I would like to hear your thoughts on all the different types of hay rakes. I have about 15 acres of hay which I'm going to start haying myself (my contractor gets later and later each year), and there are so many different kinds of hay rakes my head is spinning! Are there advantages of one type over another, or am I just thinking too much? Thanks!
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Hay Rake types
- Thread starter bigdoug
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K
keithsc
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I prefer the wheel rakes. The advantages are: Speed. You can pull the rake as fast as the smoothness of the land allows. Price. wheel rakes are much cheaper. Maintenance. On a good wheel rake on a wheeled frame teeth break rarely. I am presently using a 10 wheel Vermeer rake made by Tonnuti, but an 8 wheel rake is more manueverable. This is a V type rake, but I can see advantages in a 7 or 9 wheel in line rake(Vicon seems to make the best in line rake) I did not have good results with a 3 ph 5 wheel rake. Uneven ground broke a lot of teeth. A 3ph 8 wheel seems too bulky to me. Hope this helps.
Keith
Keith
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Hey what angle do the rake wheels make with the drive direction ? we use a Vicon-Lely 4 wheel 3pt hitch rake, but we arent statisfied: With dry hay, you cant rake fast when the wind direction is opposed to the raking direction, and when the grass is heavy and green, it doesn't pick up and bumps over the lumps of green grass.
The first problem is easily solved: drive 15 instead of 30 km/h with it.. but the second problem, the bumping over, in green grass, has something to do with the angle of the raking wheels but i dont want to set it too narrow because with 4 wheels, the working with is only 2 meters so the capacity is low...
Would it work in green grass as well, when i set the rake more narrow (and decrease the angle) ? and would it be wise to buy another 4 wheel rake and mount it to a wheeled frame, to make it a trailed rake ??
Does anyone have problems with the swath getting lumpy because the grass plugs up under the frame of the wheel rake ?-
The first problem is easily solved: drive 15 instead of 30 km/h with it.. but the second problem, the bumping over, in green grass, has something to do with the angle of the raking wheels but i dont want to set it too narrow because with 4 wheels, the working with is only 2 meters so the capacity is low...
Would it work in green grass as well, when i set the rake more narrow (and decrease the angle) ? and would it be wise to buy another 4 wheel rake and mount it to a wheeled frame, to make it a trailed rake ??
Does anyone have problems with the swath getting lumpy because the grass plugs up under the frame of the wheel rake ?-
Renze,
I used a 5 wheel rake(not Vicon) and did not have your problems, but this is not a windy area. I never did try to rake green hay, but it sounds like your problem may be thick hay and you may have to try the sharper angle.
I would look into getting another complete rake rather than a carrier and another 4 wheel rake. I think the cost would be less, and I don't like the system of attaching 3ph rakes to a carrier, HOWEVER, I have never used one so maybe someonw who has used one can advise you.
For the green hay, you might try adding weight to the rake to hold it down. Good luck.
Keith
I used a 5 wheel rake(not Vicon) and did not have your problems, but this is not a windy area. I never did try to rake green hay, but it sounds like your problem may be thick hay and you may have to try the sharper angle.
I would look into getting another complete rake rather than a carrier and another 4 wheel rake. I think the cost would be less, and I don't like the system of attaching 3ph rakes to a carrier, HOWEVER, I have never used one so maybe someonw who has used one can advise you.
For the green hay, you might try adding weight to the rake to hold it down. Good luck.
Keith
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Keith,
an Acrobat (3pt hitch types) are much easier to find than a 6 or 8 wheeled Sprintmaster. I dont know of prices of an 8 wheel sprintmaster so i will ask, they might be even cheaper because they became unpopular, though the Acrobats are still used by many hobby farmers.
Yes i will try the angle, and if that works i will see if i can get a wider one.
I dont see much in the weighting, because that will pull out too many sods...
an Acrobat (3pt hitch types) are much easier to find than a 6 or 8 wheeled Sprintmaster. I dont know of prices of an 8 wheel sprintmaster so i will ask, they might be even cheaper because they became unpopular, though the Acrobats are still used by many hobby farmers.
Yes i will try the angle, and if that works i will see if i can get a wider one.
I dont see much in the weighting, because that will pull out too many sods...
K
keithsc
Guest
Renze,
I agree with you on the weight pulling out the sods.
It was my experience with 3ph rake that it worked fine on smooth flat fields which I did not have often. Transport width for a larger 3ph rake is a problem when traveling roads. My Vermeer 10 wheel(made by Tonitti) does not fold up as much as I would like.
Keith
I agree with you on the weight pulling out the sods.
It was my experience with 3ph rake that it worked fine on smooth flat fields which I did not have often. Transport width for a larger 3ph rake is a problem when traveling roads. My Vermeer 10 wheel(made by Tonitti) does not fold up as much as I would like.
Keith
Here in NZ we tend not to use the "spider wheel" type rakes, as its felt that they contaminate the silage / hay too much with soil.. If they do or not, I dont know, but the big gyro type rakes are all the fashion here, with most contractors having 4 rotor, 12 - 15 meter models.
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Here in my area the rake of choice is a ground driven New Holland 256. I use the 3 point PTO version the 56. It allows you to change the speed of the side delivery bars depending on the hay conditions, plus you can easily lift it up and over the rows.
Renze,
I always use a 6 weel sprintmaster, and never having problem's with green grass.
I always rake the mowed grass up to the field,and never having problems with the heavy grass, you cant drive fast at the side's of the field so that's never a problem, and with a acrobat it's diffficult to get the corners in to the field, is my opinion.
And when your grass in light you can go like the firefighters over the field with a sprintmaster.
I sold our acrobat years ago because with the sprintmaster bought for 1000 guilders that time (454 euro's) you van drive faster and you take more grass with you.
Greets Paddo
I always use a 6 weel sprintmaster, and never having problem's with green grass.
I always rake the mowed grass up to the field,and never having problems with the heavy grass, you cant drive fast at the side's of the field so that's never a problem, and with a acrobat it's diffficult to get the corners in to the field, is my opinion.
And when your grass in light you can go like the firefighters over the field with a sprintmaster.
I sold our acrobat years ago because with the sprintmaster bought for 1000 guilders that time (454 euro's) you van drive faster and you take more grass with you.
Greets Paddo
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zetormatic
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over here everyone has vicon/pz haybob
and all contractors have 7 or 14 meter kuhn or krone rake very big anyways i have acrobat for turning straw and stuff its ok just needs setting up good and it works ok sometimes the problem is the big spring is too tight or top link is too short its easy to do the corners just reverse into the hedge from the side and put it down and drive forward
and all contractors have 7 or 14 meter kuhn or krone rake very big anyways i have acrobat for turning straw and stuff its ok just needs setting up good and it works ok sometimes the problem is the big spring is too tight or top link is too short its easy to do the corners just reverse into the hedge from the side and put it down and drive forward
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In the meantime we have bought a Claas WS 280 circular rake from marktplaats.nl which is a Dutch advertising site.
It wasnt expensive for 300 euro but all the arms are bent so i have ordered steel to make new ones.
It wasnt expensive for 300 euro but all the arms are bent so i have ordered steel to make new ones.
I found that this type of rake tends to twist the grass into short sections of 'rope' unless it's really dry. It was alright for raking hay into windrows for baling though.
This year we plan to buy a proper tedder...
J-P
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bob
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just like you I've got to make my own hay this summer, contractor left it so late the hay was rotten. He returned our PZ 300 haybob he's been using for 5 years in a terrible state. I have to change most of the springs and find it hard going. Does anyone know if there are any instructions for this anyhere? Also the tyres seem split and the wheels rusted through! So Ive got to get some new ones. I used to do the turning and rollering up before he pinched the PZ and always found it great.
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- wheelbarow
hi
when we make hay we use a diesel grey fergi with a pz 2 rotor haybob, this is a good match and we can cover 3 or 4 acres an hour on farily steep land. however, if the springs that pull the tines out of working position are damaged you will bend many tines bveause they dig in when moving from field to feild. i have had this proble too much, so i tie string round the tines to hold them up (only when moving from field to field!)
hope this helps
when we make hay we use a diesel grey fergi with a pz 2 rotor haybob, this is a good match and we can cover 3 or 4 acres an hour on farily steep land. however, if the springs that pull the tines out of working position are damaged you will bend many tines bveause they dig in when moving from field to feild. i have had this proble too much
, so i tie string round the tines to hold them up (only when moving from field to field!)hope this helps
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Until recently, I had only used a ground driven, side delivery rake and it worked fine. We then found a Vermeer twin rake, which is basically two side delivery rakes put together and driven hydraulically. This thing is sweet. However, it is too big to rake alfalfa that we bale into small squares. Our little balers won't take a windrow that big, so we continued to use the old ground driven rake. I don't like the way it beats the leaves off of alfalfa, so I have purchased a lely 5wheel 3ph rake to use in the alfalfa. There is a learning curve to using it, but it seems to work well. Rake the same way you mow and wait until the end to clean up the edges. Dragging it across a windrow is where most of my plugs were created.
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I've spent the last couple of days cursing at my 5 wheel rake, as I usually mow round and round, and the rake is horrible in the corners!
I changed tactics the other day, and decided to mow the headlands, then up and down. Made the world of difference to my rake, it was a pleasure to use A rotary rake is on the wish list though, they do a much nicer job, the wheel rake tends to roll the hay up too tight, not letting it breathe properly.
I changed tactics the other day, and decided to mow the headlands, then up and down. Made the world of difference to my rake, it was a pleasure to use
A rotary rake is on the wish list though, they do a much nicer job, the wheel rake tends to roll the hay up too tight, not letting it breathe properly.
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Drive faster: i've made 2 meter wide swaths at 20kmh
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Yes, fast is best when it comes to haying
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