Making Hay! Part 1 Sickle Mower Subcompact Tractor 

Rowse has double bar mowers, if looking to cover more ground instead of a single bar.

@@farming4g I use a pull type Kosch double 7', 'cause it was cheap and I only hay about 600 acres now, rest is pasture. This one is about 20 years old, had it about 15. They last forever and minimal maintenance. They really don't bother much either, like plugging up, even in low ground (other than moss), as long as there isn't full time standing water.... Before that I had a couple old mounted double 7' Koschs on old narrow front Deeres, 530 and a 520, really handy. They had decades of service. Most -used- a double 9' hydraulic here in the later years, and I'd have gotten one had I seen a decent one lightly used (used prices not much cheaper, might as well get new). Now everyone is switching to disc. Seeing mostly Vermeer, like a tm1410. Had this year been different, I'd have gotten a tm810, most likely. I like sickle mowers, need to keep one around to mow the ditches bordering the gravel roads/property (landowner responsibility). I have an old 9' Deere for that, think it's a 38? or so, no serial plate on it, never looked into it. Don't care for Rowse products, but they're fine. Some personal family history there going back to my uncle and when the company started, I won't buy their products, though I'm fairly near the factory.... I probably see more Kosch stuff around, and it's what I grew up with. My 8 bale retriever is a Kosch, got it new about 5 years ago.

Matt just got those. They DO look tough!

@@TractorTimewithTim absolutely beautiful. Makes a "small" tractor look mean!!! I want that on a 4455. Excited to see the restoration improvements!

When I do bucket work with my 3046R with my buddy that has a full size wheel loader, I feel like a little kid playing in the dirt with his dad. lol Sometimes he'll just make a couple big scoops for me to work on for awhile.

The Arizona Homestead Project A little kid with a BIG smile. 😁

@@PinMonkey1960 lol, yep

Around here, a pull type double 7' Kosch can be found for about $1500 or so, depending. 22 acres would take me about 4 hours or so, maybe a bit over, not going too hard. Pull type double is best with a wide front. You can go with a little less, but 50hp is ~ok, where I'd like it anyway. Single mowers are less of course. I like Deere for those.

Yes, and yet a slightly newer design with both guards AND sections moving against each other. This makes for a better cut.

I could have mowed it. Probably taken me 4 hours...maybe less. He just jumped in to get it done faster (and for the fun of having two tractors of such different size doing the job.

4430 would be perfect 👍🏻😃, you would be surprised how nimble they are.

Johnson grass or Bermuda grass? Here Wa state Bermuda grass is a cuss word and in some places in Texas they actually plant the stuff. Go Figure

@@bjre.wa.8681 my yard in North Texas was Bermuda sodded. Neighbors St Augustine has encroached and invaded a third of front yard

We got to know each other pretty well :-)

Welcome to our channel! That is what we do!

You have to consider the size of the these compact tractors and do you have hills or is your land level like in this video. Would you really want to mow a 10 acre field using a small tractor and a 6ft cutter bar?

@@Fishcop-326 Grew up on a farm, with a tractor sized in 52 hp (Deutz-Fahr 5207C) and I can tell you, that small tractor could pull The trick there is manual gears and not hydrostatic, would not have worked well otherwise I used to cut swaths with a John Deere 1350 mower, also bale hay with a JD 349, plow with a 3 furrow Överum plow,so I am very well aware of that but it worked just fine if the bigger tractors like the Ford 7810 or 7900 was used to something else You just go slower and when traction is not good you dont do it at all..I cut with our old 2meters sickle bar a lot more area than that :)

@@danne77sthlm didn’t mean to offend. 52 hp is a lot bigger than the little JD in the video. I also grew up on a farm. You know as well as I do that coming down a hill with a load of hay behind you can give you a pucker factor if the tractor isn’t heavy enough.

@@Fishcop-326 No you didnt offend me, no problem there, and oh yes, I had a big trailer jackknife on me a few times, it is very very scary thing to experience

Working toward the full video. Want to make sure we have everything right on it before discussing.

Why would you run 1/4 throttle? All (or most) PTO attachments are designed to be run full throttle. Seems like you would want the mower operating at full speed.

@@TractorTimewithTim It's a little 18 hp Cub Cadet XT1 lawn tractor and the 2 - 1/2 yards I mow are hilly with many twists and turns.. The only time I open up the throttle is when I'm plowing snow.

They do...but the one we will try is too big for the 1025r. We will be running it on the 2038r.

We try to avoid turning left during an election year :-)

I do not take it off.

Agfolks.com use code TTWT for a 5% discount. They will deliver to your door!

Monica, it is available at agfolks.com use code TTWT for a 5% discount. It is called a sickle bar mower.

He finds the conditioner doesn’t help with grass...would help with alfalfa, but does not crimp right enough to help with this heavy grass

@@TractorTimewithTim thats true. Rolls dont help as much in grass. Thats why they make the v tine steel conditioners... starting over 30 yrs ago. So there r plenty of used machines out there. Lots of people do the mowers without conditioner. I just never see why in the midwest.

Not sure. Probably high.

Unfortunately, that's quite the opposite. Weeds are a big issue with hay crops. Cheers :)

Ham68 Thank-you for the information , I was thinking 🤔 that maybe the same as grass at a house 🏡

@@Ham68229 Same with pasture we spray at least once a year. lol weeds remind me of the democratic party lol.

As he said, he will have soil test.

That's what happens when you constantly take from the soil (haying) every year, instead of giving back to it (mulching and dropping in place). Then, because one's robbed the soil of nutrients for years they're forced to put down chemicals, which in-turn pollute our drinking and fishing waters and destroy the soil biology, causing less grass to grow, which in-turn leads to more chemical use...and on...and on.... Same thing with all the GMO crap crops out there.

@@fooddude9921 I would encourage you to learn more about farming before telling everyone what they are doing wrong. Of course, all of your food comes from the grocery store, so you don't need to worry about the details of how food is grown.

​@@TractorTimewithTim Please accept that since there is no voice inflection, nor facial expressions noted in an on-line post I say the following with a polite tone and in a reverent manner. I appreciate your point of view, I really do, as it is one shared by many who have worked hard and fed our country for decades. I'm fully sympathetic to the plight of today's farmer and have indeed researched it quite a bit. In fact, it was this research that led me to the science on the harm being done to our drinking water, watersheds, and soil biology by conventional farming, which is quite incontrovertible. Perhaps some education is needed for you? I highly recommend starting with The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, you can get it here: www.amazon.com/Omnivores-Dilemma-Natural-History-Meals/dp/0143038583 and Joel Salatin's work. That (the ecological damage) is a tough pill to swallow for families who have been farming this way for generations. I really don't blame those farmers though, I believe they were lied to by the big Ag companies who told them these chemicals were ok for us, which was particularly true to those who started using them after WWII, when the only studies done were those by the Ag companies, which of course favored the results they wanted . Today however it's different, much like people used to think smoking cigarettes was ok, we now realize the irreparable harm they cause. WRT my food habits - I like a good cheeseburger like you. :-) But, I walk the walk. We gave up a nice suburban lifestyle and purchased a small farm because we didn't want to contribute to Big Ag products. After 3 years we now raise our own Dexter cattle, Mangalitsa pigs, Kiko goats, Katahdin sheep (in 2 days), heritage breed turkeys, ducks and chickens and through a lot of sweat equity put in 7,500 sq ft of veg garden, fruit trees, grape vines, and berry bushes all using regenerative grazing and Organic farming principles. We do not use chemicals on our farm. I process our animals on the farm myself or in the case of chickens employ a local farmer to do it and those food items we get from the store are Organic if they have them. We are not young, nor old (we're the same age as you and Christie), and so it's not easy, yet we do it. But one doesn't need a farm to eat well - there are plenty of local farms growing and raising food in a sustainable/chemical free manner in every state. What one does need is a commitment to better the environment for future generations. All the best.

@@fooddude9921 No worries. Like you, I am attempting to be polite in the discussion. You are correct that you can produce enough food do take care of you and a few others with the approaches you mention. ...and I have no problem with that. I'm glad you are enjoying it, and being successful at it. However, these approaches simply will not scale up enough to feed the world. As the population rapidly increases, so does the need for more and more food. I firmly believe our food quality in the USA is safe for folks to eat. I have not seen any real science to prove otherwise. I do not accept that 'organic' really makes any difference in health. Midwestern Agriculture is QUITE sustainable. Yields and efficiency have consistently improved over the years. They have gained tremendous understanding about how to maintain and improve the land's productivity. If we went 100% organic in the USA, we would starve. Period. Full Stop. There is no way we could produce enough food to feed the world with these limited approaches. We should be thankful that God has given us the ability to improve our Ag productivity over the years.

10 acres.

That one is the Deere. I recommend the Artillian.com removable canopy.

Thank you

100 ways to make hay :-)

I think you mean NOT painted like the tractor. Personally, I LIKE have different colored implements! I like the variety!

We did! Did you watch the video?

Yea, kinda frustrating, you can’t SEE the sickle. It is always covered. However, you are right. I should carry a GoPro more often. So much to keep track of!!

Watch the raking and baling videos…you’ll find that it didn’t make any difference.

I didn’t see any fescue out there.

The only horse that tall fescue is not safe for is a broodmare.

LOL! I had to go back to start to see it.

Glad we could provide just a bit of helpful knowledge. Thanks for watching!

It is not a mini baler. The owner did not want to deal with those mini round bales.

Cattle love white or red clover, for horses it's alfalfa or timothy.

Have you enjoyed the farm equipment from my family farm?

@@TractorTimewithTim I enjoy watching you demonstrate all of your equipment. I’ve learned a lot from you and your friends. I own a bigger tractor-(I am assuming that most of your viewers are compact tractor owners) a John Deere 2011 year 5083e Limited with wide 10 ply bias industrial R4 Goodyear IT525 tread. So when you do videos on the bigger tractors 🚜 I tend to tune in more. I only own 2 1/2 acres but I lift a lot of heavy things.

@@TractorTimewithTim With that full-size 5075E Limited tractor you have now May I recommend John Deere part number BW15852-Large Ballast Box. It weighs about 400 pounds empty and filled to the top with Portland cement it weighs about 2800 pounds. I put some scrap steel in with the concrete and I’m running my ballast box at about 2950 pounds. It is a very well-built ballast box for a larger full-size utility tractors such as five and six series and it fits category II and III hitches. You could easily get it over 3300 pounds with more steel added to the cement. The ballast box is much better than fluid in the tires. It’s easier to remove and the weight is further back, giving you a lot more balance and stability when lifting very heavy things. I’ve seen people Jerry rig stupid concrete contraptions but it’s best to buy a professional made quality product from the manufacturer. John Deere tests the stuff all the time and knows exactly what you need for the type of loader you’re running. A lot of people just get lazy and forget about correct ballast.

I was asking about the 8R and large Case IH tractors from the family farm. If you haven’t seen any of our ‘farm videos’ I would encourage you to check them out.

@@TractorTimewithTim Oh I will. I did not know about that channel. The other day I saw a category five hitch pin and that baby weighs 16 1/2 pounds. It kind of puts everything into perspective and makes you feel kind of small when you see a hitch came to an eight or a nine series John Deere.

If you buy the maschio, it is nice to have the hydraulic valve for the hydraulic fold. I think you can get manual fold.