BUYER S GUIDE to HAY EQUIPMENT

Transcription

1 BUYER S GUIDE to HAY EQUIPMENT

2 Pg. 2 Buyer's Guide to Hay Equipment Introduction You ve decided you want to make your own hay. Maybe you re tired of paying high prices for hay. Maybe you re constantly disappointed by the quality of hay available. Maybe you re fed up with the contract hay baler who doesn t think your hay field is a priority. Ultimately, you don t want to depend upon others for quality hay to feed your animals. You know you can do better but you ve got a small tractor, and everyone tells you it won t be able to do the job. That s where we come in. Tractor Tools Direct has everything you need to make your own high-quality hay. The key to success is selecting the right equipment for your tractor and your property. Here we ll take you through the step-by-step process of how to select the best equipment for your needs. Let s get started! Part 1. - Selecting the Right Hay Equipment About your Tractor Before you shop for equipment, make sure you know the specifications of your tractor. Besides the horsepower, you need to know the weight of the tractor and it s width, among other things. Your tractors manual should have this information. However, if you don t have the manual, here (look up tractordata.com if you are viewing this in print) is a great website where you can look up your tractor. A. Choosing the Right Hay Mower Hay mowers come in all shapes and sizes, from mini sickle bar mowers to the largest trailed mower-conditioners and even self-propelled machines. For the sake of brevity, we will concentrate here on hay mowers that are meant to be mounted to your tractor s 3-point hitch. For 99% of our customers, this is the best solution. Selecting the Type There are three primary styles of hay mowers: Sickle bar, disc, and drum. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. In order to choose the mower that will work best for your situation, first fit the mower to the size of your tractor and then determine how you will be using it.

3 Pg. 3 Sickle Bar Mowers The sickle bar mower was the first mechanical mower and was originally pulled by horses. The design is much the same today as it was then. The mower works with a reciprocating action, moving triangular blades back and forth between stationary guard fingers. Each back and forth action shears off any grass or vegetation that is between the stationary fingers. The action is the same as a set of barber s clippers cutting hair. This type of mower can be used to cut hay as well as for other general mowing duties. The best sickle bar mowers currently being produced use a double action where the guard moves in the opposite direction from the blades. This doubles the effective blade speed, and also greatly reduces machine vibration, making it quieter, more comfortable to use, and longer lasting. An example of this type of mower is our DCM Italia 150. Though a sickle bar mower s design is a bit antiquated, its advantages are: Requires little horsepower. If you have a very low power tractor of 15 horsepower or less, this option will really be your only choice. Though we do carry very small drum mowers, if you have an older compact utility tractor like a Kubota 5000 or 6000 series, a sickle bar mower will be your best bet. Lighter weight. If your tractor is very lightweight, or has very little front weight, a sickle bar is the lightest weight hay mower and therefore your best (and safest) option. Angled mowing capability. If you are mowing ditch banks, sickle bars are the only hay mower style specifically designed to work well below (or above) horizontal. The DCM Italia mowers even allow you to work in the vertical position for trimming hedges or trail edges. Less motion=less dust. While disc and drum mowers create a vortex of moving air across the blades, sickle bars have relatively little motion. As a result, less dirt will be cast into the air and your newly cut hay. That being said, the disadvantages of a sickle bar mower, include: Forward speed. A sickle bar mower s forward speed is much slower than disc and drum mowers. They can mow a wide swath, but maximum speeds are only about half of other designs. Clogging. They become easily clogged when working in very dense, lodged, or already cut material. Clogging is also more of a problem when blades begin to get dull. Blade repair. When blades become dull, sharpening or replacing them can be time consuming and expensive. Repair expense. Damage due to hitting an unknown obstruction can be expensive to fix.

4 Pg. 4 Disc Mowers Disc mowers were invented as a logical progression from the sickle bar design. Instead of blades moving back and forth on the cutter bar though, they are mounted on several small discs that rotate at high speeds, mounted on top of the cutter bar. Generally there are 2 free-swinging blades bolted to each disc. The discs are driven either by a shaft or gears that are inside the cutter bar. Like with a sickle bar, the cutter bar essentially slides along the ground, which is what controls the cutting height. The advantages of a disc mower are: No clogging. Disc mowers handle thick and lodged hay with ease. High cutting speeds. If you have the horsepower, there is almost no limit to how fast you can drive through the field. Speeds of up to 15 mph or more are feasible, though very few tractors can do this safely. Ease of transition. Hydraulic lift allows you to go from working to transport and back again without leaving the tractor seat. This is a time-saving feature when mowing several small fields. There are some situations, however, when you might want to steer clear of a disc mower. Their disadvantages are: Need for hydraulics. If your tractor does not have hydraulics, you won t be able to lift the cutter bar vertically to get through gates and other narrow areas. Weight. You have the horsepower and the hydraulics, but your tractor is lightweight. This can be a safety hazard because of the much heavier cutter bar compared to a sickle bar mower. When the mower is in the vertical transport position it can tip the whole tractor over unexpectedly. Expense of repair. If you frequently mow in places where you might hit something solid like a boulder, old fence post, etc. Disc mowers, when damaged, can be extremely expensive to repair.

5 Pg. 5 Drum Mowers Drum mowers, though widely used in Europe for 40 years or more, are just recently becoming a popular choice in the US. Drum mowers have a significantly different design from the other two types of mowers. Instead of powering the cutting blades from the cutter bar, the drums of a drum mower are powered from a gearbox above. The standard drum mower has two counter-rotating drums. Each drum is essentially a cylinder of inches in diameter and length of inches, with a large disc attached to the bottom. Depending on the model, either 3 or 4 free-swinging blades are attached to each of these discs. When in operation, the entire drum/disc/blade assembly rotates. This heavy rotating mass creates a great deal of momentum, which helps to power the mower through thick spots in the field. On the bottom of this assembly is a dish which is mounted on ball bearings. This dish does not rotate with the rest of the drum assembly, but rather slides along the ground and can rotate freely in either direction depending on the surface it slides over. As a drum mower moves through the field, the drums are rotating toward each other, which causes the cut crop to pass between the drums and be dropped in a windrow behind the mower. This windrowing effect eventually must be spread back out with a tedder or rake in order for the hay to dry properly. This has been the major drawback of drum mowers up to this point. However, Terra has solved this problem with exclusive conditioning system. This system ejects the cut hay out the rear of the mower in a spread-out and fluffed manner, allowing the hay to dry where it sits. This potentially saves an additional trip through the field with a rake or tedder and can shorten drying time by up to a day. Amazingly, Terra s design accomplishes this feat with absolutely no additional moving parts. Drum mower advantages are: No hydraulic requirement. You do not have to have hydraulics on your tractor. For transport, the drums swing to the rear of the tractor manually. Durability. Drum mowers are easily the most rugged of the hay mower types. They rarely sustain damage even from striking an unmovable object. This makes them a great choice for contract cutting in unfamiliar fields or for mowing unruly pastures. High ground speeds. A drum mower can be run at even higher speeds than a disc mower, and double the speed of a sickle bar. Low power consumption. This feature is important particularly with older utility tractors of modest horsepower.

6 Pg. 6 Drum mower disadvantages are: Contour mowing. Because the drums are very heavy, it is not recommended to hang the mower out over a downward slope. Drum mowers also do not pivot enough to effectively follow extreme contours like a sickle bar will. Weight. The drum mower s heavy weight can be detrimental for tractors with light front ends. Drum mowers are very heavy in relation to other mower types of the same width. This can make maneuverability and transport difficult if there is not sufficient weight holding the front wheels of the tractor down. Windrowing. Since most drum mowers windrow the cut crop, it will not dry in the field without being spread out or double-raked. However, Terra drum mowers are the exception to this rule. Their conditioning system fluffs and spreads the cut crop for faster drying time. Figure 1. Choosing a Hay Mower The following chart summarizes the three mower options and their best uses: 1 high mowing speed 2 amount of maintenance required 3 cost and me to maintain/replace parts 4 durability 5 changing/sharpening blades 6 cu ng tough or lodged crops 7 no tractor hydraulics 8 drying cut hay without use of tedder 9 bush hogging 10 contract cu ng in unfamiliar fields 11 power consump on 12 tractor is very lightweight 13 mowing ditch banks other sickle bar mowers DCM sickle bar mowers other disc mowers other drum mowers Terra drum mowers best op on be er adequate/least favorable not recommended

7 Pg. 7 B. Choosing the Right Hay Tedder A tedder is a machine that spreads and turns over loose hay in the field. This action exposes the hay on the underside of a pile to air and sunlight, speeding up the drying process. Tedders use a rotary motion to grab the hay with spinning tines and cast it out the back of the machine. Heavy hay in humid climates can dry faster by tedding. It is also an indispensable machine for spreading hay out to dry after a rain. Although some farmers get by without a tedder, it is smart to have a machine that can do this important job if and when you need it. Furthermore, if you have a conventional drum mower other than a Terra, the windrow created by the mower will not dry unless spread out or turned over. The Terra drum mower, however, combines the job of the mower and tedder into one machine. Tedders come in all sizes, from 6 feet wide to over 20 feet wide for large tractors. They don t use much horsepower, so most any tractor with a PTO can run them. They come in both tow behind designs and 3-point connection. The advantage of the 3-point connection is that they can be lifted over obstacles like windrows, and they can be more easily transported. The disadvantage of the 3-point connection is that some tractors may have trouble lifting them. Some rakes will double as tedders, to varying degrees of success. Wheel rakes can flip a windrow over, or can agitate hay that is spread in the field, but they tend to leave clumps of hay that don t dry well. Some machines are specifically built to convert between raking and tedding. However, most take a great deal of work to switch from one to the other, costing you valuable time, usually when you don t have it. The best rake design for use as a tedder is the Molon Power Rake. Switching from rake to tedder with this machine only takes a few seconds, and they truly spread the hay evenly as a tedder should. If you don t want to buy a separate tedder, the Molon rake will be your best bet. C. Choosing the Right Hay Rake In order to bale hay, it must be raked into windrows. It is a common misconception that hay can be baled directly from the windrow or swath created by the hay mower. There are a few reasons why this will not work. First of all, in most climates, hay will not dry well unless fluffed, flipped, or turned by a tedder and/or rake. Secondly, the path left by the hay mower will generally not be conducive to pick up by a baler, resulting in a lot of missed hay. Thirdly, you can normally rake at least two mower swaths into one windrow for baling, resulting in fewer passes across the field with the baler and better quality, more consistently dense bales. The choices for hay rakes are many. Different regions of the country seem to prefer different styles of rakes. The four most prominent styles are wheel rakes, parallel bar (rollabar) rakes, rotary rakes, and belt rakes.

8 Pg. 8 Wheel Rakes These rakes are built for speed and productivity when handling dry hay. Wheel rakes are simple machines that require minimal adjustments for proper operation. The economical ground drive simplifies operation and reduces cost. However, its direct contact with the ground can cause dirt and stones to be introduced into the hay, decreasing overall quality. Furthermore, the windrow will not be as light and fluffy as those produced by rotary rakes or belt rakes. This means that only minimal drying will occur once the hay has been raked. Also, using a 3-point mounted wheel rake takes some practice, especially if your field has a lot of curves or corners. Wheel rakes are physically large, so they take up a lot of space when stored. Even with these drawbacks, wheel rakes are very popular due to their low cost of purchase and maintenance. Parallel Bar Rakes Called by many different names in different regions of the US, these machines are relatively simple, with a design that dates back over 100 years. However, this type of rake is being replaced by other rake designs. Rotary rakes and belt rakes are similarly-priced and have additional benefits, such as the ability to produce fluffy windrows in all crop conditions. Wheel rakes are a more economical choice and offer similar raking quality to parallel bar rakes. Though many of these old rakes are still in use throughout the US, if you are considering a new rake purchase, another design will likely suit your needs better and provide you with more versatility. Rotary Rakes These powered rakes create a uniform and fluffy windrow, which allows crops to dry faster. The gentle rotary-raking action minimizes leaf loss and provides a more uniform windrow for better bale formation. These rakes are capable of handling both wet forage and dry hay, giving them a greater versatility than wheel rakes. A rotary rake s mechanical drive enables it to move heavy, wet crops. It also keeps the tines from contacting the ground, minimizing the amount of contamination raked into the crop. This results in higher-quality feed. Rotary rakes come in a wide variety of sizes for just about any size of tractor. These machines are easily maneuverable and closely follow changing field contours for clean raking. They also can be either 3-point mounted or trailed, allowing them to be used by most tractors with a PTO. Belt Rakes Belt rakes, also called power rakes, have all the advantages of a rotary rake. They can handle both wet and dry forage; they make a fluffy, consistent windrow; the tines do not touch the ground, reducing contamination of the forage; and they come in a wide variety of sizes. Belt rakes, however, have a number of advantages over rotary rakes. For the same raking width, belt rakes are much more

9 compact in size, making them much easier to use and store. Their compactness and lighter weight also makes them easier for your tractor to lift, making transport and navigation of rough terrain simpler. They are available in a wider range of working widths, from over 10 feet, like the Molon 300 power rake, down to 4 feet, like the Molon 120H power rake, making them ideal for working in tight spaces like orchards and pine plantations. The versatility of a belt rake cannot be matched by any other type of rake. Going from rake to tedder is as easy as removing the hay stop and making a wheel adjustment, requiring only a few seconds and no tools. Lowering the rake with a simple adjustment of the wheels allows the tines to aggressively contact the ground, which is great for dethatching lawns or preparing a seedbed for planting. The belt rake is also the easiest of the rake types to use. Because it is so compact and operates directly behind the tractor, the operator spends less time turned around checking to see where his rake actually is. And because it is powered by the tractor PTO, it continues to run while stationary, or when backing up, allowing you to use the rake in reverse in tight spaces. It also does a better job around corners and will not pile up hay like a wheel rake when turning. Thus you will end up with a straighter, fluffier, more consistent windrow that dries better and is easier to follow with a baler. Figure 2. Choosing a Hay Rake The following chart summarizes the four rake options and their best uses: Pg. 9 1 Speed 2 Capacity 3 Gentleness on crop 4 windrow forma on 5 dirt and stones in windrow 6 Fast drying 7 All terrain ability 8 Use as tedder 9 Storage space needed 10 Use in confined spaces 11 Use by small, lightweight tractors 12 Use for other tasks 13 raking wet hay Wheel Rake Parallel Bar Rake Rotary Rake Belt Rake best op on be er adequate/least favorable Not recommended

10 Pg. 10 D. Choosing the Right Baler When it comes to choosing a baler, there are a multitude of choices. Even within the various categories of balers there are important distinctions. For the purpose of this discussion, we will concentrate on mini round balers and small square balers. Most small farmers do not have a large enough tractor in either weight or horsepower to consider a big round baler or big square baler. If that s what you re looking for, there are many other places to find information. For the rest of you, this guide will help you determine which baler is the best choice for your tractor and your operation. Figure 5 summarizes the different criteria for choosing the right baler for your small tractor operation. Mini Round Balers The word is spreading about mini round balers. Once a rare oddity, many small farmers are finding that they are the best choice for getting their hay in the barn. The mini round baler works on the same principle as its bigger cousin, rolling the hay inside a chamber until it reaches a certain size, and then wrapping the bale with either twine or net and ejecting it out the rear of the machine. The size of a mini round bale is roughly the same as the small square bales most people are used to seeing. They generally weigh pounds and can be easily lifted by one person. The mini round baler can be connected to the tractor either by the 3-point hitch or by a drawbar. Though most brands only connect by 3-point hitch, there is one baler model that connects to the tractor s drawbar - the Abbriata TX48. This is an important option to have in a mini round baler. Not only is connection much easier, but drawbar connection does not require you to lift the baler off the ground when turning corners. Many tractors are not capable of lifting something this heavy, so turning corners could be a problem with a 3-point mounted baler. The Abbriata baler also has the option of running the baler out to the side of the tractor. This feature gives you improved visibility of the baler s pickup, and also prevents hay from getting hung up on the underside of your tractor. This is extremely helpful with larger windrows and/or short tractors. Another feature to look for with a mini round baler is whether it has gathering wheels on the sides of the pickup. Because of their diminutive size, their actual pickup width is only about 30 inches. This requires you to either make very small windrows, or miss a lot of hay. With gathering wheels, the effective pickup width is increased by half again as much. That means you can rake a bigger windrow, reducing the number of passes through the field with both your rake and your baler. Most mini round balers also are available with the option of wrapping the bale in netting rather than string. There are a few advantages to net wrap. First, the binding process is much faster with net wrap, since the bale only has to turn 2 to 3 times rather than 8 to 12 in order to be wrapped. That means you are stopped for a shorter period of time while the bale is being wrapped, increasing production rate by 25% or more. Second, net wrap provides excellent protection to the bale against rain. Studies have

11 shown that net wrap bales left outdoors for extended periods still only have spoilage in the first inch of the bale. This means the urgency of getting the bales out of the field and in the barn is reduced. Third, if the bales will be handled multiple times, net wrap will hold the bale together better, with less material loss. This can be especially important in the pine straw industry. The main advantage of twine wrap is economy. Mini round balers use standard twine which is readily available at most farm stores and is fairly inexpensive. The cost per bale with twine is around 10 cents versus around 25 cents for net wrap. One other advantage of twine wrap is for the farmer who wants to leave the bales in the field for grazing animals to eat through the winter. This used to be a common practice for farmers who baled with the Allis-Chalmers Rotobaler. The bales from the last baling of the season would be left spread across the field. Animals grazing in the field could nudge the bales to roll them over, exposing fresh hay. Natural sisal twine was used which rotted off the bale over time, allowing the grazing animals to get to the interior of the bale. Figure 3 shows several criteria that might be used to decide between net and string wrap. Pg be er weather resistance 2 baling speed 3 economy 4 resale of bales 5 for leaving in field to feed out 6 limited help get hay in 7 pine straw produc on string wrap net wrap best op on Advantages of the mini round baler are: Very low horsepower requirement. A mini round baler needs only around 15 horsepower to operate. Lighter weight. Round balers weigh much less than square balers. This means they are safer to operate on hills, and tractors of any size can easily pull them. Simpler design. Round balers are simpler machines than square balers, with fewer adjustments required and fewer parts to break. Smoother operation. Square balers kick up to 90 times per minute. On a small tractor this constant jerking motion can be somewhat fatiguing. Small size. A mini round baler will actually fit in the back of a pickup truck. In storage it will take up about a quarter as much space as a square baler.

12 Better weather resistance. If there is any chance the bales may stay in the field for any extended period of time, mini round bales will hold up much better to rain and dew. Net wrap provides an even higher level of protection. Disadvantages are: Lower output capacity. Because of the smaller pickup of a round baler and the need to stop when tying a bale, production rate with a mini round baler will only be about 1/3 to ½ what is possible with a square baler. Marketability. If you sell hay, you may find that your customers, who are accustomed to square balers, will not like the round bales. Practically speaking there is no difference, but people tend to stick with what they know. Stacking. These mini round bales actually stack well. But they will never stack as tight as a stack of square bales. This really only makes a difference if you are needing to stack 15 or 20 feet high. Square Balers Pg. 12 The first machines that baled hay baled square bales. Though first a stationary machine, the square baler eventually evolved in the late 1930 s into the machine we know today. Since the International Harvester square baler was mass-produced in the 1940 s, the design of the square baler has changed very little. The basic concept is still the same, with tines that pick up the loose hay and feed it into a chamber, where a plunger moves back and forth, compressing the hay into a rectangular chute. From there twine or wire is wrapped around the compressed hay and periodically tied off and cut, and the process continues. The tying mechanism of a baler is a wonder to behold, even 70+ years after its invention. Square balers can work quickly and continuously, dropping a new bale in the field as often as every 10 seconds or less. It only takes one afternoon to have as many as 1000 bales or more spread out across a hay field. Getting the bales in the barn becomes a high priority at this point. Square bales left in the field overnight will tend to soak up dew and moisture from the ground. Getting them dry enough to stack in the barn the next day can take time. For every hour that square bales sit in the field you are also risking a rain storm. Square bales that get rained on can be completely ruined. There is nothing more disheartening than having a field full of ruined square bales, that now weigh 100 pounds each, and knowing you have to get them off the field and piled somewhere. Most standard square balers on the market require 35 horsepower at your tractor s PTO, and a minimum tractor weight of around 3000 pounds. That means that they cannot be run with today s compact tractors. Abbriata square balers, however, can be operated with tractors of as little as 16 PTO horsepower and weighing as little as 2000 pounds. On flat ground, even lighter weight tractors are sufficient. Abbriata makes square balers in 3 sizes. The smallest of the three, the Mini/S, has a total width of only 59 inches, making it the narrowest baler in the compact square baler class. The narrow width is great if you have gates or

13 trees through which you need to navigate. Requiring only 16 PTO horsepower, almost any tractor can power it. The Abbriata Mini is a slightly wider baler, with a pickup width of 42 inches, 6 inches wider than the Mini/S. This pickup width is wide enough for most windrows, yet still only requires 17 PTO horsepower to operate. At a total width of 66 inches, it will still fit through a 6-foot gate. The Abbriata M60 Super has the widest pickup width in the compact baler class at a full 53 inches. That means you can make larger windrows, resulting in fewer trips through the field and more consistent bale density. And the M60 Super can bale up to 400 bales per hour, on par with domestic square balers on the market. Figure 4 compares the Abbriata line of square balers to other square balers available on the market (see next page). A square baler has the following advantages: High baling capacity. Square balers never have to stop to wrap or tie a bale, so are able to bale a maximum tonnage in a given period of time. Easy-to-handle bales. Square bales are the easiest shape to stack, and with an average weight of around 40 pounds for an Abbriata square bale, are easy to lift and move around. Resale. If you are selling your hay, most customers will prefer the familiar shape and easy-feeding flakes of a square bale. The disadvantages of a square baler are: Weight. Square balers are quite heavy compared to a mini round baler. If you are baling steep slopes or have a very small tractor, a square baler s weight can become hazardous. Bales can t be rained on. Square bales have no resistance to moisture, acting like a sponge in wet conditions. Pg. 13 Mechanically complicated. Though a properly maintained square baler will run for years without any adjustments needed, a square baler must be carefully and properly set up and timed to work properly. Damage can occur to a baler that is mis-timed.

14 Pg. 14 Figure 4. Square Baler comparison chart Make Abbriata New Holland Case IH John Deere Massey Ferguson M60 Model BC5070 SB Super 2017 list price $16,999 $27,000 $23,371 $22,400 $22,109 BALE SIZE bale cross sec on, inches 13.5h x 17.5w 14h x 18w 14h x 18w 14h x 18w 14h x 18w bale length range, inches 16 to to to to to 52 PRODUCTION working speed, mph up to 6 up to 6 up to 6 up to 6 up to 6 tons per hour up to 10 bales per hour (standard bale) PICKUP up to 11 up to 11 up to 11 up to working width of pickup, in PLUNGER plunger speed, rated PTO speed DIMENSIONS max. height, inches width, inches 77 (83) length w/bale chute, inches WEIGHT weight, lbs ,085 3,085 2,875 2,700 TRACTOR REQUIREMENT min. tractor PTO power, hp

15 Pg. 15 Figure 5. Choosing the right baler for the small tractor 1 less than 5 acres acres 3 more than 15 acres 4 very narrow clearance 5 very hilly condi ons 6 very small tractor 7 low horsepower tractor 8 limited help get hay in 9 pine straw produc on mini round baler with 3 point connec on mini round baler with tow hitch and gathering wheels narrow pickup square baler wide pickup square baler best op on be er adequate/least favorable not recommended

16 Pg. 16 Part 2. - Questions to Ask Before Buying Is the equipment currently in stock? If so, where? Many websites advertise dozens, if not hundreds, of different pieces of equipment for sale. In many cases, companies don t actually have the items in stock. They wait to get the order from you and then place your order with the manufacturer. Why is this a problem? Because in all likelihood you won t be seeing that piece of equipment for at least 3 to 6 months. In some cases, sellers will wait to place your order until they have a number of pieces to order from their manufacturers, saving them money at your expense. If the seller is not upfront about whether or not something is in stock, you should be concerned. We have even seen cases where the seller doesn t even have an agreement with the manufacturer to sell their items. It sounds crazy but it happens. At Tractor Tools Direct, everything you see on the site is in stock, unless notated differently. Though we have a few items that are available only by special order, the vast majority are sitting in our warehouse, ready to ship to you. From where will the equipment ship? Never buy an expensive, large piece of equipment from someone who is going to have it shipped directly to you from the manufacturer. This is a recipe for disaster. The seller should be able to verify that the machine is undamaged, in new condition, and has all the parts. When it shows up to you with problems, the seller will pawn responsibility off on the manufacturer, who will then pawn it off on the shipper, etc. The result is that you have a machine you can't use and there is no one willing to make it right. At Tractor Tools Direct, all items ship out of our warehouse in Terre Haute, Indiana. All items are inspected prior to delivery to you making sure nothing is missing or has been damaged during shipping to us. We then photograph each item before it goes out the door. If there are problems when you receive your item (which rarely occurs due to our high standards for packaging) just call us, and we ll make it right immediately. Is the listed price for the equipment correct? Some online equipment sellers will advertise equipment at a low price. When you call to order, you ll find that that item is not in stock, or that it s really a different price. Next thing you know, the salesman is trying to talk you into something other than what you called about. This is a used-car salesman trick called the ol bait and switch. You shouldn t stand for it. End the conversation and shop elsewhere. At Tractor Tools Direct, we stand by our pricing as listed on our website, and we allow you to calculate your shipping immediately, without having to call or wait for an response at a later time. That means you know exactly what your equipment will cost, delivered to your door. How much is shipping? Again, this is another classic trick of some online retailers. The purchase price looks good, but you can t find

17 out what the shipping cost will be without calling. Then when you call you find out that the company compensates for the low price on the item by overcharging you for delivery. At Tractor Tools Direct, you know all of your costs upfront, without having to call and talk to a salesman. Furthermore, we have secured excellent shipping rates from our carriers, so we are able to pass the savings on to you. Are there any other charges? Ever bought a car, only to find that the salesman adds on hundreds or even thousands of dollars in extra fees at the end of the process? Some equipment dealers will do the same thing. They may try to charge you a customs fee, destination charge, warranty upgrade, etc. At Tractor Tools Direct, the price you see on the site is the final price. No tricks, no underbody coating, no crazy tariffs. What company makes this equipment? Although there are a number of companies in the US selling hay equipment, there is very little hay equipment made in the US any more. So if the brand name of the piece of equipment you are considering sounds American or uses only initials, you should always ask who the manufacturer is. The follow-up question should be: Why are you hiding who manufactured it? At Tractor Tools Direct, we proudly identify all of our manufacturers. We carefully select our equipment from a small group of manufacturers who can meet our stringent quality standards. These manufacturers have a proven track record for making high-quality, durable, dependable machines. Most are family-owned operations and have been in business for several generations. Where is the equipment manufactured? Just like in the US, many manufacturers in Asia and Europe have outsourced their actual production to places where labor is cheaper and safety and quality standards are less stringent if they even exist at all. A Japanese company may actually have its machines made in China. A Western European company may have its machines made in Turkey. Quality can be a big concern with items made in these countries. Often factories in China and Eastern Europe do not have proper machining, fabrication, and testing to ensure a safe, high-quality product. At Tractor Tools Direct, our inspectors have visited the factories where our equipment is manufactured. We have inspected their fabrication methods and witnessed their assembly processes. You can rest assured that you will be getting a high-quality piece of equipment built in a legitimate factory under strict standards. What can you tell me about the manufacturer of this equipment? Pg. 17 If the sellers don t know much about who makes the equipment they sell, how can you feel confident they ll stand behind it? What is their history with this company? How did they come to do business together? Press for details, and if you don t get them, it may be time to shop elsewhere. Also, the manufacturer should have its own website that you can visit to learn more about the company.

18 At Tractor Tools Direct, we ve met all of our suppliers. We travel to factories at least annually to meet with manufacturers and look at their products. We always start with a small order. That allows us to verify that the manufacturer handles the order in a professional manner. Once we receive the order, the equipment is given a thorough inspection and is tested to make sure that everything works according to the manufacturer s claims. Only then do we offer the company s items on our website. Are parts for this equipment readily available and in stock in the US? If your machine breaks down, you need to be able to get the parts you need quickly so that you can get back to work. Some web retailers sell whole goods but may not be able to get parts for them in a timely fashion, or they may not sell parts at all. Make sure there are parts for your machine in stock and ready to ship. At Tractor Tools Direct, we make sure that you can get any part you need for your machine. Not only do we stock a huge inventory of parts, but we partner with large parts suppliers who specialize in overnight delivery of these parts if necessary. Is this company an experienced retailer of this equipment? No one wants to be the guinea pig for a new product. Make sure the seller has experience and history selling the product. Make sure, if at all possible, that the company has tested the machine in real-world conditions. Most importantly, make sure this seller has purchased multiple machines from the manufacturer; otherwise, there is a good chance they won t support it in the future. Other questions to ask: Pg. 18 Can I get a spec sheet? Can I get a copy of the manual? Can I get a copy of the parts book? If the answer to any of these is no, you need to ask why? Maybe there is no manual. Maybe there is a manual, but it isn t in English. Maybe the supporting literature is so poorly written that the company doesn t want you to see it. Failure to share this information with you should be seen as a red flag that the company will not be able to support you in your purchase. At Tractor Tools Direct, we understand that you want to gather as much information as possible before spending a large sum of money on a new piece of equipment. Therefore, all of our manuals and spec sheets are easily downloadable from our website for your viewing. If these downloadable items, along with our extensive collection of pictures, videos, and descriptions don t answer all of your questions, then feel free to give us a call or send an with any additional questions you might have. For more information contact us at: Tractor Tools Direct 800 S. 9th Street Terre Haute, IN BALE-HAY ( ) info@tractortoolsdirect.com