We were haying a few days ago. It was hot and I was making the last swing on the last side of the field with the baler. Will and Eric were on the wagon, stacking hay. All of a sudden, the baler started making a terrible, loud, banging up in front of the flywheel where the over-running clutch is located. I shut things down at once. Not good!
Will checked it out and found that there were parts in the over-running clutch that were either broken or worn out. It turned out that they were both. In the morning, after taking it apart, Will called the New Holland dealer (100 miles away, and he’s considered “local”). Two days later and $400 poorer, we got the parts … and there were a bunch of them.
Just check out the difference between “old” and “new” parts! We were amazed that the baler even baled at all before. These parts had been worn out for years!
Will put it back together and we are once again haying. The storage barn loft is nearly full and we are stacking below, on the floor. We both wish that our new, big barn was finished … or at least had a roof on it so we could stack hay in the new hay loft. We’re so close; Will’s been making trusses and there’s a huge stack of them. They’ll go up quickly. And steel roofing is on sale at Lowe’s this week. Oh well, we’ll get it done when we can and NEXT year we’ll fill that barn loft full of beautiful hay!
Today I’m canning green beans again, as well as dill pickles. Every year I get more and more jars and every year I fill them up. It’s wonderful to have a fat, overflowing pantry. And I haven’t even started canning in earnest!
What a wonderful predicament!
Cindy Hills,
So far the beavers have been quiet after predicting a hot (which we did get) dry summer. Maybe they were thinking about further south???
Jackie
Ah, the universal farmer’s field-expedient workbench . . . pickup tailgate.
Funniest thing about that, the baler only breaking down during haying season . . . and the plow breaking down in the spring . . . and the combine breaking down in the autumn . . . and the roof leaking when it rains . . . etc.
We’re doing green beans and tomatoes now, too. It’s the busy time of the year that has to be done when it has to be done. But all those full jars on the shelves sure do make for a nice, warm feeling.
i love your wonderful predicament with canning. have a wonderful time with all your canning and i am looking forward to gettin your new books
You are very fortunate that Will is able to fix all the breaks! Just think if you had to pay labor!! So what are those beavers telling you about fall ?? I hope the frost is way down the road as many things are just kicking in a good harvest.
EVERY year, when we baled hay, you could count on the baler going on the fritz during haying season.
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