The Human Hay Baler! Jim Kovaleski Demonstrates His Custom + Manual Baler

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

Thanks for watching!! Jim Kovaleski is a Human Hay-Baler! He demonstrates the full process of creating hay bales using his custom-made, manual baler. Jim feeds the hay to his animals and gardens with this organic and sustainable approach. Want to see more of Jim Kovaleski?! We filmed a Course with Jim. It's called "The Grass-Fed Market Garden" ; this course is packed with valuable information and is affordable! We are constantly adding more content to the course so be sure to check it out and learn from the Farming Master! "Grass-Fed Market Garden" Course - www.thegrassfedmarketgarden.com/ Check out our video on The Grass-Fed Market Garden here- kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXfEiGuvm6xkeK8 Check Out Our Online Nursery! We can ship plants anywhere in the US! Click on the link below to order: Online Store Link- bit.ly/2wzHQiT​ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ Playlist Links: Our MOST POPULAR Videos - bit.ly/2LOVp4X Our Client Projects - bit.ly/2NWYMU2 Best of Growing Fruit (Tropical/Subtropical) - bit.ly/2EeCytW ____________________________________________________________ To learn more about us, as well as our products & services: www.greendreamsFL.com Follow us on Social media Facebook: bit.ly/3wRYYLe Instagram: bit.ly/2RwdsQL ____________________________________________________________ Have we made a difference for you? We would much appreciate your contribution to keep improving upon the quality, content & consistency of this channel. Support Us @ www.patreon.com/greendreamsFL

[@robandclaireheiman8001]

Any chance of getting plans for this? Or reference to where/who he copied from?

[@andrews2023]

Do you sell the shirt Jim wears?

[@michaelwalsh9145]

Surely making wynds of hay and a reek would be less hassle.

[@kevinsmith9502]

Seems like a lot of work A rake he could just pull behind a tractor or truck

[@lmrohr1173]

They still sell those hay rakes

[@ericl9830]

This treasure of a man is a testament to clean living and hard work

[@coddtycrain7008]

this dude makes the amish look hi tech brings new meaning to manual labor.

[@jakkooll]

In days like these we all wish we were Jim Kovaleski.

[@CITYBORNDESERTBRED]

The type of work ethic and knowledge that should be documented and shared. This is what I love about KZbin. No way Jim would post and edit vids on his own, but strikes me as the type of guy you could talk to and work with all day. Thanks for capturing his essence, and thanks Jim for freely sharing your knowledge with us 🙏🏾

[@erikkkkkkk914]

It's probably a mental disorder. Not saying he is a bad guy or not a hard worker. But...

[@crispy9175]

Never been so excited for a video about hay before.

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

Awesome 😎

[@harleyharleyharley]

I hope your life improves next week

[@crispy9175]

@@harleyharleyharley oh man. I got some hay going. Got the garden almost fully prepped for my winter growing season. If I don't count that our government is doing, things are getting better everyday.

[@MikeOrazzi]

@@crispy9175 This is pretty sweet.

[@TheHusbandTrophy]

Jim inspired me a couple years back to use grass in the garden. Oh how many people thought I was an idiot. Two years in and those same folks are getting interested in how I produce so much without buying fertilizers etc. Thanks Jim.

[@stephenbru]

Wow...You Tube logarithms think I should know how to make a bale of hay....I watched the whole vid too!!..really interesting!

[@bwghall1]

fantastic, some of us still about. Wiltshire hillbilly/country folk. 1950 here still working with horses. so only 70 years ago.

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

Love it!

[@musaadfelton3909]

This guy will remain young at heart and young in the limbs too.

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

You know it!

[@Learningmane]

This guy is ahead of our time. God bless thank for sharing this knowledge

[@chipkyle5428]

I'm 72 and have my grandfather's long handled three-tine pitchfork. We are 5th generation rice farmers. My grandfather and a crew of dozens of men cut and binded (tied) rice into bundles with a binding machine drawn by a team of horses or mules. Thirteen bundles were stacked together into one "shock" (rice heads facing up with one bundle turned upside down over the top the shed any rain." After the sun dried the shocks, the crew used those pitchforks to load a horse drawn bundle wagon that brought the rice bundles to a stationary threshing machine powered by a steam engine and the bundles were loaded on to a feeder chain that carried the rice head first into the concave and cylinder to be threshed. All the straw was blown into a huge straw pile that feed the cattle through the winter. No barn needed. Today we raise 3.5 million pounds of high quality Louisiana rice on the same farm. The straw remains on the ground to feed next years crawfish crop! some fields yield 1,000 lbs of crawfish per acre. Airboats are used to empty the crawfish traps. We No-Till rice and precision level our land to save water and prevent erosion. We hold water as well. Less carbon. More food. 80% of American farms are family owned. We also have the gears for a horse powered hay baler. The horse walked around in a circle compressing a baler fed straw by the same pitchforks. I enjoyed the video. Good man.

[@granmabern5283]

Good Morning. Thankyou!

[@sandralee3990]

Please Do a video. Steam engines are great to see. May need to go back to them.

[@cjewell8444]

I really enjoyed your comment. Now I'll be looking for the Louisiana brand rice to buy, just because of the wonderful story of your rice farming family.

[@fayekeller7411]

Please can you do.a video on how that's done! I'd love to see it. We do hay but my machine

[@KKIcons]

Is it Zatarains? I want rice grown like this!

[@kulwant747]

Farmers are hardworking people

[@imover9999]

I've watched this guy before in other videos, and man he's one of the hardest workers I've ever seen. Incredible. That man is thin, but he's probably strong as an ox. True old timey farmer.

[@rzella8022]

Doing that to a whole field, 75+ bales. Strong as an ox likely an gross understatement. Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime would lose to this guy.

[@Battleforabilliondollars]

This is the guy I want on my team when the world returns to how it used to be 150+ years ago

[@buyerofsorts]

Or just about any Amish person. :)

[@ajb.822]

I know - I'd appreciate him just being within an hour of me, also because I like his personality and everything as a person to learn from ! Not that I'd want to be a pest, but even to just ask a question here and there, as we learn to keep our scythe sharp for example.

[@buyerofsorts]

@@GARRY3754 Huh?

[@jefffraser4345]

Get him in your team quick, that times back coming faster then you think.

[@bye92]

Why wouldn't return to that?

[@rayclark6596]

Pete, please pass this along to Jim. Before you put any hay in, start by passing the lower twine thru back at the door for easy access. Just pull an extra 6 ft straight thru out the other side. Use something like a paint stir stick to drag the twine up to the front. You could add a brass cup hook on the vertical frame about where the knot is in the wood ( see 6:58 ) on both sides. So that makes a "U" shape with the bottom twine when you start loading in the hay. You can take the twine off the cup hooks after your first compression but I think this will work. Don't cut the wood. It's an integral part of the frame. Just my 2 cents. I loved this video and the next one where Jim mulches the bed first and then plants. So simple, but amazingly effective.

[@stephenstapler9996]

Killing it with the Jim videos, it’s really nice to see other options available and how he doesn’t need machines. Keep up the good work Jim and Pete!

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

Thanks man! 👊

[@ajb.822]

Well - my kind of machines. Ones that don't have motors or computers, things that I can't fix myself ( me, a NOT very mechanically inclined female ) or can easily kill you !

[@patrickboyle6727]

He's a fit man,real world fitness and strength,fair play to him💪🇮🇪.

[@dorcascristy601]

There is true intelligence here… and it’s not that it’s surprising, but it is beautiful and deserves celebration. Thank you for continuing to return to his projects and for letting us in

[@thechief762]

In the late '90's I fed rabbits and poultry home grown winter wheat that was hand baled on my farm in the Ozarks. In spring when the wheat headed out I cut stems and all then sun dried it. I baled it using just a wooden box about 1/2 the size of the standard bale Jim is making. Just by stomping with feet I was able to get a good compact bale. I fed the hay with grains in the suspended rabbit cages and the poultry down below ate the grains the rabbits dropped as they fed. I also did a lespedeza hay which is a high protein legume the same way. This got my animals through winter very well. Some of the wheat was hand threshed to grain and made into bread.

[@ajb.822]

Awesome ! U may want to go find videos on Joel Salatin's " rakin " set up ( sounds just like yours in theory) to give those into it, this idea of raising that to feed them ! Thanks !!

[@hanginlaundry360]

Fascinating! How large an area did you plant? Did you use any machinery? Would love to hear more! Thanks!

[@lmrohr1173]

What does he use to cut the grass???? Guess that will be part 2.

[@BrokeWrench]

@@lmrohr1173 a hand sythe, think grim reaper lmao

[@dennisconrad6124]

Well, I have to admit, I can’t wait to see this in action myself. Having spent most of my summers as a kid baling hay with my parents and siblings, I’ve seen more hay bales then I want to remember.

[@angerskarin9222]

I hated summer hay bailing time, its hot and dusty and the hay would always cut my legs when i was moving it.

[@dandelion_fritters]

I would do this if money wasn’t involved. Always loved plants and knowing them, animals, and what we need for sustainence. So lovely.

[@rensspanjaard]

this guy is amazing, he absolutely touches me so much dedication, ethics and pleasure

[@love68]

Ol Jim is my kinda guy! Patient, knowledgeable, (even while still learning), and a worker. God bless him and all of us true workers. 🌞🙏💛☯️🌞💯😃

[@billburghart1]

Pete please keep them coming!! You and Jim are my therapy. Your videos put me in a happy place and they inspire and teach me so much! Please keep them coming!!!

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

Thanks 😊

[@juhajoki-erkkila7331]

we had pailer like that in 1960 back in finland. my dad sold hey to norden part off Finland and we hand bail all the hey

[@IowaKim]

Collecting my grass clippings today using that same hay fork. Every time I mow my yard (large one) I mow towards the center making mounds of clippings. I use those to make compost & to mulch. Have been doing this for 5 years now. Just thought it was coincidence that I am doing the same activity with the same fork and came in for an iced tea break to watch this video.

[@Rebecca.Robbins]

Cool video!!! Hard work usually produces the best product! Maybe not the MOST, but generally the BEST.

[@THEGROWITS]

The earth does a big relief sigh of aaaawwwhhhhh when Jim shows up! He treats her so nicely pretty work Pete and Jim!

[@meeeoooow]

Brilliant, and reuse bailing twine too.👩‍🌾

[@KCAATV]

An interesting novelty I suggest the gentleman is adding the hay to the bale through the rear of the baler chamber, when a machine compressed baler introduces hay through the plunger end, making compression more natural and far easier..

[@samueldougoud3289]

I totally agree ! It is a failure that even after so much engineering, the user is forced to such unergonomic labour 9:18

[@fortitudinefarm]

I have a manual Baler and I feed my loose hay in through the plunger end

[@paint52]

I think a top loader would be the easiest way to go …

[@fortitudinefarm]

@@paint52 yes, mine is a upright, top loading version

[@mbraddock84]

​@fortitudinefarm I was planning on a vertical version as well, but I like the idea of being able to push the bale out of the bottom. And I can see where there are benefits to the horizontal design. It would be interesting to see if a hybrid could be built - one that could be operated in either position.

[@TheMalerdaemon]

Hay man, great video!

[@jnoelcook]

Pete, enjoying your videos! Jim, learning a lot!

[@jameshouchins9469]

I'm gonna say it again...Jim is a beast! For some of you older folks, that's an extreme compliment!

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

💪💪

[@pedroulloarodriguez4920]

Good work, if you put a load entries in en the top of the back compression you can continuously load hay without open an close the door. Greetings from Galicia, Spain

[@MuhaloTube]

I've got a manual hay press that is 90% the same as this. Mine is more continuous like a machine baler rather than this latched door style. The twine tying is the same. They are surprisingly effective!

[@lisaclark4517]

What's the name of your baler? Where can I find one? Thank you.

[@MuhaloTube]

@@lisaclark4517 I built it myself with plywood and 2x4s, much like Jim's.

[@MuhaloTube]

@@lisaclark4517 I have a video that shows it in use. I don't go over the construction, but it's pretty straightforward 2x4 framing. You can work out the dimensions based on a standard small thrower bale (approx. 14 x 18 x 36 inches)

[@SoaringThunder2024]

Right on, I have wondered about some kind of contraption that would do this. Now, I have seen one! Awesome, Great Job & Great Video! 👏👏

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

Stay tuned! Jim has made some serious upgrades 🎥

[@sippinghotchocolate]

the contraption reminds me of the wool balers where you load from the top and tamp down.

[@jackc70]

Jim, you’re a good man.

[@dmitartasic8246]

Amazing! I used to help my grandparents with flipping and collecting hay. We still have special wooden forks which are broader and can collect more hay. Jim mentioned how longer straws are better for flipping and stick together. This is essential for old style stacking. Thanks Pete and thanks Jim for bringing back some memories. Pity we can not sense that beautiful smell of freshly mowed hay. Keep up the good work guys!

[@charldoutube]

Great and simple man! That’s what this world needs. Hope he shares plans so I can build it

[@Charlie-wood]

I like the idea of reusing the twine. We need more of this in our lives, not just hay but so many farm products are incredibly dependent on expensive machines, particularly here in the UK. Finding an individual to actually work today is the challenge!

[@sheilasullivan1950]

Pay adequately then there wont be a problem. Farm and fishing girl here. Love farm work but get no breaks, no rest room usage and pittance as a paycheck. That's why farmers had big families. Like our Dad told us...don't complain. For being my labor savers (paid employees we were not) you get a roof over your head, bed to sleep in, an education and 3 square meals a day, your mother does the laundry so the least you can do is 'help' on the farm. Slaves unpaid. We thought. They bought us clothing and shoes. We had a tv. Fresh milk and eggs and our own meat. Vegetable garden. Fish from the sea. Very lucky until it came to competing with kids in school for haircuts, latest clothing. Pocket money? Ha ha. Good luck. We didn't die. Cooked our own food. Went to mass every sunday. All successful. We had sheep. Cows. Hens. Pony. Best life.

[@Ang.0910]

Have u heard about JADAM?

[@mbraddock84]

I'm in America and have just a small place with me and my two kids. Eggs, milk, butter, and some produce. I reuse the plastic-like feed bags to plant potatoes, twine for all kinds of things, and all manner of other ways to reuse things to keep cost lower and to add less to the landfill - it only gets thrown away when there really isn't a use for it or it is completely worn out. Machinery can be great in many areas, but it gets overused when some sweat is really all you need.

[@Charlie-wood]

@@mbraddock84 yes I agree entirely. Well done and power to you.

[@chongseitmooi2593]

Wowwwww very really inspiring hay baler

[@got2kittys]

In the old fashioned barn with a hay loft, it was strewed all over the loft floor. After a few days it was piled in the corner, stomped to pack it down, and this was repeated till the loft was full. A lot of hay can be made this way.

[@crimsoneloquence5976]

It's Jim!!! I love this guy! Found him accidentally two years ago. He convinced me my Homestead dreams were possible today! 😁

[@wtfutv5419]

Okay, I hereby nominate Jim Kovaleski for permanent admittance into the "Garden Hall of Fame", MannyG Orlando

[@ERMAV]

Absofeickenlootly

[@srafmmfs1156]

He is very hard working man.happy to see him again.

[@phinehasfenne]

He is one tuff dude! 👍

[@catherinemaslin5466]

That is amazing. I used to help my Dad put loose hay in the hay mow. He would have loved this process!

[@zen4men]

Just be aware that green grass will heat up in a stack, and can catch fire. I was born in 1957 on a farm in South Devon, England, and often helped my father with the hay as a teenager. ...... The smell of new-mown hay is wonderful. He brewed home-made bitter beer, and elderflower champagne. ...... This combined into a great shandy - much appreciated by those moving bales like these from the fields into small stone barns.

[@davidsawyer1599]

When is was a young boy. My Great Grand Mother would remark about things that were good. It implied lots and lots of strenuous labor. She was 99 when she passed.. Must been all that good stuff.In a way Jim has an old soul.

[@barrybr1]

Hey Pete, always love your vids with Jim. Man, that fella can work! I was impressed with what Jim said in a previous vid about the value of knowing your piece of land better by walking it and scything. You'd get instant feedback about where water accumulates, rocks, plant mix, etc. Respect from here in urban Sydney

[@painmt651]

Not much in life as satisfying as growing what you need, for yourself. I just harvested my potatoes. I got more than twice the yield I was expecting. I feel very blessed!

[@kylemiller2013km]

That's cool, I hope to be like Jim as I progress with my homestead farm.

[@jeremyboren1732]

Jim rocking it with the Opinel knife

[@GutenGardening]

Awesome! Love Jim.

[@azmanmdsalleh2009]

Mind y'all the hay itself can be twined into a rope which makes the whole bale is eco friendly

[@THEGROWITS]

man..a couple o good guys that like to work together could do quite a few a day. As someone who bailed hay all summer long as a kid i am Once Again impressed by JIM!!!

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

This could definitely be scaled with a little extra manpower.

[@THEGROWITS]

@@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL its the like minded people that will do it. I do believe there are beginning to be more like minded people!

[@tkaart2242]

Love seeing Jim! He is so amazing! Thank you!

[@HansQuistorff]

I did not have time and materials to build a bailer so I reused bailing twine in a garbage can and stomped it in.

[@magen2271]

Great idea!

[@ajb.822]

The old adage " where there's a will, there's a way " comes to mind ! Excellent !

[@rickobrien1583]

The support he is having to string around. Make a kerf for the string for an easy slide through was a good idea Pete. Great to see you guys!

[@willmarshall3552]

Were I to build something similar, I would load hay thru a gate on top next to his plunger. This would reduce the opening and closing of the rear gate. One fork full of hay into the bale near the plunger would reduce having to load by hand and lessen the work load. One forkful, compress, next forkful, then compress till you have what you want. But neat idea without the cost and maintaince of a mechanical baler and it's power source.

[@Ourarbiter]

Man you ain't kidding. You could probably make that modification in about 45 seconds.

[@TractorWrangler01]

If he were to cut a hole in the top on the side hes packing from he would save a bun h of time. Also, two of the same board setups hes using to eject the bail will make it easier on him. Packing from the front will allow tighter bails because he doesn't have to open the door to push it with his foot nor would he have to open the door to put the twine in. He could sting the twine in advance. It would just require that another brace be put in to support the wood around the new hole by the packer. Just some thoughts...

[@juliancrooks3031]

As a kid growing up in the 60's watching old westerns I often wondered how they had bails of hay when the bailer wasn't invented till early 20th century

[@Blurry_Sights]

Definition of a hobby farmer right here. Very interesting video. That guy is awesome

[@leonsteber]

Thanks so much for these videos of Jim, such an inspiration. Was hoping we’d see inside his barn at the end! So apart from his pickup (and seeds?) I’m guessing Jim does almost “zero input agriculture”, no off farm inputs. I could listen to Jim talk for hours, would sure be good to hear what he’s reading etc 😃

[@joeyseabaugh6742]

Zero input like the latches that he mentioned purchasing at tsc, and check out those homemade rubber tires on his hand milled wood bailer.

[@PS-zx9km]

My young daughter and I gathered hay that was left from when our hay was bales mechanically. We used a clean rectangular kitty litter bucket. Put two long strings crossed in bottom extending over the sides to tie to make a bale. We put the loose hay in bucket, stepped on it pressing it down, tied it when we thought it was enough. We enjoyed our time together and we're successful at saving the pretty hay bales for our pet goat. It saved and not wasted.

[@crochetingaroundnewzealand]

Jim is amazing! Teenagers today couldn't do this physical work.

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

They don’t make them like they used to!

[@scottcarr2871]

They used too. Thats why we have daylight savings time and they got out of school in late June to work on farms. Now teanagers do nothing because our society is a bunch of snowflakes!

[@luciedutra756]

Thank you for posting this video. It is so good to see that he is self sufficient. Not only is he providing for his animals but, he is also doing himself a great load of health. To work hard outdoors is so bennificial to our healt. He will surely live a health long life.

[@buyerofsorts]

Hey Pete, I would love for you to do a video showing the coast that is right at their back yard. Maybe you guys can dig up some clams?

[@lisaclark4517]

two enthusiastic thumbs up for this one! no noisy tractor for a small field of hay. Love it.

[@joemama9098]

My tractor is very quiet. You can't hear a thing over the music and the A/C.

[@aron8949]

Love seeing the work in Maine, after all, most of the country isn’t even close to tropical or subtropical.

[@CharlesGann1]

Thank you for showing Jim demo this baler. I grew up in the 60s and 70s and we used what is thoughtto antique machinery. Had seen these hand balers on you tube There is a group tha does have plans for one used in Africa.plus lots of russian and eastern europe Mostly it shows you can do it whichis is very important! Thankyou bothof for this get r dun video

[@HawaiiTW]

Aloha You are the man! Amazing one 😊

[@Nancy-zk9dj]

I have a 3-tined fork like that, one of my most used garden tools. It's the one from our farm in the 60s, makes it even more special... my Dad used it ❤

[@mbraddock84]

Does Jim have a build plan for this baler?

[@rikcab]

13:11 exactly my thought, secure a 1/2 copper pipe to the backside of the wheel upright. Nice design, very interesting.

[@MimiYouyu]

Fantastic

[@jimallison6125]

Excellent soil builder. Good work Jim.

[@adelewatkins9386]

I would love to see a picture of his hands...I know that sounds weird but to me a man's hands are like his own personal history book.

[@kamaliancirranoush1916]

That’s not weird at all! When I observe someone I look at their hands and shoes.

[@adelewatkins9386]

@@Sandra-gk3ct says alot about your character to me..strong, dependable, not afraid to work

[@adelewatkins9386]

@@Sandra-gk3ct I know, those little bastards, I'm fighting a horrible mound right now

[@garyseckel295]

Wow! This video more important NOW, than on the date when it was actually made! Someone needs to make plans available for this thing of beauty! A lot of people could make use of this major survival tool!

[@hal7ter]

Right - I was hoping there would be link to plans for this...

[@BushImports]

That's really interesting, it's hard to believe he can do all that, that fast. I hope you are enjoying your trip to Maine or enjoyed it,thanks Pete.

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

Thanks man! It was an awesome trip.

[@kroegermarkus1170]

Happy Birthday, Jim!

[@werefeat0356]

Every time a greenie gets an idea, it takes humanity back 500 years.

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

Or the Sun will, then this information may be helpful.

[@kabuti2839]

but it works no matter what

[@roflpill]

If anything, it makes it more accessible to people who can't afford equipment. Great for people who are willing to put in hard work as they start up, until they can afford the modern conveniences. It's important that people know how to do things the hard way.

[@werefeat0356]

@@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL I'm not sure I understand your comment, but the sun is a pretty well known item. Fantasy avoids this.

[@werefeat0356]

@@kabuti2839 The greenies are hysterical idiots.

[@fifocrew3040]

First time I have watched this. I really enjoyed the story and the way of doing it.

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@IraRomfh]

I would make the box half again as long and add the same lever mechanism to both sides. Basically make the same device twice and attach the halves with hinges and getting the same super tight bale but without the need to add more hay in the middle of the workflow. You could do the same thing with a single lever but you would need to engineer a longer throw of the lever arm, or some sort of cam that can do a second compression. My philosophy is just because it is human powered does not mean it needs to be laborious.

[@ajb.822]

I agree ! The more minds coming too it, the more innovation and improvements we can come up with ! I'll have to show my husband, he is an awesome innovator.

[@PendeltonWhiskey]

What a wonderful world this would be if it were populated by people like Jim

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

Yes, indeed

[@dixiewishbone5582]

I wonder how this baler would work with pine needles, a very popular commodity in my southern neck of the woods? Great design, well planned! Thanks for sharing!! S. Carolina

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

I’ve heard it’s actually very similar to what they already used for Pineneedles in North Florida but that is an upright bailer.

[@georgiagirl9891]

That's how we bale pinestraw in Ga

[@josephryanlaird]

he's got more time and motivation than I do.....more power to him !!!

[@dandavatsdasa8345]

Good to see the "down to earth" ways! My Aunt told me to make hay! But living on a farm was like Greek to me. Thank you

[@Charlie-wood]

Years ago we used to use a machine which preceded the Massey baler, it was called a ‘batten’ maker. It produced a thing that really was just a bundle of hay bunched together and tied with binder twine at two points close to the middle of the bundle. These worked well in the humid UK summers, more air less mould!

[@TheRoon4660]

You make me want to buy a baler and I live in a third story apartment.

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

🤣🤣🤣

[@chrisk1669]

That's funny!

[@greggerbrandt4764]

Looks like a fun pass time, and he obviously receives a lot of enjoyment from doing it. Great hobby. 👍🏻

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

And a great workout!

[@StefanSobkowiak]

Just a suggestion, it would probably be faster to have a ram at both ends. Current door end could have a ram that swings up and on top to allow removal of bales.

[@Fabes002]

It would also be faster to use modern equipment.

[@cpnotill9264]

@@Fabes002 Faster isn't always better. What if there's no fuel for the equipment that requires it? I tell you Jim has taught me so much and I'm thankful I bought my sycthe when I did. Jims equipment takes up a lot less room as well as keeping him connected, strong and being a good steward of the land.

[@Fabes002]

@@cpnotill9264 are you saying this to everyone who is offering ways to improve his machine or just me because I mentioned evil modern equipment???? Good for him that he's got the know-how etc. in case shtf. But in the meantime I'm sure there's much better things he could be doing with his time. Get back to me in 10 years and let me know if he's still turning wind rows with a 3 tine and jamming it in a wood box just to make a bale. Some people just can't get over themselves. Ugh.

[@cpnotill9264]

@@Fabes002 I was referring to your statement and not about Stefans idea to maybe improve his baler box. Look I have owned a lot of tractors, baling equipment which was a substantial investment. It's was a lot of work maintaining it all. As it is now I enjoy the simpliar life and can identify with Jims way of harvesting hay. So you do what you want, think whatever you want. I respect his way of harvesting and think it's darn impressive that he can move/harvest acres of hay.

[@ajb.822]

@@cpnotill9264 I agree. You were clear, he was changing up the subject on u. Also, I used to dairy farm with my folks. "Modern " farm machines are often, especially taken all-together, more of an investment, time and trouble than the $ u make from it is worth. Definitely if you have even more reasons to prefer not to use them, such as, like Jim mentioned, being even more limited by weather, field conditions or time of breakdowns and dependence on parts or fuel being available etc. . Obviously, even a Scythe can break, a person can break or get ill, and a horse can too. But generally it's simpler and more within your own control and ability to plan, the less complicated, dependant on the world's systems, equipment you own. I myself prefer working with my own hands or quite simple, non-intimidating machines, as a woman who's very sensitive to danger and spacial feelings I'm not used to ( bigger tractors high off the ground. I was the barn/herd worker/manager. Avoided tractors. ). I'm the kind of person, homesteader, who'd LOVE a hand-baler. U can't use loose hay to do some things one would like to do with bales ( such as stack up around foundation of cabin for the winter ) yet we can't afford even cheap, old equipment anytime soon or likely have neighbors who have it ( buying a place very secluded. Are some Amish neighbors tho... ). .

[@nandisaand5287]

Jim would really benefit from using the bigger wheels like Justin Rhodes uses on his chick-shaw. He could call it the "Hayshaw" of course

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

Love it!

[@xxkittymeowxx8093]

Such a gorgeous place !

[@ChefDwight]

What’s growing on Pete

[@marjoriejohnson6535]

To be young again..I am impressed. When I had dairy goats I put hay in loose. I only scythed an acre...that was enough. With a full fork I probably got at least half bail over my head...a game I had played with myself since on a dairy farm ( with no tractor...just a team of horses).

[@waveoflight]

Thats a simple "truckers hitch". I use them for everything i need tight.

[@chipkyle5428]

Ha! My dad called it a truck driver's cat's ass knot. We used that knot to tie tarps down over our one ton single axle rice trucks before there were bungie cords.We hauled our rice crop to the elevators. Some rice farmers used rubber bands cut from tire innertubes.

[@waveoflight]

@@chipkyle5428 "truck driver's cat's ass knot" I'm going to adopt that name.

[@doomoo5365]

Up here in Maine I was wanting to maybe have a goat or calf again on my little Homestead butt a bale of hay cost $9 at the Seed and Feed so I guess it's cutting by hand and see if I can fill my barn