8 Pieces of Equipment for Small Farm Haying

There’s a narrow window when the sun is out, the humidity is low, and the hay is perfectly cured—a moment every farmer waits for. Making your own hay is one of the most rewarding parts of managing a small farm, but it’s a race against time and weather. Having a reliable, properly-sized system of equipment isn’t just a convenience; it’s the difference between a barn full of quality feed and a field of moldy loss.

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Making Hay on a Small-Scale: What You’ll Need

Making hay is a multi-stage process that transforms standing grass or legumes into a stable, storable feed. The sequence is critical: cutting, curing, raking, baling, and storing. Each step relies on the one before it, and the entire operation depends on a "hay window"—a string of dry, sunny days to get the crop cut and dried before it can be safely baled. For a small farm, this means every piece of equipment must work reliably and be correctly sized for the tractor and the acreage.

A mismatched system is a recipe for frustration. A mower that’s too wide for the tractor will be underpowered and unsafe, while a baler that’s too small for the windrows will constantly plug. The goal is to create a seamless workflow where each implement is a perfect hand-off to the next. This article outlines a complete, proven system for small-scale haying, from the tractor that powers it all to the elevator that helps put the finished product in the barn.

Compact Tractor – Kubota L2501 HST Tractor

The tractor is the heart of any haying operation, providing the power to run implements and the traction to move them. For small fields of 5 to 20 acres, a compact utility tractor offers the perfect blend of power, maneuverability, and versatility. It needs enough PTO (Power Take-Off) horsepower to run the most demanding implement—usually the baler—and a capable hydraulic system for lifting tools.

The Kubota L2501 with a hydrostatic transmission (HST) is an ideal choice for this role. Its 24.8-horsepower engine delivers just over 20 HP at the PTO, sufficient for the implements in this system. The HST transmission is a game-changer for haying, allowing for infinite speed control without clutching, which makes turning at the end of a windrow or carefully approaching the baler much easier. Paired with a front-end loader, it becomes an indispensable tool for moving bales, clearing fields, and countless other farm chores.

Before buying, ensure the tractor is equipped with the right features for hay work. R1 agricultural tires provide better traction in the field than R4 industrial tires, and a rear hydraulic remote can be useful for some implements. The L2501 is a straightforward, reliable machine without complex electronics, making it easy to maintain and operate. It’s not for large-scale commercial farming, but for the small farmer who needs a dependable workhorse, it’s the right foundation for a haying system.

Disc Mower – Kuhn GMD Series 240 Mower

The first step in making hay is cutting it, and the goal is to do it quickly and cleanly. A disc mower uses a series of high-speed spinning discs, each with two free-swinging blades, to slice through grass. This design allows it to operate at much higher speeds than older sickle bar mowers and handle thick, tangled, or wet crops without clogging.

The Kuhn GMD 240 is a standout choice for small farms. With a cutting width of 7 feet 10 inches, it’s a perfect match for the power of a compact tractor like the L2501. Kuhn has a reputation for building incredibly durable hay tools, and the GMD series is no exception. Its Protectadrive safety system is a crucial feature; if a disc hits a major obstruction, a shear hub breaks to protect the expensive internal gears of the cutterbar.

This mower requires around 25 PTO horsepower, so the L2501 is at the lower end of what’s recommended, but it will handle the job well in light to moderate cuttings. Keep extra blades on hand and learn to change them—sharp blades ensure a clean cut that helps the hay dry faster and promotes quicker regrowth. For farmers who value speed and efficiency, and want to minimize downtime during the critical hay window, the Kuhn GMD 240 is a far superior choice to a slower, more finicky sickle bar mower.

Hay Tedder – Sitrex ST-780 Two-Rotor Tedder

After cutting, the hay lies in dense swaths that dry unevenly. A hay tedder is the tool that solves this problem. It uses spinning tines to gently lift, fluff, and spread the cut hay across the entire field, exposing it to air and sunlight for rapid, uniform curing. Skipping this step, especially in humid climates, is a common mistake that often leads to wet, moldy spots in the final bales.

The Sitrex ST-780 is a simple, effective two-rotor tedder well-suited for small-scale operations. It’s a no-frills machine built for reliability. The two large rotors cover a wide area, easily handling the output from a mower like the Kuhn GMD 240. Its straightforward design means fewer moving parts to break and easier maintenance. Using a tedder can easily shave a full day off your drying time, a massive advantage when trying to beat incoming rain.

One pass with the tedder is usually done a few hours after mowing, once the top of the swath has wilted. Some farmers may ted a second time the following day if conditions are damp. This isn’t a tool for "tidying up" the field; it’s a critical piece of equipment for making high-quality dry hay. For anyone serious about hay quality and minimizing weather risk, a tedder is not optional.

Wheel Rake – Enorossi Batrake 8 Wheel Rake

Once the hay is properly cured, it needs to be gathered from its spread-out state into a neat, fluffy row called a windrow for the baler to pick up. A wheel rake, or V-rake, accomplishes this with simple efficiency. It uses a series of large, ground-driven wheels with spring tines to gently sweep the hay into a central windrow.

The Enorossi Batrake 8 is a fantastic, low-maintenance choice. With eight wheels, it has an adjustable raking width that can easily handle the area covered by the mower and tedder. Because the wheels are ground-driven, it places almost no load on the tractor’s PTO or hydraulics, making it easy to pull with a compact tractor. There are no gearboxes or PTO shafts to maintain, just simple bearings and tines.

Wheel rakes are fast and effective, but they can be more aggressive than more expensive belt or rotary rakes, sometimes pulling in dirt or rocks if the field is rough. However, for a clean, relatively smooth hayfield, their simplicity and reliability are unmatched. The Batrake 8 is for the small farmer who wants a cost-effective, dependable tool to create perfect, uniform windrows without the complexity and expense of hydraulic-driven rakes.

Getting the Timing Right: Curing and Testing Hay

The most critical variable in making good hay is moisture content. The process of drying cut grass from around 80% moisture down to a safe baling level of under 20% is called curing. This isn’t just about drying; it’s a biological process where plant cells continue to respire, burning off sugars until the moisture level drops enough to halt decay. Baling hay when it’s too wet is the single biggest mistake in haymaking.

Wet hay not only grows mold, which can be harmful to livestock, but it also continues to generate heat through microbial activity. In a tightly packed stack, this heat has nowhere to escape. As temperatures rise above 130°F, a chemical reaction begins that can lead to spontaneous combustion, turning a barn full of valuable feed into a catastrophic fire hazard.

For generations, farmers relied on feel and experience—twisting a handful of hay to see if the stems crack, or checking for coolness against the skin. While these methods have their place, they are subjective and unreliable. Modern tools take the guesswork out of the equation, providing a precise, scientific measurement that ensures every bale is safe for storage and nutritious for your animals.

Hay Moisture Tester – Agratronix HT-PRO Probe

A hay moisture tester is a non-negotiable tool for anyone making hay. It provides an instant, accurate reading of the moisture content inside the windrow, telling you exactly when it’s safe to start the baler. It removes all doubt and is the best insurance policy against losing your entire cutting to mold or, worse, a fire.

The Agratronix HT-PRO is the go-to choice for a reason. It’s a durable, portable probe with a 20-inch steel shaft that lets you test deep inside a windrow or a finished bale. The backlit digital display is easy to read, and it provides an average of the readings you take, giving you a more accurate picture of the overall condition. Its built-in calibration feature allows you to verify its accuracy against a known standard, ensuring you can trust its readings year after year.

To use it, you simply push the probe into a dense part of the windrow and take several readings from different spots in the field. For small square bales, the target moisture is typically between 14% and 18%. Baling below 14% can cause excessive leaf shatter and loss of nutrients, while baling above 20% is asking for trouble. This simple tool costs less than a few dozen bales of hay but can save your entire harvest. It’s essential.

Small Square Baler – New Holland BC5060 Baler

The baler is the most complex machine in the haying system. It picks up the prepared windrow, compresses the hay in a chamber, and uses a mesmerizingly complex knotter system to automatically tie each bale with twine. A reliable baler is key to finishing the job efficiently before the weather turns.

The New Holland BC5060 is a modern evolution of a legendary line of balers known for their reliability and simplicity. It produces standard 14"x18" bales and is designed to be pulled and powered by tractors in the 35+ PTO horsepower range, making it a good, albeit demanding, match for a larger compact tractor. The Super-Sweep pickup is wider than on many older models, helping to get all the hay from the windrow, and its gear-driven knotters are famously dependable.

This is the one piece of equipment where buying a well-maintained used model is often the most practical path for a small farm. A new baler is a significant investment. When inspecting a used one, pay close attention to the condition of the plunger, knives, and especially the knotters. Learning to thread, time, and adjust the knotters is a rite of passage, but the BC5060 is a machine that a mechanically-inclined owner can learn to maintain themselves. It’s for the farmer who is fully committed to producing their own square bales and wants a machine that will last a lifetime.

Bale Accumulator – Norden Mfg. Grab-and-Go 10

Once the bales drop from the baler, the real manual labor begins—or it used to. A bale accumulator is a ground-driven attachment that trails behind the baler, automatically gathering bales into a tight, organized group. This eliminates the exhausting task of walking the field and picking up hundreds of individual bales by hand.

The Norden Mfg. Grab-and-Go 10 is a brilliantly simple, purely mechanical accumulator. As each bale exits the baler, it slides onto the accumulator bed. A trip mechanism automatically shifts the bales until a group of ten is formed, at which point the operator can release the entire pack with a pull of a rope. There are no hydraulics or electronics to fail, making it incredibly reliable.

The true magic of this system comes when paired with the corresponding grapple attachment for your tractor’s front-end loader. The grapple is designed to pick up the 10-bale pack perfectly, allowing you to load a wagon or stack in the barn in a fraction of the time it would take to handle single bales. This system transforms haying from a multi-person, back-breaking job into a highly efficient one-person operation. It’s a significant investment, but for those who value their time and physical well-being, it’s a revolutionary upgrade.

Hay Elevator – Little Giant 26-Foot Hay Elevator

Getting the hay out of the field is only half the battle; the other half is getting it into the barn. For anyone with a traditional two-story barn, a hay elevator is the only sensible way to move bales up into the loft. It’s a simple, motorized conveyor belt with paddles that catch the bales and carry them upwards.

The Little Giant brand is synonymous with hay elevators, and their 26-foot model is a versatile size for most small farm barns. These elevators are built with a lightweight but strong aluminum frame and are typically powered by a small, reliable electric motor. They are designed to be moved and positioned by one or two people, resting on the wagon at the bottom and the hayloft door at the top.

Using an elevator is exponentially safer and less physically demanding than trying to throw 50-pound bales up into a loft. When buying, look for a straight frame, a chain in good condition, and solid paddles. A well-maintained used elevator is a common and smart purchase. This tool is for anyone who plans to store hay in a loft. It saves an incredible amount of labor and makes the final step of the haying process smooth and efficient.

Storing Your Bales for Quality and Safety

Your hard work in the field can be undone in the barn if hay isn’t stored correctly. The two enemies of stored hay are moisture and heat. Even hay baled at a safe moisture level can spoil if it’s exposed to rain, ground moisture, or poor air circulation. Proper storage preserves the nutritional quality of the feed and, most importantly, prevents the risk of fire.

The cardinal rule of hay storage is to keep it off the ground and under a roof. Stacking bales directly on a concrete or dirt floor will cause the bottom layer to wick up moisture, leading to mold and spoilage. Always stack hay on a bed of wooden pallets or a thick layer of sacrificial old hay to create an air gap. This allows moisture to escape and prevents the bottom bales from rotting.

Stack your bales in a way that promotes stability and airflow. A common method is to alternate the direction of each layer, interlocking the bales like bricks. Leave some space between the stack and the barn walls to allow for ventilation. For the first few weeks after baling, monitor the internal temperature of the stack with a long-stem thermometer or by feeling for heat. If a stack feels warm, it’s a sign the hay was baled too wet and needs immediate attention.

Assembling Your Small Farm Haying System

Success in small-scale haying comes from viewing your equipment not as individual tools, but as a cohesive system. Every piece must be matched to the others in terms of size, capacity, and power requirements. The tractor is the foundation, and its PTO horsepower and hydraulic capacity dictate what size mower and baler you can safely and effectively operate.

The system outlined here—from the Kubota L2501 to the New Holland baler—is a proven combination where each component works in harmony with the next. The mower’s cutting width is handled efficiently by the tedder and rake, which in turn create a windrow perfectly sized for the baler’s pickup. This synergy minimizes bottlenecks, reduces frustration, and allows a single operator to move smoothly from one task to the next.

Before you buy a single piece of equipment, map out your entire system. Consider your acreage, your tractor, your storage, and your labor. Investing in a well-planned, well-matched set of tools will pay dividends for years to come, turning the demanding chore of making hay into a manageable and deeply satisfying part of the small farm life.

Making your own hay connects you directly to the seasonal rhythm of your land and the well-being of your animals. It’s a challenging task, but with the right system in place, it becomes a predictable and productive process. By investing in reliable, properly-scaled equipment, you’re not just buying tools; you’re buying independence, quality control, and the satisfaction of a barn filled with the fruits of your own labor.