Corn Chopping Packing Silage

[@Meowschitz]

It’s always awesome to see the kids helping when I was six just tall enough to stand and see over the hood I was running chisel plow and disc didn’t get to start planting until I was 11 dad didn’t trust me to do it right until then granted at 11 I was driving semi and combine so guess he figured if I can run a semi down the road safely I could plant fields haha. I’m 31 now and have 25 years of experience running tractors and 20 years running truck combine and planting now dad and mom only help when it’s time to harvest. Him and my old lady run the two Fendt 9Ts with 50ft headers and me and my mom run the two case 9240s with 50ft headers my son is 6 and I’m just teaching him to run grain cart. He will turn seven before harvest this year and the idea is that he can run grain cart all alone while the rest of us run combines no reason to have one combine sitting there so someone can ride with him he needs to be a big boy haha. Because my soon to be 10 year old daughter runs the other grain cart all alone been doing that for years she is an amazing little girl! We just upgraded both the tractors they will be running in 2018 one is a John Deere 9620R with dual 800s and the other is a case 620 quadtrac with 36 inch tracks. Don’t know which I like more they both run 45 foot diegelman protill high speed disc after harvest. That is obviously everyone’s favorite thing to do the old lady and the kids always fight over who gets to run them so been thinking about getting another haha we run 4,500 and some change acres of hay and 14,000 and some change acres of wheat and canola. Kind of want to get a 9620 RX but I have one Fendt 942 and adsolutely love it so I might get a 1050 instead. Considered a John Deere RT series but not a big fan of the two track tractors as much as four track ones or just tires. The new 8RX that we demos was super awesome afraid it might not be enough power though. I don’t know we will see what the future has in store:) As always another great video Jason!

[@toddr.4630]

The "boss man" handling the John Deere was LIVING THE DREAM in fine fashion, made my day, 😝✌️👍

[@nikerailfanningttm9046]

0:39, that driver in that truck, omg, looked so great, and his backing skills were perfect

[@koolman2021]

Big fan of anything farming over 30 years amazing how the tractors has changed

[@jankotze1959]

If I see that fresh cut silage I feel like eating it, awesome video , the Krone really keeps the trucks and tractors busy, absolute amazing, thanks you very much

[@bigtractorpower]

The Krone is impressive. There were actually three of them going. Watch for a video showing the three going side by side.

[@jankotze1959]

I have soft spot for the Ford Louisville trucks, the 9000 series was available here, many still running strong with Cummins big cam 360 engines I guess

[@roygunter3244]

Certainly different from the days back in the late 50s and early 60s when I was a kid on the farm and Dad cut the corn with a single row A-C chopper pulled with a WD 45 and we transported the cut silage in 7'x18' farm wagons that had woven wire attached to the floor at the rear and lay on the floor to the front where it went up the front of the wagon and we pulled the wire out with a tractor in the above ground bunker silo by using one of the tricycle front end M Farmalls that were used to pack the corn silage down. One man used a hose to keep the silage wet. To put up about 7 acres or so took a week or more. Thanks for the video.

[@bigtractorpower]

That is some cool history. The self unloading forage box was a big step forward in Forage Harvesting. I wish I could back to that time and film an operation like that.

[@rightsideofthegrass8114]

In early, mid-50s, we used David Bradley running gear, with 7X18 (16?) beds, with 4 ft sides. It would hold about 3-4 tons. We equipped it with a floating endgate, sitting at the front when being filled, and pulled to the back with roller/chains to unload. We were filling an upright silo with a blower, so the silage would come off the rear, into a bed with auger that took it to the blower fan. The roller/chains were managed with a small, very high-reduction gear machine, that rotated the roller (3" dia pipe), taking up the chains (two pull points to the floating endgate). As the gate was drawn to the rear, the entire load would move with the endgate. The power device hung on the end of the roller and was driven by a 1hp electric motor. As the silage came to the rear, we would stand behind the auger bed, using L-shaped rakes to pull it off, insuring smooth flow of material. When the load was gone, the device was removed, the roller was free spooling, and the floating endgate was pulled back to the front by hand. Yes, lots of work, but that was "making silage." Silage was chopped in the field with a single row Gehl cutter, pulled by a Cockshutt 40 (45 hp) with live PTO. The wagons were pulled behind the chopper, not beside. One tractor (CASE VA, 26 hp) ran to/from the field, pulling the wagons. The third tractor (CASE DC, 35 hp) drove the blower by a flat belt.

[@scruffy6151]

The boxs the custom chopper crew used had the floating head but was pulled to the back using cable's. Oh the fun times of growing up on the farm.

[@JoshuaSmith-xw6jp]

That boys doing a good job!!

[@bigtractorpower]

He was very focused on the task.

[@JoshuaSmith-xw6jp]

bigtractorpower yeah I noticed ,but what really stood out was how he didn't change his behavior when you started filming him. Alot of young guys and hell alot of adults for that matter start showing off once a camera comes near and they end up making an ass out of themselves by driving real fast and being rough on the equipment. He didn't at all.

[@harrisonfowler4461]

What a fantastic video. I've always wondered how this process worked. Thank you!

[@bigtractorpower]

Glad you enjoyed it. Growing up I would drive by a farm and see a bunk being filled but it was gone in a flash. I enjoy being able to spend time up close to farming operations to share the work being done.

[@harrisonfowler4461]

bigtractorpower well we all certainly appreciate it. I live in farm country in my state. However, I never did get to work on a farm. It's fascinating to see how everything works. Your channel never ceases to amaze me with the depth and detail of information.

[@billsmith8238]

Great content as always ,just thinking we can't be to far away from seeing 1000 HP machines

[@harrisonfowler4461]

Tom Lee i bet they're already in the works.

[@chunkmen]

krone already has a 1000hp chopper that cuts 21 rows at a time.

[@farminstoltzfus]

Krone's biggest model is powered by a 2 Mercedes engines producing a combined 1100hp with a 35 ft (14 row) corn head.

[@bigtractorpower]

As others stated the 1,000 hp machine is on the market. I hope to film a Big X 1100 at some point to share.

[@paigebevier5124]

Great job. I love watching your videos

[@bigtractorpower]

Thank you for watching.

[@uTubed007]

Great video edit to capture the various stages of all that work to be done. TYFS

[@bigtractorpower]

Thank you for watching. I enjoy showing the steps of an operation.

[@MustangsTrainsMowers]

I ran the tractor doing that on my Dads Farm in Australia in 1985. If you don’t create solid thin layers you can encounter soft spots and have the sileage bunch up under the tractor. Once when it did that it contacted the rod between the clutch pedal and the transaxle and the tractor stopped. I could see rolling a tractor doing that if you’re not careful.

[@bigtractorpower]

You have to be careful. What tractor did you run in 1985?

[@MustangsTrainsMowers]

An IH about 60-80hp. I forget the model. It reminded me of an IH 656 Utility we had on our farm in SE Minnesota. He also had a Duetz 4wd of about 110hp. My dad reintroduced corn (Maize) to the region of Gippsland he was in. There was just enough rainfall to raise a few hybrid corn variations for dryer regions. It took off enough that others competed against him. His farm was near the town of Heyfield Victoria. There is a dam nearby and irrigation channels spread out through the area. One nearby farmer built a huge open top lagoon for storage of water. I think the longest side of it was 1/4 mile long.

[@MustangsTrainsMowers]

It was an IH 685. My dad isn’t sure if it was made in Britain or Germany.

[@MustangsTrainsMowers]

My dad lives east of Melbourne. At least 30 years ago he reintroduced corn to his area which hadn’t been planted for 5+ decades because of the limited amount of rainfall and water for crops.

[@SlipShodBob]

I'm so glad clamps like that are a lot more prevalent in the UK than Harvesters (more my height and no worry about an unloader breaking when it is half full. One thing I have noticed more over here and Europe as a whole is the use of used pistebashers being used more and more instead of tractors to level out and pack the clamps down.

[@bigtractorpower]

I enjoy watching European Forage Harvesting. The two regions do harvest a little differently.

[@SlipShodBob]

bigtractorpower it is something that even a lot of our locals enjoy watch though you still get some that complain as our neighbours silage operation runs 24/7 but most don't mind as it only come to each area two or three times a season though at the moment they seem to be using a front mounted Vicon mower and a Strautmann forage wagon to bring grass straight to the cows rather than to the clamp. Either way it beats a neighbour coming out to state that they will be sitting out in the garden with some friends in the afternoon so could we not bale then.

[@guybyrd3579]

Everybody loves the 12.5L Cummins put in the 2002-2006 magnums

[@bigtractorpower]

👍

[@centralkyfarmer9420]

Great video. I’d love to come out that way and see a big Operation.

[@corbysherman4710]

Just going back and forth all day packing silage must get old quick.

[@bigtractorpower]

It’s funny a few other comments said they wished they could do that job all day. I guess the work is in the eye of the beholder.

[@corbysherman4710]

bigtractorpower For an 11 year old it has to be pretty awesome.

[@bwtupper]

Corby Sherman I bet he reminds the kids at school that he drives. I know I did.

[@loganjohnson4584]

Packing the pit (on some big pits) can be the most dangerous job on the farm, once u start rolling there is nothing u could do

[@connordanielson3048]

Corby Sherman it would be fun to do that i wont to be a farmer one day right now I live on a hobby farm with 2 horses and some chickens and work for a smaller farm part time in the summer

[@rageO]

Good work as always

[@JH-qz3gh]

Those mx285s sure sound good

[@cobyriley9197]

How awesome all I can do is wish it were me running that machinery great vid.

[@bigtractorpower]

It would be fun. Farmers always tell me I need to be driving these machines which I would love to do but if I drive I am not filming.

[@roybeyer2991]

i never seen this type of bunkers with only sandwall intresting we use silos with concrete walls 👍

[@bigtractorpower]

This farm has several bunkers. The rest are cement. You can see their largest cement bunker at the 5:00 minute mark in this video m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/baLGmoGHaJaimac I think this trench silo set up is for over flow capacity.

[@toddr.4630]

Much appreciated 👍✌️

[@myronparks3495]

Need a fleet of trucks to keep the chopper going. I notice the sidewalls on the bunker wasn't very tall. The feedyard I worked at the bunker sidewalls was around 20 feet tall.

[@bigtractorpower]

This farm has several cement bunkers at two locations. They started filling this trench silo first this year.

[@myronparks3495]

bigtractorpower I see. I loved running a chopper in the fall to make corn silage. You knew cattle would be coming in soon.

[@scruffy6151]

Thank you BTP. If the price is right any truck will do.

[@bigtractorpower]

You are correct. As long as they run. A down truck puts a kink in the flow of harvest.

[@littlerougue]

I like to see the whole process we did a pit way early on and then a silo that is still standing but not being used

[@bigtractorpower]

I am glad you enjoyed it. I have another process video on the way involving chopping.

[@longcaster]

BTP, I can't help but compare corn chopped for silage here in the USA and corn chopped in Europe. It appears to my eyes that what they chop over there is more dried out that what we chop here. It look like they chop later in the season as the green color is mostly gone, unlike here where we chop green corn. What or where is the most nutrition? Is there more food value in green wet silage or corn that has started to brown out and I guess dry out before harvest?

[@bigtractorpower]

They like to chop at 67-65% moisture. This crop is right at 65%. If you get up to 70% you start to see green juice.

[@farminstoltzfus]

Here in the US, we start chopping corn silage around 1/4-1/2 milkline. Moisture is usually around 65%. Generally the more mature (more milkline on the kernel), the more starch in the silage. Sugar will be higher in more green, less mature silage, whereas the sugar in the kernel converts to starch as it matures.

[@MJKORK-qg1ot]

well done love this chanel keep it up BTP!!!

[@bigtractorpower]

Thank you for watching. Glad you liked it.

[@DutchAgriculture]

Great video!

[@bigtractorpower]

Thank you for watching.

[@koolman2021]

Awesome they do good work

[@bigtractorpower]

Thank you for watching.

[@davegdm954]

field race!!!!!!

[@muttgusse]

we use to borrow and tractor wagoon that were 50m3 like 20 tonnes off grass.

[@bigtractorpower]

Thank you for sharing.

[@AlextheDutchDairyfarmer]

It seems awfully early in the year to be chopping corn already. It's a bit to green for me too. Altough with the drought we're having it might be early here too. Is there an after crop like wheat or so? Grtz from the netherlands

[@JamesOBrien2253]

Alex the Dutch Dairyfarmer I think they plant millet or sorghum

[@bigtractorpower]

Hi. The corn being chopped is at 65% moisture which is right where they want it. They like it in the 67 to 65 precent. This corn was planted in March so it is ready to go. Farms here plant a second crop of sorghum after the corn is harvested. The sorghum is chopped off in late November.

[@rightsideofthegrass8114]

At 65%, what is the status of the kernel milk for the ears of corn? Many years ago, when we did corn silage, we had no moisture meters, but always used kernel milk to determine the time to cut.

[@AlextheDutchDairyfarmer]

bigtractorpower Okay, so way ealier planted than ours. Thanks for the reply

[@bwtupper]

I wonder how the cost of storage compares of pit vs ag bag?

[@20RM02]

Near mai village are one Jd 8R and one 9R cultivating right now :D

[@bigtractorpower]

Very cool.

[@butchbunde8990]

I have a question, when we used to do silage on our family dairy farm in silos we used an inoculant while blowing it in, do they add anything to the silage when in bunks?

[@bigtractorpower]

They do not add anything at the bunker. If there is a need for inoculant it is applied through the chopper. I most often see inoculant applied during rye and alfalfa chopping.

[@albertusmostert5418]

Great video. I wonder how they start the pile e.g (the first truck load how they push it)

[@bigtractorpower]

I have not been around atva farm yet to see the first truck load of the season yet. It would be neat to see that first pile. I expect they just feather out the first load and keep on feathering each load until it mounds. The pile in the video is the second day of chopping. The bunk is 4-5 miles from the field being chopped.

[@MrJohndeere3720]

great vid :) i like that mx285 :)

[@bigtractorpower]

The MX285 is a cool tractor. This same tractor was featured in my 80 years of red tractors video.

[@taddmason1187]

The thumbnail picture looks like toys

[@bigtractorpower]

They are the real thing. It would be neat to set up a silo bunker display like this. A good project for Toy Tractor Times KZbin.

[@guy5322]

What do they do with the pile of feed? Cover it with a tarp or move it again?

[@corycoulter5140]

Guy They tarp it and use old tires to hold the tarp down

[@bigtractorpower]

They use a tarp.

[@gabrielbeyt6267]

bigtractorpower do they take the tarp off and remove the silage and use it as feed so that way more silage can fit in the bunker or clamp

[@noelhohberger1188]

I remember that young guy from last year

[@bigtractorpower]

The guy from last year is running one of the choppers this year.

[@noelhohberger1188]

bigtractorpower wow moving up to big time

[@bricedolhover7551]

This is the kid with the stieger bearcat it is very possible for u to film it because I live probably an hour away from you and also we have a bearcat 3 st 225

[@bigtractorpower]

I like Bearcats. Drop me an email at [e-mail]. I will see what we can set up.

[@raggdoll1977]

What would happen if a hydraulic line burst and contaminating the feed?

[@bigtractorpower]

I imagine they would repair it and being in a loader tractor in and scoop out the oil spot.

[@tylerrwipf2215]

Cows would never eat it they smell it an won't eat it

[@ernievarga6319]

good video -- is there a concrete floor under this silage

[@bigtractorpower]

Yes it is a concrete bunker underneath and on the sides.

[@ernievarga6319]

@@bigtractorpower -- there dose not appear to be any side concrete wall on this bunker in this video

[@StillenG37]

Dirt is the enemy in silage... building pits is horrible for quality feed. Do the research folks, and bag silage

[@ТохаБуц]

Нерозумію який тут діз-лайк,люди працюють,тухніка в поряді,клас!

[@yummybbqwings994]

Hey bigtractor power what is your favorite original steiger model

[@bigtractorpower]

Great question. If you mean original green line it would be the Panther II.

[@yummybbqwings994]

Mine the cougar 3

[@bigtractorpower]

The Cougar III will be the next video on Big Tractor Power. 👍👍👍

[@noahater5785]

wait, the person operating the John Deere tractor is 11??? um, *no comment*

[@ohiodairyfarming6382]

Are they getting the silage packed enough? When we put are pile down we have a claas jauger 870 with a 6 row head with three trucks and the chopper never stops and we run three tractors on the pile to make sure we really get it packed and all the tractors got back cement weights and beet juice in the tires.

[@bigtractorpower]

They had at least 7 trucks and three Big Xs running. They were filling another bunk in addition to this one. They run an 8295R over the pile to help tamp it down. It was at the other bunk as I filmed this one. I have a video on the way showing all three Krone choppers running side by side.

[@markstengel7680]

When it rains dosent it grow mold from moisture ?

[@nomerc3608]

Mark Stengel No it’s covered with plastic and tires put on top of the plastic removing all of the air pockets making an air tight seal.

[@bigtractorpower]

As stated the pile is covered in plastic when it was complete. It you look in the back were the 6715 is going back and forth you can spot a John Deere skid steer arranging tires in advance of the plastic cover going on.

[@christ5856]

Is it cheaper to run trucks rather than tractors and trailers?

[@bigtractorpower]

I think it is a preference. The field was 5 miles from the bunk. The trucks can run the distance faster.

[@mackowen9337]

I like the mack at 9:11. Macks have always been better then peterbilts or kenworths

[@bigtractorpower]

Mack’s are heavy duty. They are both former coal trucks.

[@keithhylton4631]

They use to be. Now they’re all the same

[@mikethorntonr1]

Mackenzie owen debatable and now definitely Mack's are shit now since Volvo bought them out all Mack's wiring and electronics kiss goodbye garbage so now your only option is peterbilt or kenworth and international other than that I wouldn't buy anything else

[@mackowen9337]

mikethorntonr1 I like older Macks like b61"s or r600 models. I really don't like the newer junk with electronics and def diesel killer..

[@anthonystorer3618]

Yeah, exactly I would take a Pete or a Kenworth over Mack any day.

[@wilsonandrade2220]

👍👍👍

[@bigtractorpower]

Thank you for watching.

[@bomberking401bomber6]

Thought this was a toy lol

[@jdlawless_fuel1416]

Yeah looked like a farm display with custom diecast machines 🤣😂

[@valentinderrien]

In 2018 ?

[@bigtractorpower]

Yes 2018

[@бананыиовощи]

Вырыли яму .и даже не смогли бетонные плиты поставить .потом сенаж будзет с песком-.для америки это позор ....должно все быть хорошо и красиво ..так на вас все смотрят..не опускайтейсь до. Уровня росии....