what picks hay up better

[donais]

I need a rake and am looking for ideas. I've got a side discharge now looking at either a wheel or rotary. Never seen either working(in person). The oat hay especially this year will be real short and light if I have enough to cut. Gotta love half inch of rain then nothing for atleast 30 days..the side discharge last year left about half on the ground it kinda combed it so all the stems were facing the same direction... Any suggestions?

 

[R W]

I need a rake and am looking for ideas. I've got a side discharge

What are you referring to. (type, make etc)

 

[bigbull338]

weve used wheel rakes for 30yrs or more an they do a great job of picking up hay.

 

[zionview]

Rotaries seem to make a fluffier windrow that dries a little quicker. Parallel bar rakes tend to "rope" the hay into a tighter windrow, which is nice to bale, but it seems to take longer to dry. Wheel rakes are gentler on the hay, you can travel faster in the field, but they tend to pick up more rocks than the other two if you don't watch how they're set up. I've used all three. If I need one today, I'd go with the rotary, but we need a lot of air through the windrows here in the East.

 

[DT86]

For light hay like you mention the wheel rake is the way to go, IMHO. As mentioned previously, you can travel faster and they are generally wider meaning less time raking.

In really thick hay ours never did very well but its about 20 years old and the new ones are obviously improved.

 

[sweettractors]

Wheel rakes would probably be the best. Ken Sweet

 

[bmaverick]

Depending on the rotray, some are dual purpose. They serve as tedders and rakes by swapping out the hardware. Thus, the tedder can fluff up and dry better (works wonders for alfalfa), then switch the tedder fingers to rakes before the bailing needs to be done.

Not so sure about wheel rakes myself. The area farmers around me tend to be replacing wheels or fingers often enough. That's money always going to the equipment. For the rotary, I have not seen needed repairs after a few uses like the wheel rakes. The rotary tends to be more up time. I'm debating now what rotary to go with. A dual or single since my use is around 10 acres per cutting.

If I had to do a rake, two or four wheels would be plenty. The six and eight plus wheels is expensive to own and operate. I often see many posted on CL. Some at cheap prices, but you need to by new wheels or wheel fingers.

 

[Tx Jim]

Not so sure about wheel rakes myself. The area farmers around me tend to be replacing wheels or fingers often enough. That's money always going to the equipment. For the rotary, I have not seen needed repairs after a few uses like the wheel rakes. The rotary tends to be more up time. I'm debating now what rotary to go with. A dual or single since my use is around 10 acres per cutting.

A rotary rake may not need much maintenance for 10 acres but I'll bet if one pulled a rotary over 1000's of acres similar to my H&S rake the rotary would require significant maintenance. My 14 wheel rake will rake 3 nine ft cuts into one windrow. Teeth on a wheel rake do break from metal fatigue but excessive tooth ground pressure will speed up the necessity for tooth replacement.

 

[aczlan]

Teeth on a wheel rake do break from metal fatigue but excessive tooth ground pressure will speed up the necessity for tooth replacement.

However, the same can be said for improperly configured rotary or bar rakes...

Aaron Z

 

[donais]

What are you referring to. (type, make etc)

Type not so mch who makes it (yet) I have to pick up real thin and short oat hay, dry farming in a drought really sucks! Hoping to get something from some fields that I had to just disc under last year. I mowed last year and it wasn't tall enough for the rake to rake it. It kinda just combed it

 

[bmaverick]

Wheel rakes can break other than just fatigue or not having the ground clearence set right. Gopher holes, a down log, a soft spot in the ground, and wham, the wheel and/or fingers get all messed up. As for rotary types, the fingers just flex out of the way and spring back to the correct position. Yes, a single or dual width rotary would require many sweeps on a large mid-western fiesld, but there are just as many rotary units with 4, 6, and 8 that cover the same width as a wheel rake.

 

[Tx Jim]

Wheel rakes can break other than just fatigue or not having the ground clearence set right. Gopher holes, a down log, a soft spot in the ground, and wham, the wheel and/or fingers get all messed up. As for rotary types, the fingers just flex out of the way and spring back to the correct position. Yes, a single or dual width rotary would require many sweeps on a large mid-western fiesld, but there are just as many rotary units with 4, 6, and 8 that cover the same width as a wheel rake.

As I previously stated wheel rake teeth failure depends a lot on amount of ground pressure teeth are subjected to The only time I've had a rake wheel bent is from my elderly rake operator hit an obstruction such as a rd bale,fence post or tree. BTW he's 79 yrs YOUNG,been raking for me for over 15 yrs and I'll match his raking ability against a lot of younger people.. So I guess in your opinion a rotary rake doesn't break teeth and just glides over logs and rocks. I suppose rotary rake frames and gearboxes never fail either. How much does a rotary rake cost that will rake 28 ft? I'll bet a lot more than a wheel rake of the same raking width. The Krone my neighbor used costs $30,000. My H&S Hi-cap cost $9,000 back in 2002 and has raked 1000's of acres.

 

[hobbyhillstables]

I love my rotary rake, the wheel rakes work good but I found they pick up stuff that I don't want to.

 

[TractorToolsDirect]

There is another option for raking that is common in Europe, but not as well known here: a belt rake. Belt rakes (also called power rakes) make a fluffy windrow like a rotary rake, but are much more compact and are easier to use. They are also very durable and simple in design. For those who are in a region where a tedder is only marginally needed, they do a good job as a tedder, and can switch back and forth very easily (unlike some combo machines). In the US you can find Molon power rakes. They are a quality Italian brand.

 

[Bigfoot62]

You asked: "What picks up hay better?"

Well, here you go. This is the absolute best:
R2800 | Rakes | Equipment | Vermeer

I've used one before and loved it. The only reason that I don't have one is the price. About $25K new.

 

[bmaverick]

I love my rotary rake, the wheel rakes work good but I found they pick up stuff that I don't want to.

Exactly. I love them too. Seen them in action and it got me hooked in a good way.

If the field land is really flat, been growing hay grass for years and is kept free from obstructions, a hay rake could be an answer. That works for the guy down there in TX as he stated. Up in TN, from the central to the east, I would not use a hay rake on the sloping fields nor on the soft ground. After the Spring rains up here, fields work up rock and bolders. A rotary works really well to the terrain conditions that are not flat by leaving behind the rocks and still keep working. A wheel rake for the most part is terrain driven and not PTO driven. Thus, less is picked up on the ends turning while the tractor speed is slowed. A rotary is PTO driven. With the tractors that have multi-speed PTO's, running a rotary at 684 vs 504 helps by move things along nicely.

If I could find a unit like this here in the US, it would be ideal for my use.
Enorossi Windrow Rotary Rake GF 350 ｫ Agri Market Insight & Access Ltd -AMIA Ltd, Agri Machinery, Agricultural Machinery Dealerships, Agri Translation Services, Enorossi, Enorossi Parts UK, Agri Marketing, Hay Tedders, Mowers, Balers, Bale Processors

 

[Tx Jim]

You asked: "What picks up hay better?"

Well, here you go. This is the absolute best:
R2800 | Rakes | Equipment | Vermeer
I've used one before and loved it. The only reason that I don't have one is the price. About $25K new.

Bigfoot62
I bought a new Vermeer R23 back in the early 90's. Moving it from transport to raking position & vice-verse gets old if you have smaller fields. Plus running the orbit motors gets the tractor hyd oil HOT enough one needs gloves to unhook hyd hoses if desired to do so shortly after raking for several hours. My rake got to where I couldn't keep brgs in it although I know brgs have since been improved.

 

[Tx Jim]

bmaverick
That rake might be fine for a small operation but I'd hate to bale 5 or 6 thousand rd bales following it. Do you have a photo or video of it raking hay?

 

[aczlan]

If I could find a unit like this here in the US, it would be ideal for my use.
Enorossi Windrow Rotary Rake GF 350 ｫ Agri Market Insight & Access Ltd -AMIA Ltd, Agri Machinery, Agricultural Machinery Dealerships, Agri Translation Services, Enorossi, Enorossi Parts UK, Agri Marketing, Hay Tedders, Mowers, Balers, Bale Processors

Something like the Kuhn GA-300: GA 300 GM - Rotary Rakes, Wheel Rakes & Mergers - KUHN North America.com
Or the Enorossi RR320-9: Beaver Valley Supply Company - Enorossi Rotary Hay Rake/Windrow Turner

Aaron Z

 

[aczlan]

bmaverick
That rake might be fine for a small operation but I'd hate to bale 5 or 6 thousand rd bales following it. Do you have a photo or video of it raking hay?

They make a double wheel version of that one:

Aaron Z