Loader Wagon vs Self Propelled

[fiat 9090]

I saw on the krone video a sharpener that sharpens about ten knives at a time on the machine driven hydraulicly by the tractor there has to be an wiser way than taking them all out

 

[yin ewe]

We use a wagon because it allows us to buckrake ourselves, and take more time over it. We did use a trailed forager for years, but getting staff organised was an issue. This way, Dad can buckrake at his leisure, mum rakes up, and I fetch it home. We go for many young cuts of grass, and we would be back of the queue for a SPF due to our fairly low acreage. Which means in a patchy year we would be the ones who would be harvesting on days we wouldn't consider when we have our own equipment. I'm sure it isn't just us that have had contractors pushing to go a few days early or later than hoped for.

We also like the flexibility of just taking 10 acre if there's only 10 acre ready for cutting, or grabbing a field and quickly whapping some maize seed down and then getting the rest a week later. Sometimes we've had fields that need a bit longer between cuts, and this gives us more flexibility. We can easily leave a few acres for a week or two. We do the same with bales for later cuts. Very rarely do we decide to mow more than a third of our cutting ground on the same day.

These are basically all the same reasons why we changed from a contractor to our own wagon 2 years ago. Was fed up being pushed around and the contractor deciding when our silage was put in. I realise that they are under pressure, but most are just interested in getting the grass shoved into the pit and on to the next man. Never considered a trailed machine due to needing more labour and tractors for it. Our longest draw is about 4 mile round trip which I normally leave until last, so that the buckrake man has more time to level and roll the silo. Contractor would have just put on an extra trailer so pit man still had no time.

 

[fiat 9090]

Don’t worry too much about long draw you could send a lad drawing while ur herding milking etc and if he tipped 4 load in the yard that’s another5 acres in and then back to the short draw and the buck rake man could go for a load while wagon man is getting dinner it’s actually very flexible and once u get used to the system it works well , when I finish a job I send on the two wagons to the longest draw while I give the farmer a hand to cover the pit and when I get there we do the short draw and also in the mornings I do the same , I lie on

 

[6480]

Where s the lad from castletown geoghan that lives and sleeps wagond

 

[holywell farmer]

Where s the lad from castletown geoghan that lives and sleeps wagond

He is busy today probably

 

[ploughman1963]

I had the auto cut on my torro 6010 as I bought the ex demo machine. I'm very pleased I did. It is not the complete answer to sharpening knives but apart from the odd touch up it has been mostly what I've used. The customers really like it because they can see the knives being sharpened them selves and they know sharpe knives is the key. This option is not for everyone as you have to justify the extra cost and be happy to deal with the maintenance of it. For me it has worked well so far even though I was told it wouldn't.

I am pleased it worked for you - I cant be right all the time

 

[fiat 9090]

I like your set up what type of a mop disc do you use and would it help if there was coolant on it the knives in the Bergman are v long so I would need a good sweeping arc

 

[DrDunc]

I like your set up what type of a mop disc do you use and would it help if there was coolant on it the knives in the Bergman are v long so I would need a good sweeping arc

If you're on about my bodge sharpener....

The discs are 60 grit zirconium. Change them regularly after a few blades works best. Works out at a few pence a blade sharpening cost.

Don't need coolant because the battery powered angle grinder stops you putting too much load on the disc and overheating the knife.

Angle of sweep (how long the arc is)adjusted by altering the pivot point on the horizontal angle iron (drilling a different hole). Angle of grind altered with the vertical height of the knife holder. Grinder position then adjusted to suit arc on the diagonal. They all slide in and out.

Blades positioned exactly every time with stops welded to the plate each one is clamped to.

If it wasn't my post that your referring to which shows pictures of why you don't need to give the obnoxious Irish know it all thousands for a sharpening grinder, then apologies

 

[dazza b]

Ive been involved in all 3 they all make good silo and they can all make crap silo used to drive a strautman giga 2 we had 2 sets of blades swapped them in morning and left in workshop for someone to sharpen through the day, usually turned the blades over at lunch so we always had a consistent chop some farmers loved it some didn’t we now just run a sp customers love it also, key to any system is asking the customer how they would like it done works for us

 

[fiat 9090]

If you're on about my bodge sharpener....

The discs are 60 grit zirconium. Change them regularly after a few blades works best. Works out at a few pence a blade sharpening cost.

Don't need coolant because the battery powered angle grinder stops you putting too much load on the disc and overheating the knife.

Angle of sweep (how long the arc is)adjusted by altering the pivot point on the horizontal angle iron (drilling a different hole). Angle of grind altered with the vertical height of the knife holder. Grinder position then adjusted to suit arc on the diagonal. They all slide in and out.

Blades positioned exactly every time with stops welded to the plate each one is clamped to.

If it wasn't my post that your referring to which shows pictures of why you don't need to give the obnoxious Irish know it all thousands for a sharpening grinder, then apologies

no it was yours in fairness his machines work ok I do get a loan of one now and again but I don’t have that much spare cash , would a small electric grinder do the same job I am sharpening by hand at the moment but you would need arms 6 ft long to keep the right arc , I love the way u bolted the grinder on it I’m def going to try and make something like it.

 

[davidroberts30]

no it was yours in fairness his machines work ok I do get a loan of one now and again but I don’t have that much spare cash , would a small electric grinder do the same job I am sharpening by hand at the moment but you would need arms 6 ft long to keep the right arc , I love the way u bolted the grinder on it I’m def going to try and make something like it.

I made 1 too when i first got the wagon

 

[DrDunc]

no it was yours in fairness his machines work ok I do get a loan of one now and again but I don’t have that much spare cash , would a small electric grinder do the same job I am sharpening by hand at the moment but you would need arms 6 ft long to keep the right arc , I love the way u bolted the grinder on it I’m def going to try and make something like it.

Sharpening by hand gives a rounded profile to the knife edge no matter how careful you are, or how long your arms are

I drew around the arc of the blade onto a bit of cardboard, then drew two lines at right angles to ends of the arc and where they intersect is how far the pivot point for the grinder diagonal bar needs to be from the blade (probably easier to explain with a drawing).

Grinder mount was just the easiest way to keep it solid with what was lying in the scrap pile

 

[fiat 9090]

In general

Ive been involved in all 3 they all make good silo and they can all make crap silo used to drive a strautman giga 2 we had 2 sets of blades swapped them in morning and left in workshop for someone to sharpen through the day, usually turned the blades over at lunch so we always had a consistent chop some farmers loved it some didn’t we now just run a sp customers love it also, key to any system is asking the customer how they would like it done works for us

I think if your picking up big jobs long draws and unpredictable weather then the sp has its place Around here most lads are happy with whatever way the contractor has , myself and my son have picked up the last six jobs on our own all short draws and not heavy but in may when I was busy we had a man on the rake two on the wagons and myself on the pit and I often wondered would a sp get through more work. I did notice the diesel bill is smaller with the wagons tho

 

[farmer pickles]

Don’t worry too much about long draw you could send a lad drawing while ur herding milking etc and if he tipped 4 load in the yard that’s another5 acres in and then back to the short draw and the buck rake man could go for a load while wagon man is getting dinner it’s actually very flexible and once u get used to the system it works well , when I finish a job I send on the two wagons to the longest draw while I give the farmer a hand to cover the pit and when I get there we do the short draw and also in the mornings I do the same , I lie on

I hire in a loader so before he comes I will have a few loads picked up from my furthest land three miles away and after that I swap fields until the furthest fields are picked up. A good road makes a big difference to a long draws.

 

[6480]

They have their place too wagons . I seen my friend this year in the hot weather he had to stop mowing hire another wagon out to lift it quicker as grass was drying out too much .but thats alot better than all of the wet crap year 2017 was.
Its just the way a certain person blows on about wagons so much it puts us all of

 

[fiat 9090]

Sharpening by hand gives a rounded profile to the knife edge no matter how careful you are, or how long your arms are

I drew around the arc of the blade onto a bit of cardboard, then drew two lines at right angles to ends of the arc and where they intersect is how far the pivot point for the grinder diagonal bar needs to be from the blade (probably easier to explain with a drawing).

Grinder mount was just the easiest way to keep it solid with what was lying in the scrap pile

They have their place too wagons . I seen my friend this year in the hot weather he had to stop mowing hire another wagon out to lift it quicker as grass was drying out too much .but thats alot better than all of the wet crap year 2017 was.
Its just the way a certain person blows on about wagons so much it puts us all of

yes and even with a big sp outfit a wagon could b used as a trailer and for second cuts if a lad was busy cutting corn with grain doors on the trailers two lads could keep the job going with a wagon or two and in first cuts they could do the small jobs when the pressure is on