy, his trotters and brood mares in the horse barn. He had a neighbor work the fields, but we kids always helped in the huge vegetable garden. Those years went by fast, but my sisters and I often talk about the farm and those long ago times.
I really appreciate your videos man, you teach me alot about them old tractors and as a mechanic it's very interesting to me. They dont make anything now thatll last 70 years. It's a shame but again thank you for spending your time filming for strangers.
You and your dad remind me of Daddy and I working together on the farm. Enjoy every moment you spend with him. Mine's been gone now for 13 years and I really miss him. I remember following Grandpa around on the farm when I was little. I can see him now on his Cub wearing bib overalls and his trademark fedora hat. Ah memories!😊
We had the same issue with our New Holland baler. The wisconsin started first turn of crank but good luck starting hot. As a little kid and even adult nothing better than engaging the clutch with a little 3 belt screech and hearing that ' Song of the baler" .
Great story. I share similar memories of baling with my parents as a young boy and I'm back on the farm baling my own hay. Love your OSU shirt. Buckeye alum!
BoyHowdy! That sure brings back memories of baling hay n straw in Ohio as a young fella! We always made small bales, put them on wagons, then threw them into the loft for stacking. Great way to get into shape for the football and wrestling seasons. BTW, love that tOSU shirt, Pete! Thanks, Pal. I truly enjoy 'Just a Few Acres Farm'! YeeHaa!
Love the t-shirt today, Go BUCKS! Greetings from Cincinnati, OH. I really enjoy the time you take to explain what you're doing and the thought process behind it. I grew up on a small farm in eastern Ohio and did many of the tasks you do daily. Your thorough explanation let me know that my dad wasn't crazy making me do all the things one must do on a farm, he just didn't have time to explain it...and we were always trying to "beat the rain". Thanks for all you do, much appreciated!
I think you struck a chord with me when you showed both you........and your Father working in the field. At that moment, you found a part of the " Good Ole Days", brings a smile to your face as well as ours. Thanks You.
Sounds like you grand dad's baler was a New Holland 66 I have one but it's been converted to pto. My wife and I rebuilt it completely 3 years ago. Never misses a knot!!! It does miss the paint from the rebuild though... we skipped that step lol. Thanks for the stories and the video content.
On a local farm recently one of those round bales was released by a rookie on a slope and it promptly rolled away, through a fence, across the road, through another fence and stopped in the middle of a dozen cows. Who promptly circled and started munching away 🤣
My grandfather taught me how to "drive" on the back of our old ('50's era) Ford tractor. It was a small tractor compared to the monsters we had stashed around the workshop so I was able to almost reach the clutch and the brakes. . .sufficiently enough so I didn't grind the gears and could stop before I ran into the quonset shop. Good times and, like you said, good memories!
Glad to see that you got your hat done, being that I live in Troy, Ohio I was glad to see you wearing a Ohio State T shirt . Take care and I really enjoy your videos, I am hoping to start with some Dexter cattle real soon.
My Grandfather taught me to drive on a 1940 John Deere H. It was a hand start and a hand clutch. He told me when I could start it by myself I could drive it by myself. It took some doing to roll it over with the flywheel but I was persistent and when I was 8 1/2 I started it. Good to his word he turned me loose on it pulling a converted John Deere Horse drawn Big 4 mower. It cut a 4 foot swath and it took a few days to cut our 14 acre field at 1 1/2 MPH. I currently have a 1949 Allis Chalmers B in my Garage. My Wife's Grandfather bought it new. It starts and runs good.
I quite enjoy seeing the older tractors valued and still in use. For those interested in how the newer farming equipment is impacted by technology/programming, I found an interesting conversation with a John Deere engineer by the title, **An honest conversation with Willie Cade; grandson of John Deere engineer & patentholder.** The topic makes me appreciate the efforts put into the restoration of the Just A Few Acres farming equipment.
Have to agree with you on the Wisconsin engines. You could not get them started again once they got hot. They would run all day long but don't stop them.
For a country girl, the sound of your tractor and all the equipment is so comforting to hear. I loved to listen to the baler and combine when I was a kid.
Hi Pete, your haying for me does bring back lots of good memories for and the old hay Baylor with the board that kicks out of the side, yup I remember that to and your right bayling is a lost art but then so is farming the way I remember witch I think was better anyway, in this world to day its get so much so ridiculously fast like produce being made so fast and prices going so hi its not even worth it, when you peel an arange it doesn't peel right its absolutely terrible, yup I agree with you, well bud grate video as always, you and your family have a grate day. Verne Johnson Farmall kid 63
Pete, Thanks for your haying videos. It reminds me of when I was young and on the farm as I worked for lots of farmers making hay. In those days there was not any big round bales only the small square bales. I used to be on the wagon stacking the bales 5 high and 25 bales to the layer. Yes 125 bales makes a load. The farmers always wanted me on the wagon because when I loaded the wagon none of them came off on the way to the barn. There was always a knack to loading so they tied together. What great memories they are. Your videos are so good I don't like to miss any, Thanks so much. John in Missouri Valley, Iowa
This brings back memories of when I was In Prep School & University. Every summer I would work on my Fathers hobby farm doing everything you are doing in this video. He had Oliver tractors and New Holland equipment. Those days are long gone but the memories still linger on.
Great stories Pete. Making hay was always a special time at my grandfather’s dairy farm in Watertown, NY in the ‘70’s. My cousin and I would ride in the hay wagon behind a kick bailer. We’d get knocked on our a**es trying to catch the bails. Then we’d stack the bails on the wagon. My granddad would get about twice as many bails on the wagon with us vs. the random kick bailer, so he loved it too. That cut down the number of trips to the barn and let him keep bailing in good weather. Great memories!
Cracking video Pete, great to see your Dad back working the fields again, I'm sure that took you right back, watching him from the sideline going to work on those windrows. I myself prefer the old stories and memories you have to share over the Hollywood shots, but both compliment your videos! They say "make hay while the sun shines" , but in your case you had to make hay while the clouds make up their mind!
My wife and I love watching your videos. There is something very therapeutic about watching you work and listening to your words of wisdom. Even something as mundane as baling hay is fun to watch. I think some of what makes your videos so enjoyable is your playful interaction with the animals, silly (but funny) jokes and general good nature. Thanks for sharing your life with us.
When I was a kid/ teenager. I used to stack hay bales on a small sledge in a ten bale triangle. Pulled a lever and the triangle stack would slide off the sledge and stay upright. An attachment for a front loader would then pick up the stack and load it into the trailer.
The sledge was towed behind the baler and a platform at the front to stand on and lift the bale off the baler shoot and stack them up. Was a great idea.
I also rennet turning hay alongside my grandfather as a child with a cut down fork. My grandfather also smoked a pipe, you just brought back very happy memories 😀😀😀
