Hay stacking, past and present

[2005jettatdi]

Sometimes the edge of the field where the fir trees shaded the windrows would not be dry enough to bale. We baled them anyway most of the time. The 110 pound bales went home to go right out to the cattle. When not stacked they usually kept okay for a couple of weeks or more.

When # 4 son was in college, he worked for a farmer near Vancouver, WA in the hay fields. Cutting, raking and baling hay may sound simple, but there is a lot of learning goes into it. So, one day he was baling (John Deere baler) and the shear bold broke. That happens both from too much stress and sometimes just because the continued stress of a working baler breaks them. It sounds like a high power rifle shot. The farmer heard and thought, "I had better get over there and give him a hand with replacing the bolt." The farmer got there just as my son was putting the tools away and was ready to get back to baling.

Kids who grow up on a farm learn a lot of self sufficiency. That applies to both boys and girls.

 

[levi]

Helped my wife's father many times when I was younger. Small, square bales. He would drive the tractor pulling the baler, I would be grabbing and stacking on the wagon behind. I stacked as high as I dared for fewer trips. If they toppled off, no fun re-stacking.

Go to the barn. Run them up the elevator, powered by the same tractor via a PTO shaft that had been pulling the baler and wagon. Re-stack them in the loft as they came off the elevator. So hot in the top of the loft you could scarcely breathe.

And of course you had to fight the "bumble bees" that had nested in the loft as you stacked. Not fun.

 

[GON]

 

[ecotourist]

Is the term "hay wire repair" common?

In western Canada a haywire repair means a poor quality, slip-shod (which I suppose is another strange term) repair. I assume it originates from the era of wire bound bales. Bailing wire would have been immediately at hand and could be used by those with little skill and even less sense to hold things together in a slip-shod way.

Something like picking up your car with a leaking gas tank from the garage and finding out they fixed it by putting a toothpick or gum in the hole. "Geeze Bob that looks like a haywire repair to me."

 

[Snagglefoot]

Moving Hay

 

[vavavroom]

What a workout the men had in the past stacking hay.

View attachment 106347View attachment 106348

There may not one but maybe two or even three of the farmer's daughters be hiding in those haystacks.

 

[CKN]

I'm going to come up with a thread-

"Chewing gum-then and now!"

 

[vavavroom]

I'm going to come up with a thread-

"Chewing gum-then and now!"

The ancient Greeks made a mastic gum from shrub sap (The tears of Chios). The pre-Columbian Aztecs made chewing gum from chicle sap. Hence the brand name Chiclets.

 

[wander2039]

Too many memories.. I hated the bales with wire. Rougher on my hands. If you can image I didn't weigh over 100lbs till after college and lifted small bales at 12.. 13 no idea. We switched to 500-600lbs big bales towards the end. We had a hand crank spike on a F150. OSHA wouldn't approve! I was able to crank it and didn't get thrown over board like dad did. Dad was always to cheap to buy equipment and think he might regret some these days, yeah we were tough but we could of got more done .