Cumbrian Hay’26 ‘Gathered Before The Storm’ JCB Fastrac & MF modern classics bale to beat the rain!

The end of June to mid July has been an exceptional month weather wise not only across the country but also up here in Cumbria but something had to give at some point and with a substantial crop of hay having been mown, tedded and now ready to bale it was a race against the clock to bale the crop and get it into storage before the turn for the worse in the weather! A lot of action took place on my few days of visiting watching this exceptional fleet of modern classics comprising a trio of Massey Fergusons and an absolutely mint JCB Fastrac as they rowed up and baled a very substantial hay crop. Tedding the crop was a lovely MF 3070 2wd and Lely Lotus 6-rotor tedder, a very nimble tractor fo this type of work. Rowing up ahead of the big square baler was a very tidy MF 6480 Dyna-6 working with a Claas Liner 2900 two-rotor rake. It was followed by a 25-year-old JCB Fastrac 3185 that looked like it had just left the dealership forecourt baling with a MF 185 MB big square baler. A brief glimpse of the farms MF 135 and Haybob 380 working ahead of the farms MF 6180/ MF 224 tractor/ conventional baler combination. There can’t be too many left especially not in this condition MF 6180s, certainly not in my neck of the woods and despite having 120hp on tap was well matched to the MF 224 baler that was running exceptionally well through the heavy crop. With the threatening skies gathering it was all hands on deck and a change round of machines with the MF 3070 dropping the tedder off and swapping to a trailer to free up the industrial yellow MF 3303 to help out the Merlo P35-7 telehandler on flat 8 & flat 12 grab lifting. Just as I was leaving the heavens opened and a torrential downpour that lasted 30 minutes hit the area but luckily the bales had been safely gathered in with the end result a fine crop! Filmed in Cumbria, July 10th-11th 2026 If you enjoy my videos of farm machinery at work in Cumbria (and Southern Scotland), please consider subscribing. Likes and taking the time to comment (preferably positive ones) are always welcomed and I will try to reply as soon as possible although if I’m at work or out filming there might be a delay. Cheers, David.