Excuse me, I'd just like to brag a tiny bit...

[canesisters]

We use B.A.F.G. over on the cow fourm


(Bad-A$$ Farm Girl)

 

[ducks4you]

I used to buy my hay by the two truckloads, one 35 bales, the other 40 bales, THEN get them back home and put away and stack them 75 bales at a time. I even bought a field of hay, 2x. The first time I moved hay bales from the trailer to my truck, the 2nd time I picked them up in groups of 15 bales, loaded them on my truck, transported back, then put up and stacked. The 2nd field was 115 bales and it took me 2 days.
We had drought in 2012-2013, hay was pricey and a little bit scarce. The 2nd day I was racing a storm and drove the truck and 12 bales into the garage bc I ran out of time. DH put his foot down and now my hay man delivers and my 2 thirty-something guys do the labor for me. I buy 400 bales of hay, 50 bales of straw every year. I had 85 hay bales and 10 straw bales left from 2017 this Spring, but it's better than running out and paying top dollar. Hay this year: $5.50/bale, Straw: $4.00/bale.

 

[ninnymary]

Way to go Bay! I was so sore the day we weeded for 5 hours. That hay moving would have killed me ! I think we need a nick name for you, but *WONDER WOMAN* is already taken.

Is Bay, thistle's new name?

Mary

 

[thistlebloom]

Yes. I have a split personality.
One minute I'm a crazy Texan, and the next I'm a BAFG Idahoan!

 

[valley ranch]

Quote thistle: hot, sweaty, scratchy, dusty, heavy work.


Yes, that describes moving bales rather completely ```

You gona cover it up ~ or you have a roof to put it under ```

 

[valley ranch]

Yes. I have a split personality.
One minute I'm a crazy Texan, and the next I'm a BAFG Idahoan!

Are you saying your from Texas ~ that make quite a difference ```

 

[ninnymary]

I think you're short a few bales.

Mary

 

[Collector]

That was a pretty big job to do by yourself, you deserve a pat on the back. Bucking hay is hard work even for young folk. I remember hauling hay in high school for .10 cents a bale, that was for loading in field and unloading in barn. I sure am glad I dont have to buck hay any more.

 

[valley ranch]

Mary ! that could be fitting ~ that could be a new thing " short a few bales " yeh, I'll have to get back to you on that ```

 

[thistlebloom]

Quote thistle: hot, sweaty, scratchy, dusty, heavy work.


Yes, that describes moving bales rather completely ```

You gona cover it up ~ or you have a roof to put it under ```

I am not blessed to have a barn so I have always had to tarp it. Double stacked pallets under and double tarped over. I seldom lose any from mold but crawling under a tarp in rain and snow and wind is a huge pain. And the moose are able to stick their heads under and eat the alfalfa.
This year though we had a bunch of cattle panels left over from re-configuring pens and downsizing, so dh and I came up with this--

It's about 32' long. The cattle panels along the sides are horizontal, and the roof is the cattle panels arched up lengthwise and attached to the top quarter of the horizontal panels. It's about 10' or so at the peak. I will need to brace the roof with 2x4 props as I use the hay up because it won't hold a snow load. It will also have to have the snow raked off every snow event we get. But still a big improvement over a tarped stack.




We stacked 5 wide for 4 rows up, then 3 on top. You can see there's plenty of air space above the bales.


I was hoping to fit 5 tons in here for the winter, but it is actually holding 7 tons.
Real pleased with that.