6 Haying Equipment Maintenance Checklists That Prevent Breakdowns

There’s no worse feeling than seeing a perfect three-day window of sun and low humidity on the forecast, only to have a critical piece of haying equipment break down on the first pass. That sound—a snap, a clank, a sudden silence—is the sound of your precious time and a quality harvest slipping away. A few hours of preventative maintenance spread across the off-season is the best insurance you can buy against that mid-summer panic.

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Pre-Season Prep: Your Foundational Hay Check

Long before you even think about cutting, your hay season begins in the workshop. The goal of a pre-season check is simple: find problems before they find you. Drag each piece of equipment out into the light and give it a thorough once-over, looking for anything that winter might have damaged. This is your chance to build a master parts list and get orders in before every other farmer in the county cleans out the local supply shop.

This isn’t about a full teardown. It’s about a practical assessment. Look for the obvious and the subtle.

• Check for rodent damage: Mice love to chew on wiring harnesses and nest in air filters. A few minutes with a flashlight can save you from a mysterious electrical fault later.
• Inspect tires: Look for deep cracks, low pressure, and loose lug nuts. An old, sun-rotted tire is most likely to fail under the weight of a full load.
• Grease everything: Force out any water that might have settled in the joints over winter by pumping in fresh grease until you see it purge from the fitting.

This initial check is your strategic advantage. It separates the planned work of a quiet Saturday in April from the frantic, greasy repair in a hot July field. It turns "breakdowns" into "scheduled maintenance."

Tractor Readiness: Your Prime Mover Checklist

Your tractor is the heart of the entire operation. If it doesn’t run reliably, nothing else matters. Your pre-season tractor check should focus on fluids, filters, and power transmission, as these are the systems that take the most strain during haying.

Start with the basics. Change the engine oil and filter if you didn’t do it at the end of last season. Check the hydraulic fluid and coolant levels, topping off as needed and looking for any signs of leaks on the shop floor. A low hydraulic level can lead to sluggish loader or implement response, while low coolant is a recipe for overheating on a hot afternoon.

Don’t overlook the power take-off (PTO) system. Ensure the safety shield is intact and spins freely. A seized shield is incredibly dangerous. Check the PTO shaft on your implements, too—the U-joints should be greased and move smoothly without any binding or excessive play. A failing U-joint under load can cause catastrophic damage to both the implement and the tractor. Finally, test your battery. If it struggles to turn the engine over in the cool spring air, it will surely fail you on a busy summer morning.

Cutter & Mower Care: Ensuring a Clean First Pass

The quality of your hay starts with the quality of your cut. A mower with dull or damaged blades doesn’t slice the grass; it tears it. This ragged cut stresses the plant, slows field regrowth, and creates a messy stubble that can be difficult to rake cleanly. Your mower needs to be sharp and mechanically sound.

For sickle bar mowers, inspect every knife section for chips and breaks, and ensure the hold-down clips are properly adjusted. For disc mowers, check each blade for sharpness and damage. A bent or missing blade will throw the high-speed disc out of balance, causing intense vibration that can destroy bearings and gearboxes. Always replace disc mower blades in pairs to maintain balance.

Beyond the blades, look at the power delivery. Check belts for cracks and proper tension. On shaft-driven models, check the gearboxes for leaks and ensure they are full of oil. A low oil level in a high-speed gearbox is a guaranteed failure. A few minutes checking these points ensures a clean, efficient cut that sets your hay up for fast, even drying.

Tedder Maintenance for Fast, Even Hay Drying

A tedder can feel like a simple, brute-force tool, but its role is critical. It fluffs and spreads the hay, exposing moist stems to sun and air, which can shave a full day off your drying time. Neglecting it can lead to frustrating, minor breakdowns that halt your progress right when speed matters most.

The most important components are the tines. Walk around the machine and inspect every single one. Are any bent, broken, or missing? A bent tine won’t fluff hay properly, leaving wet clumps behind. A broken tine that gets lost in the field can end up in a bale, posing a serious hardware disease risk to your livestock. Keep a box of spares on hand; they are cheap and easy to replace.

Check the simple mechanics that keep it running. Grease all the pivot points and U-joints. For hydraulic-fold models, check the hoses for cracks and leaks. Most importantly, check the oil level in the gearboxes that drive the rotors. These often have small capacities and are easily overlooked, but running them dry is a costly mistake.

Hay Rake Inspection: Building Perfect Windrows

The rake’s job is to build the bridge between cutting and baling. A well-maintained rake creates consistent, fluffy windrows that are easy for the baler to pick up. A poorly functioning one creates lumpy, ropy messes that can clog the baler and result in poorly shaped bales.

Like the tedder, the most common failure point is the teeth. Inspect every tooth for wear and cracks, especially where it mounts. A broken rake tooth is just as dangerous as a tedder tine if it ends up in a bale. For wheel rakes, spin each wheel and listen for gritty or rough-sounding bearings. A seized wheel bearing mid-field is a major pain to fix.

For side-delivery or bar rakes, the gearbox is the main concern. Check the oil level and look for leaks. Ensure the bars that hold the teeth rotate smoothly without binding. Proper rake setup is just as important as maintenance. An improperly adjusted rake will either miss hay or, worse, dig into the dirt, contaminating your valuable forage with soil.

The Square Baler: Knotter and Plunger Checks

The square baler is easily the most complex and intimidating piece of hay gear. However, most of its problems originate in two key areas: the plunger and the knotters. Focusing your attention here will solve 90% of your baling frustrations.

Think of the knotters as the baler’s brain. They must be clean to function. Use compressed air to blow out all the accumulated chaff, dust, and bits of twine from the knotter assembly. Check the billhook for sharpness and look for any deep grooves on the twine disc. A dull billhook or grooved disc will fail to properly grab and cut the twine, leading to missed knots. Proper twine tension is also critical; too loose and the knots fail, too tight and you risk breaking components.

The plunger is the muscle. Its job is to compress the hay and, with its attached knife, shear it off cleanly against a stationary knife. The clearance between these two knives is crucial. If the gap is too wide, you’ll get a ragged, high-drag cut that puts immense strain on the whole machine. Check your manual for the proper clearance—it’s often the thickness of a business card—and adjust as needed. A sharp plunger knife and correct clearance make for easier baling and denser, better-shaped bales.

Wagon & Transport Gear: Safe Hauling Checks

It’s easy to focus on the field equipment and completely forget about the wagons that haul the hay home. A failure here doesn’t just stop your work; it can be incredibly dangerous. A loaded hay wagon that breaks down on a hill or a public road is a true emergency.

Your primary focus should be on the running gear. Check the tire pressure and inspect the sidewalls for weather cracking. A blowout under a heavy load can cause you to lose control. Jack up each wheel and give it a spin. Listen for rumbling wheel bearings and check for excessive side-to-side wobble, which indicates a bearing is failing.

Don’t forget the structure itself. Inspect the wagon bed for soft or rotten boards that could break under the weight of hundreds of bales. Check the frame and tongue for cracks, especially around weld points. A simple visual inspection and a grease gun on the wheel bearings can prevent a catastrophic failure when you least expect it.

Post-Season Storage: Winterizing Your Gear

Your maintenance schedule for next year starts the moment you finish this year’s last cutting. Putting equipment away properly is one of the most effective things you can do to prevent breakdowns. It protects your investment from moisture, pests, and the slow decay of a long winter.

First, clean everything thoroughly. Use compressed air or a leaf blower to remove all the dried hay, chaff, and dirt. This debris attracts rodents and holds moisture against metal surfaces, accelerating rust. A pressure washer can be effective, but be careful around bearings, seals, and electrical components.

Once clean, lubricate the entire machine. Grease every fitting until you see clean grease emerge. Coat any exposed, unpainted metal surfaces—like plunger knives or PTO shafts—with a light film of oil or a rust-preventative spray to protect them from condensation. Finally, relieve the tension on all belts and springs where practical. This prevents them from stretching or weakening over the winter, ensuring they’re ready to work for you next season.

This isn’t about chasing perfection; it’s about pursuing reliability. An hour spent in the shop with a grease gun and a wrench in the spring is infinitely more productive than a day spent in the field with a broken part in the summer. Treat your equipment right, and it will be ready to work when that perfect haying window finally opens.