# Need Ideas on How to Collect/Move Loose Hay



## Yellow Creek (Nov 15, 2007)

I need some ideas on how to collect and move two acres of loose hay from my pasture to my garden.

I have two acres of mixed alfalfa-orchard grass pasture immediately adjacent to my one-acre garden. Iâd like to use the hay from the pasture as mulch for the garden. My goal is to get the hay from the pasture to the edge of the garden in one or more piles so I can distribute it in the rows for mulch. I tried to find someone who would cut the hay on shares but no luck. I found a guy who would custom cut and bail the hay, but even at what seemed a reasonable cost ($1) per bail the project would be uneconomical for a long term approach. I have a tractor and brush hog so cutting the pasture is no problem. The problem comes in getting the cut hay from the pasture to the garden without having to hand rake and cart the stuff. I could do it manually but, quite frankly, I have enough to do without hand raking and hauling two acres of loose hay several times a year. I tried using my back blade to push the loose hay but it slid over the cuttings. I tried a borrowed landscape rake with much the same result. I tried an old manure scoop on the back of my tractor and it also just slid over the cut hay. I tried a lawn sweeper but the hay was too long and there was too much of it for the sweeper to pick up. I tried to rake it using my spring tine cultivator and that didnât work. 

I seem to have two problems. First, the brush hog throws the cut hay to one side making a sort of windrow. If I let the cut hay dry for several days it gets matted down and I canât seem to get it to âcatchâ on my implements to I can move it with the tractor. I went out and manually turned several windrows and moved them into piles. I was able to then push some of the piles with my back blade but I lost almost half of each pile (sliding under the blade) on the way to the garden. 

I have read about a buck rake the old timers used to use and it looks like that approach may work, but I need to find plans to build one and I am still stuck with how to âfluffâ the cut hay so I can get it collected on the buck rake.

Now for my questions. I suspect Iâm not the first person who has tried this. Do any of you collect loose hay for use as mulch? How do you do it? I am trying to avoid buying additional equipment my tractor. I definitely canât afford a hay bailer. I may be able to pick up a pull behind hay rake if that is the only solution.

I welcome any ideas or experiences that may or has worked for you.

Thanks


----------



## geo in mi (Nov 14, 2008)

You need a sickle bar mower instead of a bush hog. The sickle bar will give you long stems laid neatly on the ground for drying and later pickup--then you might have some luck with a landscape blade or a front end buck rake.

geo


----------



## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I'd sell the hay and buy straw for the garden with the proceeds. Straw comes baled,is light weight and without the seeds hay will have in it.


----------



## ronbre (Apr 26, 2009)

good info as i am looking at a similar situation..our field isn't proper for selling hay as we have a lot of pine trees here and there in the field that would have to be mowed around..and we also have a brush hog

i was wondering..what about leaving it lay in the windrows and rot into compost..and then scooping it up with the bucket as finished compost ?? just a thought??


----------



## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

if you have some muscles you can actually pick up a pretty big pile of hay with a pitchfork. (just sayin that if that is what one has to work with)


----------



## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

ronbre said:


> i was wondering..what about leaving it lay in the windrows and rot into compost..and then scooping it up with the bucket as finished compost ?? just a thought??


Not a good idea. Hay is too high in nitrogen to leave any appreciable amount of anything left to pick up. With no carbon to hold the cells in place, it would break down essentially to that, a pile of cells. 

Martin


----------



## geo in mi (Nov 14, 2008)

Just got the sickle bar for the Versamatic put together last night, when the float stuck on the carb and stopped the progress for now. That's my plan to collect the mulch(mostly Ladino clover), just like you, but by clipping it first, as in old fashioned hay making. A rotary mower, bush hog, weed whacker, all shred the stuff into tiny particles that actually spray out the side discharge--sort of like a food processor. The tufts you see in winrow form are only a small percentage of what you would have if you would just clip the field, let it dry and then rake it up. You have to think "hay", and then go from there. You would be better off by using a scythe if your patch wasn't two acres. Also, since you bruised and shredded the stem ends still living, it may take longer for the field to regrow.

geo


----------

