Be Ready to Make Horse Quality Hay!

Many horse owners purchase all the hay used in feeding their horses, but there are also a lot of folks who cut, rake, bale, and store their own hay for use with their horses.  Many other folks make hay to sell to horse owners, so this article should be useful to a lot of folks in the horse and hay business.

Now is the time to make sure that all the hay equipment is ready to go, as grass is growing (once we get consistent days above freezing) and is set to really take off for the spring flush of grass growth.  Cool-season forages have their peak production in the spring and another good production season in the fall.  Since we are pretty near to the beginning of the spring hay season, it is high time to check over all the hay equipment and make sure it is serviceable and ready to make hay without having breakdowns. 

For all powered equipment, start at the PTO shaft.  Remove the shields and make sure that all the grease fittings will accept grease and that the shaft is well greased.  Replace any shields that are worn or non-functional.  Check the seals and bearings at the gearbox to make sure that there are no leaks and that the bearings are good.  Make sure that there is enough oil in the gearbox. 

For disc mowers, check the knives on the drums and replace any that are broken.  If the shroud is torn or too worn, replace that to keep material from being thrown.  If using a haybine or mower/conditioner, make sure that the roller bearings are good and that they are greased.  Replace any grease fittings that won’t accept grease.  Check the tires for wear or punctures and replace if needed.

For wheel rakes, be sure that all tines are in good working order, and that the wheel bearings on the wheels and on the rake wheels are good and well greased.  For side-delivery rakes that are ground driven, check the drive shaft, the grease fittings, etc. and make sure that the shaft is greased and that the fittings work.  While these don’t break down as often as some other powered equipment, any breakdown in the hay field costs in time and hay quality.  Make sure the tines aren’t broken on any type of rake.

Many people like to use a hay tedder to fluff up the hay to allow air to circulate so hay will dry more quickly.  These are mostly pto-driven, so the comments above apply here as regards the pto shaft and the gear boxes.  Tines, tires and wheel bearings should be checked, too.

The baler is the final piece in the hay production sequence (of course omitting hauling the stuff!) For round balers, do the pto and gearbox checks, then check the pick-up tines, drive belts and chains, and sprockets for wear and slack.  If all adjustment has been made to keep these tight and they are still loose, consider replacing the belts or shortening the drive chains.  Loose chains and belts lead to slippage in the power train, broken belts, worn sprockets and a host of other problems.   Check the bale-forming belts and make sure they haven’t stretched so far that a tight bale can’t be made.  Again, if all adjustment has been made to keep the bales tight, then the bale chamber belts may need replacement.  Relieve the tension on the bale chamber rollers and check the roller bearings.  If any feel rough, it is easier to replace while in the shop than it is in the field, so go ahead and do so.  (It is recommended to store round balers with the tension off the belts so as to not develop a flat spot in the roller bearings).  If using bale wrap, make sure the wrap roller doesn’t have a rough spot that will catch the wrap and prevent it from feeding around the finished bale.

For square balers, run the same checks for pickup tines, the pto, etc. Make sure all grease fittings work.  Make sure that the knives are sharp and that the feeder is timed with the plunger, forks, and knotters.  Look for worn parts and replace as necessary.  Make sure that twine will feed properly and that the knotters are set to tie a good knot in the twine.  If any tensioning springs are broken, be sure to replace them or it will not be possible to make a tight bale.

Many balers have hydraulic components.  Make sure that the hoses are not cracked and that there are no leaks.  CAUTION – do not check for leaks with fingers while the hydraulic system is pressurized!  Use a piece of paper or something else not covered with skin to check for leaks.  Hydraulic oil under pressure will be driven into and under the skin, causing health problems.  Of course, leaks that can be found without powering up the system means a hose or fitting needs replacing right away.

While this article is not intended to be a safety article, be sure to replace all shields once the work is finished.  The shields on farm equipment are there to make using equipment safer.  Making hay is hazardous enough without increasing the chance of serious injury by removing shields or by not replacing worn safety gear.  There are also many other parts on hay equipment to check that I did not mention.  Refer to the owner’s manual for equipment maintenance schedules.

A little attention now will pay dividends by reducing the number of breakdowns during hay-making weather.  Avoiding a breakdown can make the difference between making “horse hay” and making roadside mulch.  As I read in Hay and Forage Grower magazine, it is a lot easier to make repairs in the shop than laying under a baler on top of a fire ant mound.