Making 1,000 Square Bales of Hay

[@Ranitintheground]

I now see why the rural kids have the best football teams, every day is a workout.

[@Loudwrx]

The kid in the red shirt help me lay my house foundation back in 87. Hard working honest lad

[@MB-ez7lf]

I’m second generation removed from my family’s pioneer farm heritage in Nebraska. You are giving me an appreciation of my heritage. That is a great gift. Thank you.

[@nielsdybro9759]

With the ten day forecast showing highs in the 80’s and overnight lows in the mid 50’s, I would likely go ahead and cut the alfalfa. It will likely have plenty of time to grow a decent stand before a heavy night’s frost.

[@noahrichardson3111]

I love your videos you put out from grain farming to hay farming you do an excellent job of editing.

[@CuriousEarthMan]

Nice length video, Spence! Lots to watch and observe. I guess like a lot of guys, seeing this again reminds me of earlier times, and it feels good. Really nice to see the older stuff still doing useful work! Of course you'd get faster drying with some kind of crimper if not a haybine, but you're doing fine! I haven't seen the Ranger in a while, glad to see you still have it! Thanks to all of you.....Ty, Luke, Allen, Grant, and you Spence! Glad you're getting around better. Glad you are giving yourself time to heal! Health is super important, esp. the older you get.

[@rwfoxtrot]

Hi Spencer! I’m really enjoying the videos. Regarding the 3rd cutting, I would NOT do it this year unless you really needed to. If it’s a first year crop, give it a chance to really develop its roots and reserves of carbohydrate for the winter. If it gets a chance to flower and set seed even better but if you get significant winter kill it will mean your field will always be patchy. Alfalfa rarely thickens up over time (generally the opposite in fact) so give it a chance to go into its first winter in the best possible condition and reduce the chances of needing to over seed again next season.

[@spencerhilbert]

I am in central Iowa average first frost (24-25 degrees) happens October 21st. If I cut it September 9th, which is my plan, that’ll be 5ish weeks prior to first frost. The two week forecast looks good for new growth with bit of rain and 80’s coming up. With that info would you view it as less risky? I don’t “need” to cut it. More just want to get some good clean hay to sell over the winter months. Let me know what you think always interested, seems like many people are 50/50 on late cuttings like this situation. Thanks

[@prima164]

@@spencerhilbert I agree with OP, let it ride for the winter. Most university ag departments recommend cutting alfalfa less during the establishment year and foregoing the final fall harvest. Like OP said, alfalfa will not thicken itself because of it's auto toxicity so anything you can do to keep a thick stand is worth it. If you really want to see the difference then cut a few strips this year and leave the rest and compare the spring growth.

[@rwfoxtrot]

@@spencerhilbert Hi Spencer, I don’t know enough about Iowa weather as I’m on the other side of the world in Australia! Because of your videos I’ve been doing some reading about hay production and revisiting my time spent at an agricultural high school even though I’m no longer active in agriculture. The Best Management Practices over here state that the best way to maintain a stand of alfalfa in the first year is not to cut it lower than 4 inches and give it plenty of time to recover (a minimum of 28 days). If you did cut it as you planned what is the earliest frost date? October 21st might be the average date but if it’s early you have probably not given it enough time to built up the necessary root reserves to get it through a freezing snow covered winter. Another BMP practice over here in Australia when an alfalfa stand starts to thin out is to oversow oats into it. You could perhaps try another cereal that overwinters instead. Cheers!!!

[@archangel6497]

The good Lord said let there be FORD! lol great video as always.

[@TheLoughfamilyfarm]

Love the 4020

[@timmcvicker5775]

I'm 73 now. In my younger years, I hauled one heck of a lot of hay. Very fond memories. I even worked on Walter Brennan's ranch, ("Gramps" on the Real McCoys show), in Joseph, Oregon. He had one of the biggest hay barns I ever saw. Took some time to fill that thing.

[@manleybrittain1296]

Thank you for the update the bails look great!

[@Mmac-qt8jn]

Spencer taking the game to life loading those round bales 😂 I found this channel first then the game channel 😆

[@chargermopar]

It's great to see that some people still get to live in an area that is not full of overpriced condos and zero lot line homes. Instead of sitting in traffic you can sit in a skid steer and have a great time loading bales. Sign me up!

[@garbage3227]

One of the worst years for hay here in Illinois, glad you guys had a decent year!

[@KBG_savyy]

lil bro keeping up with the Big dogs, thats what i like to see!

[@charleswolf279]

Always nice baling when the knotter works. One thing I highly recommend putting a powershaft guard on the pto so no one gets tangled up in it. My old neighbor got entangled in one and walked back to the house wearing only the elastic on his underwear. One lucky guy!

[@robervin9107]

Your back to normal now the knee is better. All is well I’m happy Love you bros. Make sure save a bit of money. Bud.

[@ryderschaefer3906]

I love how good your truck sounds

[@Masonthegoat]

I love watching the hilbert farm videos

[@terrylee114]

I enjoy yours and grant videos keep on farming

[@the_boyz_sup]

I love your vidios. GOD bless❤❤❤

[@richardclayton4091]

Glad your knee is better. I would love to see you and your brother put out some hunting videos from your properties. Deer, turkey and pheasant. Maybe even a catch/ harvest and cook videos.

[@DomtheKing12]

i love your videos they are so interesting

[@steveneal2706]

Great video Spencer. Thank you

[@Takebay81]

Having fun with the square bales I see.

[@luke1772]

Bro wait till you hit 40 with that appreciation for that functional body stuff. I promise than you’ll know

[@cedricbroussard8738]

Love the video! Keep up the hard work 💪🏻

[@Mikesharpie2335]

So glad the 6.0 is back🎉

[@cookierookie1918]

Excellent video

[@paulmullins4439]

Great video enjoy watching keep up the great work

[@benschwemmler9534]

Bet that 6 liter was just loving pull those bales they sound so good under load

[@FarmsteadLife1616]

love your videos they are so interesting [ 13:50]

[@Blackwellll3066]

Great video love it

[@Miles-4455]

We usually pull 16 alfalfa bales behind a 1500 chevy😊

[@the_boyz_sup]

Just a swan trying to get some lift 😂😂

[@Kermitgang2]

i love your videos

[@billwhitman1529]

Yep Spencer, 5 high and a tie. I bet you see the wisdom in a disc mower and wheel rake?

[@Br-bs1xe]

I would definitely do the 3rd cut, there should be enough time between cuts so that the alfalfa doesn't completely die, at least in Germany. Compost and manure are not bad for grassland, but I would take soil samples and check the PH value, which is also very important for grassland and then sprinkle lime or sulfur if necessary. In my experience this has a greater effect than just manure or compost. Alfalfa is a legume and they get N from the air with the nodule bacteria, so in my opinion lime is more important on the pieces, but in the meadows compost or manure wouldn't be a bad idea in my opinion.

[@spencerhilbert]

Yup put lime on last fall before this seeding. Will do soil samples

[@samjohnson1344]

Take a third cutting. I’m about to do 4th next week on alfalfa. Weather is similar with us getting colder. You should have plenty of time for 4 inches of regrow to which will be plenty for winter hardiness.

[@spencerhilbert]

Thanks for the advice. Thinking that’s the plan to cut here September 9th. Average frost is October 21st here. This is third cut and there’s a lot out there so would be good to get it baled.

[@austinblevins6804]

I wish my papa would have kept all his hay equipment

[@verajamieson8020]

Spencer,spread fertiliser in between cuts,n then with moisture and heat growth.

[@NothingButAir-]

Love the 4020

[@rubinbrown8142]

Looks like round bales to me!

[@TheLoughfamilyfarm]

Nice

[@oldiron4135]

If you really want to keep using the sickle bar mower, you need to invest in a crimper. Any more you can grab one for a couple hundred bucks. Mostly its a key that shears and then they get tossed to the side. Mow then come in behind it and crimp it. It'll dry down a lot faster, especially when rain is a couple days out. When I switched over to a haybine, tedder, I can bale in good weather within 3 days. I do orchard/timothy grass hay and that can be a bear to get dry.

[@idayz.ionetherlands2032]

Watching this series...while playing fs22. Trying to find the same equipement you use, trying to start a bio farm style rp. Enjoyable.

[@xtravel3538]

When my great grandfather died they hauled the casket on a hayraxk to the cemetery

[@alexandert6489]

spencer any tractors from that generation have always started hard. my 2120 had the same problem when i got it. the only way that it starts up easy is if you oftenly use it or use ether

[@rwfoxtrot]

One of the reasons that the second cutting of the grass hay field despite the good growing conditions might be a lack of nutrients. You might be like to spread any unused fertiliser from your field work onto the hay area to see what happens.

[@michaelsweikousky9895]

Hey, the one that you guys have needs a dump truck and a a trailer long enough to fit a excavator and it needs different types of buckets

[@haydengriffin5980]

hey spence wondering if you would ever put greenstar gps on the 4020 for cutting hay

[@carrottop8311987]

good job

[@RogerW9421]

When loading a truck trailer, you want the majority of the weight over the tandem wheels, and not on the tongue. Only about 15% of the weight should be on the tongue.

[@jonesfarm6501]

It’s hay

[@RogerW9421]

@@jonesfarm6501 Spencer said that the bales were 1500 lbs each. This is a significant weight, and needs to be balanced on a trailer. Regardless of of the load, off-balancing a trailer can damage the trailer, and/or the towing vehicle and will cause higher risk of accidents or danger to other vehicles. A trailer that is too heavy on the tongue can cause the suspension of the towing vehicle to be off balance. A trailer that is too heavy in the rear (behind the rear tandems) can cause the trailer to sway, eventually causing it to fishtail out of control if too far off balance.

[@unimog401]

@@RogerW9421 doesnt matter going that slow and that short of distance

[@RogerW9421]

@@unimog401 Then you don't understand what happens to trailers when you overload them. I have repaired MANY trailers that have exactly that done to them before I retired. Slow speed or fast speed doesn't matter. The shock of weight when the trailer bounces DOES matter, as it can bend or snap the tongue, or more likely snap an axle or blow bearings. Even 1 mile can destroy a trailer if loaded improperly. Ask any truck driver.

[@TripleAstyle1]

Man.. I had to look up the trucks towing capacity out of curiosity.... says over #26k pounds.... wow even if thats wrong to tow #12k is just cool

[@pontuswendt2486]

AMAZINGNES!!!

[@KevinScallions]

Have you and Grant thought about planting wheat in one of your fields?

[@ctslawncareandservices8764]

Is your truck deleted? Because it sounds great!

[@TheAMARICANFARMER]

Oh, come on you need a dodge to pull that😊

[@bryansimonson826]

Hi Spencer - I thought I recall you saying the 6.0 powerstroke was stolen in a prior video. Am I making it up, or was it stolen and you recovered it? Sweet truck!

[@josephantiskay3663]

Give your tractor a shot or two of ether in the air filter while cranking should help you young man

[@dogcatgoos]

wat tractor where you using for custom square bailing?

[@ghostmatio]

Eyy, is that Buch on the hayrack?

[@brendonpartridge6362]

Hey Spencer tv a nother great video on your channel that ford dully is powerful pulling that hay u definitely my favorite KZbinr did u guys get married yet

[@richardreynolds1913]

What knee surgery did you get?

[@coltonkruse2313]

Assuming ACL repair based on his recovery time and how his stitches looked. I have torn mine three times. The recovery really sucks.

[@farmingfirefighter7629]

Yes I do believe it was ACL repair based on time like you said it was similar time to my recovery when I had mine repaired. It really makes you humble and you take better care of your self for sure!

[@spencerhilbert]

It’s called a MACI cartilage repair knee surgery. Pretty rare surgery and fairly new. I had a 70 year old’s knee in a 20 year old body. Sometime when I was 14-16 years old I injured it and it never healed correctly/completely. Then the bone died over the years and cartilage started to break off and degrade. So this surgery grew new cartilage and replaced the bad bone and cartilage in my knee. It’s a 9-12 month for full recovery. I may make a video on it down the road once I am fully healed. The surgery is only 8 years old in America and not a bunch of info out there about it.

[@coltonkruse2313]

@@spencerhilbert wow man glad that is available for ya. That degradation of your knee sounds absolutely horrible. I have had a lot of knee injuries from sports. I hope I never have anything like what happened to you down the road.

[@spencerhilbert]

In hindsight if I got a MRI 3-4 years back I could have caught it early enough where I wouldn’t need a big surgery and it would have been an easy fix. I let it go on for too long and a lot of damage was done, bone on bone. Never thought to get an MRI, that’s the only way to see condition of cartilage.

[@kobestuckwisch9381]

You should do corn stalk bales

[@poshpotat0noob45]

W youtuber

[@EvergreenLP]

👍👍

[@ollielikesfishing]

Is there a reason to turning the wheel when starting the 4020

[@BHFabrication]

Sometimes helps them crank faster

[@prima164]

Those tractors need little to no hydraulic pressure on the pump when starting. Rocking the steering wheel relieves the pressure so the engine isn't working so hard to turn over. You can install a manual destroking screw for about $20 that accomplishes the same thing.

[@Oklahomaboy2.0]

What motor is in your diesel. truck? Can you also show how to stack Hay on a gooseneck or hayrack correctly because I started Custom Bailing and no one around me does it please.

[@BraxtonWebster]

raised your kids right

[@thesearcherman6652]

Which is more profitable, hay, corn, or beans?

[@QUAD405]

How much do those big bales generally go for?

[@ΝίκοςΓιουβρής]

When did tou put a cab on your tractor

[@thesearcherman6652]

Isn't that the your truck you said was stolen a while back? I guess it was found?

[@coltonkruse2313]

Yeah a few videos ago he said he got it back.

[@An_Astronaut_with_nothing]

I'm also getting a knee surgery just found out today

[@rewilly1343]

Hi buck

[@Florida239]

Been there done that I had meniscus surgery and then two years later acl surgery on the same knee, if your young and see this don’t jump off of trailers and stupid crap when your older it bites you in the ass trust me 👍😂

[@Irvinfarms]

With the 15 acres of alfalfa you should bale big square bales for a better profit

[@TheIronDuke18159]

Do they have the money for the baler?

[@jonesfarm6501]

Not worth it

[@TheIronDuke18159]

@@jonesfarm6501 yeah 15 acres would not be great for big square bales

[@prima164]

Large square balers require at least 200 hp tractors at a minimum, plus the balers themselves are expensive. The profit is definitely not better. Small squares bring the best dollar per pound ratio than any other size bale.

[@TheIronDuke18159]

@@prima164 yes cause little square bales can be made in large quantities

[@tobi2129]

Hi

[@huntermoeller1575]

Where is the 4020 loader

[@Hanktheguyforfs22]

Who’s ford 6.0 is that?

[@kirbygulbrandsen4507]

Cut it !

[@JoinMyAdventures_YT]

7 seconds ago gang 👇

[@rustyrelicsfarm2406]

Please keep the cab on that 4020. It completes the tractor.

[@CreEmCorN]

Hi 👇

[@ไพรวัลย์ยอดสุทธิ-ฃ5ด]

ขอบคุณครับ💐🫶🛠️🚜⚡🤝🌏🇹🇭❤️🙏🐃🐂🐑🐐🐏🛰️🪐

[@DeniseMurphy-t1p]

37th

[@BomanSeibert-pg1fz]

FIRST

[@bmanferlife]

Same vid as grant…

[@jonesfarm6501]

Yeah

[@mariusml71]

First

[@lethal2453]

Dude plays too much Farmsimulator. Needs quick bale and the autoload mod.

[@pilsplease7561]

I find grains and stuff like alfalfa boring to watch videos on. I liked when you did corn farming more

[@Andrewfarmerand]

If u don’t have nothing nice to say then keep your mouth shut

[@noahrichardson3111]

@@Andrewfarmerand agreed

[@ollielikesfishing]

So why did you click on this video?

[@SCSolutionCenter]

Thank you very much for producing the clip for me to watch | I am in Thailand. sugarcanefarming

[@MeatyFeet1]

Would be cool to see you grow a home garden

[@TheLoughfamilyfarm]

Hi

[@TheLoughfamilyfarm]

First

[@Bigfarmer777]

Hi