Need haybine for 25 acres/yr. what type?

[poorboy]

I need hay for a few cows. Have seeded about 25 acres of crap land to a grass/alfalfa mix and a few grass sloughs. Might also want to cut some barley for green feed.

Budget of $15,000 or less.

Do I want disc or cutterbar in older machine? Yields will be like 1-3 bales/ac with most years 2 bales/ac. Baled with round baker.

Impeller or conditioning rolls?

Any brands fairly cheap and reliable to operate or is a cheaper haybine something that breaks down every 30 min?

I have no rake. Is 12’ or 14’ or 16’ the ideal size? Farm east of Calgary. Usually hot and dry here at haying time.

Recommended brands for ease of repairs and durability? I have lots of tractor, so power not an issue.

Thanks for any advice.

[15444]

New Holland 1475 or 499 or Macdon 5000. Should be able to find either for less than 10k easily. That size machine will cut 25 acres in 1/2 a day. Will need 80-100 HP to make it work.

[Sheepwheat]

For 25 acres? There are lots of options for far less than $15 000! 25 acres is doable with a thousand or two dollar machine... like a 114 or 116 NH.

[GDR]

IMO Deere and Heston make the best cutters. With putting alfalfa in you will wind up with moles and a disc machine will handle them better, sickles are less problematic but slower and every other mole hill you will be off cleaning the cutter bar. Also wouldnt buy an impeller machine if you are planning on doing green feed as a lot harder on the kernels. I'm in a wetter area than you and 12ft works good here, anything bigger and you are needing a recon. East of Calgary you are likely fine going bigger if you want to but as long as you are making a decent swath a smaller one will dry faster. 15g will buy a decent 10 to 15 yr old machine with good parts availability. Nothing wrong with side pull machine but once you go to a centre pivot you wouldnt want to go back.

Turn the turtles over by hand and watch the timing, check and make sure the bearings are tight. (Some play in gears below turtles is normal) make sure if its rubber rollers that the rubber isnt peeling or too much pitted.

[poorboy]

I normally buy all my hay, so the haybine thing is new to me.

Have about 25 acres of hay now and another 25 that might get seeded for 50 total.

Possibly 30 to 100 acres of barley greenfeed also. Undecided on that as may just dedicate it and do yellow feed.

I don’t know if a $2,000 haybine is anymore reliable than a $10,000 haybine or not. Some farm machinery has had major improvements over the years and some hasn’t changed much. No sure how haybines have changed. It is hilly land. Not bad for rocks.

[Sheepwheat]

Ok I thought it was just 25 acres. For a couple hundred you will surely need more than a 114 NH!

[megrizzly]

I'm in a similar situation with only about 25-30 acres and a bit of greenfeed. We originally purchased a cheaper haybine and had nothing but issues with it. You were constantly fixing one thing or another even with a new knife and guards. Dumped it and bought a good used macdon 5020. Its been a good unit and parts interchange with our macdon swathers.

It was a bit of an investment for the little amount we need it, but it works well and it should last a long time.