At what point do you say f* it I'll just buy the kit and do it myself.

Turnip

Active Member
Had a bad experience with builders in the last year where I was unable to do a job myself as I didn't have the kit, looking back I think I should have just bought it and done the job myself.
With regards to farming at what point would buying the kit and doing a job yourself instead of hiring a contractor start to make sense?

I know its a very general question but would love to hear your about your decision making process.
 
machines like sprayers and combines that require timeliness
i hate waiting on someone who runs on Pembrokeshire time
 
For me it’s time and speed. We have mowers sprayer fert spreader bale lifter digger and a few other bits, for me it’s you can come home at whatever time and go do a bit. At you’re own pace be it flat out or be it just crawling it about, not relying on absolutely anyone except for yourself.
 
One thing I can never understand is lads not having their own fertilsers spreader. They aren’t dear machines to buy for following cows on paddocks. I often see lads ringing the boss just before the rain is coming and we be under pressure to get to them. A simple wag tail would do the job for grazing when ever they wanted to. Maybe lads would see it differently
 
One thing I can never understand is lads not having their own fertilsers spreader. They aren’t dear machines to buy for following cows on paddocks. I often see lads ringing the boss just before the rain is coming and we be under pressure to get to them. A simple wag tail would do the job for grazing when ever they wanted to. Maybe lads would see it differently
Some lads just don’t like work
 
Had a bad experience with builders in the last year where I was unable to do a job myself as I didn't have the kit, looking back I think I should have just bought it and done the job myself.
With regards to farming at what point would buying the kit and doing a job yourself instead of hiring a contractor start to make sense?

I know its a very general question but would love to hear your about your decision making process.
Will you have the time to do the job yourself? We can all justify buying something to do a job but will you be cutting time and energy from your main occupation?
I could probably justify doing my own silage but I'd have less time for the cows and less time for my family.
 
One thing I can never understand is lads not having their own fertilsers spreader. They aren’t dear machines to buy for following cows on paddocks. I often see lads ringing the boss just before the rain is coming and we be under pressure to get to them. A simple wag tail would do the job for grazing when ever they wanted to. Maybe lads would see it differently
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Depends what the job is I suppose.

A lot are shocked that I have my own direct drill, something that relies on timings. And that very few have.
But would have their own baler and wrapper to do very few bales, I've never had issue with needing a baler, plenty lads available and a phonecall to see is my regular man available before hand keeps the whole operation smooth.

Point being, if the kit is common and expensive, phone someone else.
If it's hard got and time dependant, and within budget..... Buy your own.
 
Depends what the job is I suppose.

A lot are shocked that I have my own direct drill, something that relies on timings. And that very few have.
But would have their own baler and wrapper to do very few bales, I've never had issue with needing a baler, plenty lads available and a phonecall to see is my regular man available before hand keeps the whole operation smooth.

Point being, if the kit is common and expensive, phone someone else.
If it's hard got and time dependant, and within budget..... Buy your own.
Whenever a problem arises between a farmer and a contractor it is invariably caused by one or both parties being a messer. Either the farmer rings for something done at the last minute during peak demand and then gets "let down" because there are other better organised people ahead of him in the queue, or the contractor has taken on too much work with too little capacity, usually down to having not enough or unreliable gear. The reason the gear is scarce or unreliable is because they are working for rates that cannot sustain the repayments or repair bills required. There is no shortage of capacity out there among professional contractors who deliver a prompt and efficient service, and to provide that service they have to charge accordingly. The problem is the messers get the work because they are cheap, and then they are the rates that are used as the benchmark for everyone else.
 
We have most of our own gear, the majority is all over 15 years old. Its all payed for and we do look after it. Having your own gear is cost effective once its payed for but having all new stuff to do your own work doesnt make financial sence i think. cows should always come first on a dairy farm. Paying A good reliable contractor is far better money spent then trying to pay out thousands every month for new gear trying to justify it yourself doing your own work. Look after the cows, they"ll look after you.
 
Last major bit of kit bought here was a 3f reversible plough. Main reason for buying it is that we plough slurry in immediately after spreading it so that the N is ploughed in instead of escaping to the air. I just couldn't co-ordinate the slurry and ploughing with a contractor, either he was ploughing faster than I could spread slurry or else he wouldn't show up for a few days after spreading, and the landlord was going mad over the smell. Now there's one tractor spreading, one tractor ploughing (and agitating) and I drive both of them.
 
For me anyway, one major argument for getting in a contractor is that you not only hire in a machine but also a skilled labour unit, most likely at the busiest times . As long as your contractor is not a messer, it’s a lot easier than getting good casual labour. Although it can be frustrating waiting, with good communication between BOTH parties, this should be kept to a minimum. You also have the advantage with contractors of having generally modern machines and a variety of machines. For example, I’d hate to have to hire in a direct drill and leave my own one pass in the shed and for that reason I own neither although I could easily justify one. I should add that I’m blessed with good contractors!
 
I know people who have bought in the last 2 years or plan to buy for next year, their own baler and conditioner mower. Their reason for buying is that they believe that contractor charges have risen too high. They believe that they can make bales a good bit cheaper than what the contractor charges them. Time will tell. I was approached by a number of of these to see if I would wrap their bales. I really don't have the time to take on more work which will usually clash with my own silage, and as well as that, a lot of these lads will be making 20 or 30 bales at a time and the wrapper would spend more time on the road than in the field.
 
I know people who have bought in the last 2 years or plan to buy for next year, their own baler and conditioner mower. Their reason for buying is that they believe that contractor charges have risen too high. They believe that they can make bales a good bit cheaper than what the contractor charges them. Time will tell. I was approached by a number of of these to see if I would wrap their bales. I really don't have the time to take on more work which will usually clash with my own silage, and as well as that, a lot of these lads will be making 20 or 30 bales at a time and the wrapper would spend more time on the road than in the field.

And when you'd want to be paid for your time and your gear and your diesel they'd be telling you that you are too expensive
 
And when you'd want to be paid for your time and your gear and your diesel they'd be telling you that you are too expensive
It's all explained by perspective and their perspective is not really with reality. For example, they see that it costs €6 to bale and €2 to wrap. They think that baling is expensive so they will buy a baler. They'll never look at it with perspective and realise that the wrapper tractor works while ticking over and can wrap 100 bales on a gallon of diesel. They never look at how much the baling tractor is burning in diesel or that the baler tractor and baler will have greater costs for wearing parts.

Edit;

I should add that you rarely see these guys making what one might class as big or well packed bales. They are normally running an old krone or a welger that makes bales that my old mf35 is comfortable with. They never consider the extra cost of net wrap, plastic wrap, stacking costs or feeding out costs that they wouldn't have with a bigger and well packed contractor's bale.
 
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I know people who have bought in the last 2 years or plan to buy for next year, their own baler and conditioner mower. Their reason for buying is that they believe that contractor charges have risen too high. They believe that they can make bales a good bit cheaper than what the contractor charges them. Time will tell. I was approached by a number of of these to see if I would wrap their bales. I really don't have the time to take on more work which will usually clash with my own silage, and as well as that, a lot of these lads will be making 20 or 30 bales at a time and the wrapper would spend more time on the road than in the field.
The first round baling outfit I bought 20 years ago was a 14 year old tractor and a 5 year old baler, the whole lot cost me £16750. A 14 year old tractor and a 5 year old baler today would probably cost close to €60k. I don't think contractor's charges have risen anywhere near enough.
 
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