We put up our first field of hay this evening. I had the privilege of driving the tractor and hubby stacked the wagon. As I drove, I realized how many hand signals my husband has and how hard I have to think to keep them straight.
First was three fingers in the air. That represented putting the tractor in third gear. Then he worked his index finger in a quick circle. That means give the tractor more RPMs. A thumbs up means you have it right. Of course, an index finger across the throat means shut off the baler. A hand in the air with fingers together means stop the tractor.....but five fingers spread apart means put it in fifth gear. Sort of reminds you of the directions Charlie Brown gave the cast in the Christmas special.
As you are trying to pay attention to the hay going into the pick-up without missing the windrow, you also have to be watching behind for the next hand signal. Other than a crick in my neck from looking back and forth, I am no worse for the wear and we have 32 bales of hay in the barn.
Oh, and one last hand signal. As you are turning into your driveway, you see the guy on the baler waving his arms and pointing to the north. That means go up to the storage barn and wait, because he wants to put the tractor and baler away.
1 comment:
LOL! Joel does the same thing, but most of the time I'm clueless. He also talks at me over loud motors and thinks I am an expert lip reader. I fail miserably at this. HMMM! Bailing hay sounds like it could cause a few misunderstandings. I don't know if I'm ready for all THAT!!!
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