If you watched one of my recent YouTube videos on the Number 5 and 38 mowers, I mentioned that I had a little grain hay that I wanted to cut with the mowers. In this video I am using the 1947 John Deere Model A (48 model year) to cut some second-growth grain hay for the purpose of some quality seat time and time running the old mower.

The Number 5 mower that I’m using also has some sentimental value, as I got that mower from my maternal grandfather. It is a mower that he had when he was younger and has told stories of spending many hours on it, so it’s always fun to see it being maintained and used.

In case you’re wondering what grain hay is–on my farm I run a hay operation, so my primary product is alfalfa hay. Where alfalfa needs to be rotated every few years, historically people grew and rotated out barley in the area, but grain hay has started to become a popular replacement for barley. Basically it’s a 3 or 4 variety grain cop plus sometimes pease (oats, barley, wheat are common). You plant the crop in the spring and cut it when the oats are in the milk stage and the product is still green. You dry and bale it as you would alfalfa or any other hay crop. Due to its variety, it is a healthy substitute or replacement for grass and alfalfa bales.

Recorded with Dolby Vision 4K HDR on an iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro.