salting hay

[rowfarmer]

anybody ever done this. Small squares stacked cut side up then put some salt on them to help pull the moisture out. I remember as a kid some of my parents friends doing this. The reason I ask is I baled some yesterday that was a little tuff trying to beat a rain. What kind of salt and how much do you use? Thanks Andrew

[Dave-ECIA]

We did it a couple times. Put 25 lbs per 100 bales was the goal. Our mow would lay about 150 bales per layer, so we spread them out in a single layer and put the salt on each layer. We would also stack them a tiny bit looser. Was a pain in the ass to pull them back out after they shrunk, but better than ruined hay.

[bcreech]

I have done it and works
plus cows will flat eat the shit out of it
Like Dave said we used about 25lbs for every 100 bales or so
we just used stock salt
the finer the better

[Angus in NCMO®]

Two things accomplished with salt, prohibits spoilage/mold (think salt cured meats) and draws moisture to the salt.

Had an adjoining landowner that used to keep a pallet of stock salt on hand for that very reason. If you have access to one of the newer shoulder harnessed hand seeders that have the poly container and spreading fan, they would prolly work decent if the salt will 'flow'. Otherwise, a bucket of salt in one hand and flinging the salt with the other hand will work. And like previously stated -- stack looser if possible and salt every layer.

A lot safer to use salt in an old wooden barn than a newer 'pole-barn' style with metal siding ... metal+salt=rust.

[mcupps]

O salting hay. How I wish I could be part of a hay crew that got to salt hay as it went into the barn.

Btw, if hay should be stacked on its side so the cut side can move moisture. Should bales from an inline baler be stacked string side up?

Dont forget to pour diesel onto your baler knotters when your done. even though it is no lubication no sulfur these days.

[rowfarmer]

i to have wonder that about the inlines but alass i own no inline so no worries for me!!! Thanks for the help guys poured the salt to it guess will find out in about dec/jan if this works

[RickNCMD]

Or maybe 13 days from now! Hope not, keep an eye on it.

[Angus in NCMO®]

Aug 18, 2011 21:48:47 GMT -5 mcupps said:

...

Dont forget to pour diesel onto your baler knotters when your done. even though it is no lubication no sulfur these days.

I spray a thin film of used hydraulic oil the knotter and every other bare metal surface (after cleaning all the hay and dust out of the baler) before storing in the off season. Sure makes setting the tension on the baler the next year a lot easier = no rust to wear off.

[rowfarmer]

Angus what does thet have to do with salting hay but I do apperciate the info. I'll try it at the end of the season

[Angus in NCMO®]

doesn't have a damned thing to do with salting hay ... I was just replying to mcupps post about the diesel on the knotters. ;D

Used oil is cheaper ... I'm all about cheap ... and I hate rusty metal.

[Angus in NCMO®]

I use the blow gun and a bottle of used oil to apply a very thin coat of oil on every bare metal surface.

In the off season, dust will collect on the oiled surface and it washes off real easy with the pressure washer.

Hasn't been any rust on my baler for at least 15 years now since I started doing this.


NOTE: be careful and keep the oil off the needle brake disc and pads.

Attachments:

[mcupps]

Aug 20, 2011 21:47:24 GMT -5 Angus in NCMO® said:

doesn't have a damned thing to do with salting hay ... I was just replying to mcupps post about the diesel on the knotters. ;D

Used oil is cheaper ... I'm all about cheap ... and I hate rusty metal.

My post was simply trying to imply that a lot of old time adages don't make any sense. And it seems like square baling hay seems to have a lot of them. I hated hauling hay for other people because it seemed like they all had some "tradition" that you were doing wrong. Funny story, it doesn't matter if good hay is stacked on its side or not (although I never dared stack any hay flat for anyone else) And modern day diesel won't even lubricate/stop rust in your injector pump, let alone the the knotters.

But I bet that 90 percent of the small square balers in the area still get diesel poured over the knotters.

I will stick with spraying prop inbetween wet bales, stacking them how ever they land , and spraying fogging oil on my knotters and chamber.

I, just had a little chuckel because I remember helping a friend haul hay for a man in highshool and he showed up in the barn in the middle of the night and started complaining becaue he wanted all the "cut edge" down and we were only stacking it on its side but not turning cut edges down. So we stacked all the hay up and down lengthwise, it took forever, but I must say it was a very impressive stack of hay when we got done.

[mcupps]

Aug 20, 2011 22:00:42 GMT -5 Angus in NCMO® said:

I use the blow gun and a bottle of used oil to apply a very thin coat of oil on every bare metal surface.

In the off season, dust will collect on the oiled surface and it washes off real easy with the pressure washer.

Hasn't been any rust on my baler for at least 15 years now since I started doing this.


NOTE: be careful and keep the oil off the needle brake disc and pads.

I was wondering how you got used oil all over you chamber, Thats fancy, I like!. I might try some used oil in an old paint gun for the big baler and other things.

I tend to keep the rust out of the little balers by leaving the bale in them

[haleiwa]

Only time we did it we stacked the cut end up so the salt would work into the bale a little. I don't think it really mattered, but the salt did help dry out the hay. It won't work miracles, but if it is only a few points wet it will help.