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Read articles →Mike rides along in the cab with JD, a working farmer near Springfield, Missouri, and the two have a candid conversation about what hay baling actually involves day-to-day, bale sizing and weights, monitor sensors, equipment stress, and the heavy maintenance burden that city-to-country transplants rarely anticipate. It's a casual, conversational reality-check rather than a how-to, and it ends mid-topic with a follow-up video promised. Best for romantics reconsidering the hay-farming lifestyle.
Tractor Mike is a longtime tractor-industry insider with decades of hands-on experience in the equipment business. He built his channel to help first-time and rural buyers make confident decisions, and his guidance comes from that deep, long-term background rather than a sales pitch.
A five foot wide bale makes a six foot tall bale weighing around 1,500 pounds, while a four foot wide bale weighs around 850 pounds.
The farmer says it can be fun when things are working well, but the stress is off the scale and maintenance and long hours are a major hidden burden.
The monitor shows pound marks for each side of the baler and uses sensors inside to show which side is getting more hay, helping keep weight even.
