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TomYaz 
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Joined: 14 Sep 2009
Location: PA
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 Topic: Feed Grinders
Posted: 28 Feb 2021 at 6:19pm |
Question....
About those farm use feed grinders....
How fine can they chop hay up?
Reason I ask is I would want to put the ground hay thru a pelletizer(dont ask) and it needs to be small....very small...
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If its not an All-Crop, it all crap!
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klinemar
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Joined: 14 Sep 2009
Location: Michigan
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Posted: 28 Feb 2021 at 7:34pm |
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Depending on a lot of factors. Size hammermill, mill, screen and horsepower. Type of hay,pure alfalfa or grass mix and moisture. Most dry pure alfalfa with the proper screen and horse power will make almost powder. Speed of grinding will be slow.
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TomYaz
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Posted: 28 Feb 2021 at 7:45pm |
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I see....in doing some research came across a cattlman talkin about how grinded hay is much better for cattle, and lamented how todays "hay grinders" do a lousy job of it...
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If its not an All-Crop, it all crap!
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allisbred
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Joined: 28 Mar 2015
Location: Hanover Pa
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Posted: 28 Feb 2021 at 8:43pm |
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We have a NH 355, grinding is not the issue, feeding to the hammer mill is. Dry hay will powder if desired. We haven’t ground hay to the mix in 30 years. I would think the newer grinders are much better, I watched a demo with Vermeer and it ground the wrap!
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Lars(wi)
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Joined: 14 Sep 2009
Location: Permian Basin
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Posted: 28 Feb 2021 at 8:48pm |
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Years ago worked where they had a Gehl portable grinder mixer, iirc a model 120?
Ground bailed hay as part of piglet feed ration. Used 1/4” screen? Usually used 3rd crop hay, as it had the most leaves
Pulled like the dickens using an IH 826D, or 856D. It did have a ‘table’ for feeding the bale into it. Just need to cut the strings, let the bale fall apart, and lay each ‘slab’ on the feeder table. Table was variable speed controlled, darn near killed the tractor a couple times if feeding too fast.
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I tried to follow the science, but it was not there. I then followed the money, and that’s where I found the science.
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DougG
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Joined: 20 Sep 2009
Location: Mo
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Posted: 02 Mar 2021 at 6:56pm |
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We used to use a NH 352 - I THINK- and ground alot of hay corn mix with it , used the 1\2 inch screen and worked great , but had to feed the hay slow
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JohnColo
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Posted: 03 Mar 2021 at 8:56pm |
Most hay around here is fed after going through a tub grinder. Can mix in minerals and grain along with different qualities of hay, easier for the animals to eat.
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HD6GTOM
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Location: MADISON CO IA
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Posted: 04 Mar 2021 at 11:31pm |
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There were a lot of Artsway mixers in this part of the country. Several guys ground good alalafa squares and mixed hay in their hog rations. One large hog producer had a MF mixer. He also ground hay for his hogs. Normally they ground with the 856 diesel. But she wouldn't start that morning. #1 son was trying to use a 656 on the grinder. It was sloooooow going.
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allisbred
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Joined: 28 Mar 2015
Location: Hanover Pa
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Posted: 05 Mar 2021 at 6:19pm |
 JohnColo wrote:
Most hay around here is fed after going through a tub grinder. Can mix in minerals and grain along with different qualities of hay, easier for the animals to eat.
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Does this process through a screen like a grinder/mixer or just sling around in a tub? Do you have an option of how fine it’s ground? We grind beans & barley through a 3/8” screen , then change to 3/4” for ear corn. When we did hay in the ration, we fed it along with ear corn as it didn’t feed well through the hammer mill. Use between 70- 115 hp tractors and power has never been an issue. Back when we had several farms with cattle, had a NH 353 as well and the wd 45 or d17 would stay hooked to it and they handled that mixer very good.
Edited by allisbred - 05 Mar 2021 at 6:21pm
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Kansas99
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Posted: 05 Mar 2021 at 8:42pm |
Tub grinder is a screen but much larger. One 4" and one 3" screen(most tub grinders take two screens) in a tub grinder will give you a pretty good chop for ground hay on a grower ration(high roughage) a finer grind is preferred over a coarse one, on a finish ration(high corn) a coarser chop is preferred where a lot of time they just want the scratch to keep the rumin working. I've seen tub grinders that were grinding alfalfa for a finish ration with no screen in, just the hammers doing a little chopping as they shove it through.
Also it depends a lot on what your grinding and the moisture of it, cane feed needs a 4 and 3 where as grass hay can be bigger, or dry alfalfa takes next to nothing.
The mixing that you speak of usually doesn't take place in the tub grinder other then different hay or qualities if wanted, the finished pile of ground hay is then loaded with other ingredients into a mixer box that is usually pulled by a tractor or mounted on a truck. At that point it is mixed together to make a ration(complete feed diet) and fed.
Edited by Kansas99 - 05 Mar 2021 at 8:52pm
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"LET"S GO BRANDON!!"
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caledonian
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Joined: 02 Apr 2016
Location: Nebraska
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Posted: 06 Mar 2021 at 6:44pm |
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Had a bearcat 950 grinder mixer. They had a 3 knife cutter head on a 18 inch hammermill. Mounted before the hammers. Really sped up grinding ear corn and alfalfa. 180 diesel handled it just fine.
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klinemar
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Location: Michigan
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Posted: 06 Mar 2021 at 7:45pm |
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Rotogrind is a make of small affordable Tub grinders used in our area to grind Round bales or Large squares. Most Dairies have a TMR mixer capable of cutting up Round bales or Large squares. Straw is used in the Dry Cow and Heifer Rations to bulk up the Animals. The Dry Cows have a tendency to get Displaced Abomasums if not enough fiber in the diet and Heifers do not need a high energy ration like corn to make fat which leads to difficult calvings and the fat takes up room in their udder for milk.
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