For many of us it's time to start getting our hay equipment ready to go for the upcoming season. It can be exciting and overwhelming at the same time, but it is essential to prepare your baler to make sure you have the least amount of problems as possible this season. Some people may have their dealer service their baler, but for many of us it's up to us to get prepared.

The very first thing you should do is inspect your baler. Check for missing teeth, worn bearings, sprockets and chains as well as any other wearable part. Make a list of anything and everything your baler needs and either get it at your dealer or if you are good on a computer and with part numbers, order it online. Also, check the tires and add air if necessary. Check the tension of your belts and adjust to the specs provided to you in your owner's manual.

Next, grease your baler well and oil the chains, replace if needed. Once you get your baler all lubed up and you have replaced any worn parts, it’s time to test run it. Hook it up to your tractor, first check and make sure your monitor (if equipped) is working properly and is set to the right settings. Next check your hydraulics by lifting up and down the gate as well the pickup head (if equipped with a hydraulic pickup head). Make sure everything works as it should then walk around the baler and inspect for any hydraulic leaks, replace any lines and/or fittings if necessary. After that, run your baler and get it up to PTO speed, make sure your belts and pickup head are turning properly and there are no strange noises. If the belts don’t start spinning immediately try lifting up the back of the baler to loosen pressure on the belts, if that doesn’t work, shut the baler off and identify the problem. After you have ran the baler for several minutes, shut it off and give it a few minutes to cool down before reinspecting it.

As always make sure to put safety first when working on your baler. A good preseason inspection can prepare you for the season ahead. We wish everybody a good hay season ahead of us, many farmers in southern climates are already cutting and hopefully those of us in the Northeast will be able to get out in the fields soon.