(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

Mowing Hay At Night...

B

Bill VA

Well-known Member
When we got our disc mower conditioner, one of the things we had in mind was a faster ground speed for cutting as well as a wider cut. Another thing we wanted was the ability to cut hay late in the evening and after dark as the dew set-in heavy, when the sickle mower conditioner would otherwise plug. The Krone has cut our mowing time almost in half and extended the day for cutting hay. I can get on the farm without necessarily leaving my day job early and mow into the night as required. The video link is a collection of short clips from this past summer of the MF 1105 and Krone 2801cv mowing some hay.

Anyone else find themselves mowing hay after dark?

Bill
Cutting Hay at Night...
 
Neighbors used to mow hay after dark all the time. Many nights as a kid I fell asleep to a pair of 706 gassers pulling IH 990 haybines. They had the reels set low so they would pull damp hay off the sickles so there was always a nice rhythmic chatter of the reel tines scraping the pan behind the sickle. Between the sound of the tractors and mowers, and the sweet smell of fresh cut alfalfa Timothy mix there was no better way to fall asleep. Miss those days.
 
Thanks for the video. I don?t really like to cut hay after dark, doesn?t mean I haven?t done it though. I have cut hay , baled hay, wrapped bales, loaded and hauled hay all after dark. As well as ploughed , disced, cultivated, spread manure, even planted corn after dark, all by necessity not by choice.
 
When I had cattle, I mowed at night all the time. Tedding raking and baling all had to be done in the daylight. Dew in the windrow was not an issue as we would run a tedder through it the next day as soon as the ground was dry between the windrows.
 
I saw a guy bale round hay Jan 2, 2019.
No way it was dry. I don't have any idea why he would do that.
 
I used to a lot. Still do some but I have a job now with set hours and instead of over time we get comp time or paid time off so I take advantage of that when I need it. I made a mistake once of mowing after dark with a 9700 ford and the headlights weren?t near what they are today. I got to spend the next morning gathering parts and the afternoon fixing the left side front axle where I fell in a hole.
 
I do often.
[video play=false:654c4848f0]https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvvideos/cvvideo1939.mov[/video:654c4848f0]
 

When I was covering a lot more ground I used to mow in the evening a lot. During June and July the dew would not be on it before I got it done, and then the morning sun is starting to dry it at 7:00 or soon after. I used to knock off around 9:30, no later than ten so as not to bother the neighbors. I am of the school of thought that after 5 times around the outside I pull out and then make a pass down the middle and strike off lands. I go around one until the center is opened up enough to turn around and head back up the middle then do most of the other side, then finish up going side to side so I don't have any sharp turns until the very last pass. I am able to maintain around 5MPH for pretty much the whole field this way. It requires more lights though. Both of the tractors that I used to mow with had lights up top and I would aim the right one a little way out to help me find where I needed to go back in when coming around at the end.
 
(quoted from post at 08:35:00 01/11/20) Cutting hay at night is a no no for grass hay. All the sugars get used up and the hay sours.
Click to expand...


Cutting hay in the evening is a YES! YES! YES! for grass hay. All the sugar is produced and stored up during the day so when it is cut in the evening the nutrient level is at its highest. Unless you bale with the moisture too high it won't sour.
 
I?ve got a neighbor like that. That?s why his last load of ?grass hay? brought $23 a bale at the hay auction. And he has LOTS of $23 bales left at home.
 
(quoted from post at 09:47:18 01/11/20) Same with raking, do it at night after dew sets, protects alfalfa leaves.
Click to expand...

It depends on what part of the country you are in and what your ground is like. Here we have to rake in the sunshine and bale no more than a half hour after the hay gets shade on it or it will mold.
 
(quoted from post at 09:47:18 01/11/20) Same with raking, do it at night after dew sets, protects alfalfa leaves.
Click to expand...

It depends on what part of the country you are in and what your ground is like. Here we have to rake in the sunshine and bale no more than a half hour after the hay gets shade on it or it will mold.
 
I use to mow hay well after dark often when I first went from working nights to days at my real job, often still mow in the evening but am still using a sickle type haybine so I try to be done by dark or shortly after. Around here that can be 9:30pm on a good day during first cutting time and that?s late enough. I always liked cutting later in the day versus real early as the dew would be gone and you could ted the hay out the next morning if needed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
MF 1105 Cutting Hay
Replies
4
Views
568
Bill VA
B
B
Cutting Hay MF 1105 and Krone
Replies
4
Views
693
Bill VA
B
B
Cutting Hay - Drone View
Replies
9
Views
660
Bill VA
B
rockyridgefarm
Too bad hay does not stay this beautiful green
Replies
13
Views
542
rockyridgefarm
rockyridgefarm
T
27V MOWER
Replies
5
Views
409
steve_in_mo
S
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top