Essential Machinery

[smcgrath76]

It has been very interesting to me the
last little while reading the posts on
who is doing what, so I would like to
ask a speculative question. What
equipment (steel) is essential to
running a cattle operation? To put it
on even footing, let's assume you have
250 cows (cow/calf). You can pick the
calving season, feeding program, etc. I
would be interested to see what is a
need/want as far as steel goes. We will
assume that everyone has a chute setup
and restrict the answers to
machinery/vehicle types of things.

[ASRG]

A decent loader tractor. A decent 3/4 ton 4X4. A stock trailer.
If haying obviously a round baler, haybine, maybe a rake, something to haul bales with.
For me...definitely a quad.

[grassfarmer]

Here is what I consider essential and why.

1. A tractor fwa/ loader/grapple - wouldn't be
comfortable owning a lot of cattle in this climate
without the ability to dig myself out of a severe snow
situation.

2 and 3. A silage wagon and a bale wagon - allow me
to handle feed in any form I buy or grow it in. Bale
wagon carries a water tank/trough in summer as a
portable water/emergency water solution.

4. A 3/4 ton 4X4 - getting to outlying land, transport
of supplies, moving fencing materials/water troughs,
pulling stock trailer.

5. A stock trailer - move animals around the land
base, truck to market but most importantly animal
welfare grounds in case something has to go to the
vet.

That is my essential list everything else can be done
custom. I've got about $35,000 in total tied up in my
5 essentials.
Not vehicles or machinery but I've also a bit tied up in
feed rings/bunk feeders/portable windbreaks - a
valuable investment in my mind.

[per]

A good high speed connection and remote offgrid solar water and fencing equipment as well as the stuff above.

[kato]

1. Tractor with front wheel assist & a grapple bucket. For cleaning corrals and doing chores in mud.

2. Old Deutz that runs on half the fuel as the above tractor. For pulling manure spreader and doing chores.

3. Round baler. Third of it's kind, so parts can be cannibalized from the old ones. So far, each time, the parts from the previous baler have paid for the current baler.

4. Haybine.

5. Manure spreader.

6. Stock trailer. Good one.

7. Hay rack. Ours is an old CNR railway flat deck semi trailer with a converter on it. We got the converter from a junk yard.

8. Good truck to pull the trailer.

9. Quad.

[tweaker101]

I guess that we are lucky in some regards as we have a Flamens rental store not very far away and that allows us the rent some pretty cool items instead of owning them but it does come with its own set of issues.....like it's not sitting in our yard for me to use when I have time..I have to pre book it and pray that the weather holds or our tractors don't fail. But with that said here is my list of equipment.

1. A good loader tractor
2. Decent truck...one that is relaible helps...fourwheel drive would be nice
3. Quad...ever tried chasing cows without one?...not fun
4. Roadworth flatdeck trailer....to haul bales/pannels/lumber etc...those darn DOT guys....LOL
5. Round Baler & haybine.
6. Stock trailer...our vet still does farm calls but I can see that comming to a end.
7. Bale proccessor...getting to old to fight with frozen ice covered straw bales.. and I think that it would reduce the amount of straw we use?.

We use custom operators for things like corral cleaning, cattle hauling when possible as they have the proper equipment to do the job.

[SADIE]

Wow--What a uniform pattern of dealing mentioned above.

1)Tractor loader grapple MFWA

2)4X4 truck---good one to try and keep neat and clean.

3)4X4 truck with oat feed box on top. White feed box. When have to gather something that gets out just let them see it and they come running.

4)haybine

5)Round Baler

6)Hay hicker that also backs for hauling 2 W panels around.

7)processer but not using as often more into bale grazing. Setting bales out on end for 4 -5 days and remove the string. Keep the cow herd moving around.

8)shop---60 X 100 cold storage, keep machinery inside dry and clean.

9)Stock trailer 24 ft WIlson.

10)Quad--horse never needs saddling, it is no good with all this snow now. Stay with feed box ready to go.

11)Auger always under hopper bin to fill with whole oats for the calves.

12)Dream world now is a skid steer. Rented a bobcat (newer model) what a treat. Cleaned corrals, post whole attachment, pallet attachment and level gravel around.

13)Going away from steel bale feeders close to yard and now using rail road ties (8) in a circle upright out of the ground for bale feeders close paddocks close to yard.

[smcgrath76]

1. I was going to say an older model JD
tractor with bale spikes (FWA and
grapple would be a nice luxury - as
would post-1985).
2. Haybine/baler/wheel rake - good
drought insurance and needed if in an
area where limited feed available for
purchase
3. 4x4 truck
4. Trailer (short - prefer gooseneck) -
any more than 5-10 cows is a horse job,
so need a trailer to haul horse.
5. forgo the quad and choose a mini
truck for hauling, fuel savings and can
run to town.
6. still might have an old cultivator
and drill if custom operators not
readily available or wanting to seed
grass
7. a flatdeck trailer could be handy
(tri-deck bale hauler for deck would be
a luxury addition)

Would hire bale hauling, corral cleaning
and any other jobs. No quad here,
prefer saddle horse hundreds of times
over but can see where it would fit.

[ASRG]

I think the happiest day of my life was when the last horse went down the road. I never liked horses, but the old man just loved to waste time on those hay burners!

[ALLFARMER]

Ya ASRG no horses here.

Why does everyone need a front wheel assist? I
have worked for a guy who had 2 so I know how
great they are. We had with cows and calves 250
head here before so I know 2wd works. Feed in
the morning on the frost.

My second tractor I have yet to buy will have it but
it's not essential.

[15444]

I think most would go for FWA for the beefier front ends. Seen lots of 2WD loader tractors with at least one side of the front axle welded up.

[perfecho]

Two items I wouldn't be without, skidsteer and quad. The skidsteer is amazinly versatile and esay to operate. Kids have run it for years, cleans barn, pens and snow, and the loader can take more abuse than a tractor loader.
Quad is certainly versatile here and used every day, feeding grain with a battery operated grain wagon, great for fencing, moving cows etc. Terrible in bush, but with a little grain or hay incentive, usually pull, not pushing cattle.

[grassfarmer]

Feeding with a 2wd on the frost sounds like a good
plan in September after some wet days. Not so much
in winter when you can go out to 3 feet of snow. Then
there are drifts.

[smcgrath76]

I am rather fond of both bale grazing
and not walking. Hence the 2WD and
horse. Depending on the terrain I can
see a quad, if the terrain is like here,
I am not sure what I would do with a
quad when a cow crosses a creek, goes up
a cutbank and through the bush (other
than swear).
I also like the horse in the corral for
sorting, etc. and feel safer tied onto a
cow with a horse then I probably would
with a quad. Also, that extra brain on
the job has come in handy a couple of
times. To each his own (LOL).

[perfecho]

Quad certainly has limitations. Our terrain/cows allows this, most will come to grain and close gate. Sorting is usually ok because they are used to people and any heads up ones are gone. Could see a good dog, however we don't have enough work for one...and I would probably screw him up.
Changing to spring calving and am expecting cows/calves to be more heads up. Winter calving, I beleive does quiet your herd because you are in them much more, plus we put close cows in at night....and some of them have me fooled by a month.