Wheel rakes with irregular fields?

Robert_in_NY · Mar 8, 2016

How well do wheel rakes work on irregular shaped fields? I'm considering a v rake but have heard they don't like turning to well, issues are dragging hay and bending frames. Basically they're designed for straight fields is what I have read but I've never seen any videos of the dragging hay issues in corners. I'm just not sure if a v rake would work well with my fields but didn't want to rule it out before asking others with experience.

Tx Jim · Mar 9, 2016

I rake irregular shaped fields with my H&S Hi-cap wheel rake. It rakes corners but does tend to drag hay to some extent on corners that are 90°+.

DT86 · Mar 9, 2016

People use v rakes in all kinds of crazy shaped fields here in SWVA. I've used mine in tiny fields that barely make 2 bales. (I try not to take those kinds of jobs, but that's another story.). We've had the same v rake for years and only replaced a few teeth here and there for a long time. Then it became cheaper and wiser to replace all the rake wheels with complete new ones.

Only seen the frames bent on two Kuhn rakes, not a design flaw more like distracted drivers hitting things.

What I like about a v rake is the ability to pick it up and back out or drive around obstacles, including tight corners.

Texasmark · Mar 9, 2016

I have very irregular fields and it makes for frustrating haying. Over the 37 years I have been here I have tried several options, going through 2 small wheel rakes and half a dozen parallel bar JD and NH rakes, both with a tricycle wheel and drawbar mounted with no third wheel.

For MY operation:

1. The 4 basket wheel rake is a joke. Only good thing I can say is that you can lift it up to get around an irregular corner without disturbing your wind row and put it back down. It isn't worth a hoot on stemmy hays like sorghum-sudans......fingers just bend back. On light material like bermuda/rye, if the wind is blowing it blows the product up against the wheels, causing it to stick to them and just makes one big mess. I have NO experience with V rakes and from Jim's inputs over the years, seems they work well for what he does.

2. The tricycle parallel bar, tricycle rakers (JD 600 series for a number), have proven to be the rake of choice for me. Drawbacks are no lifting (unless I get off the tractor and manually crank the lift) when you work an irregular corner, and rolling of the product if you make too many passes on the same wind row.

After some 20 years of a converted urbanite farming at farming, I heard about a tedder and for cutting and harvesting irregular fields. This implement has become an indispensable part of my operation, using the 2 basket currently. Sometimes in addition to tedding the cuttings during the curing process to eliminate "irregular corner lumping" and a more even curing, I will come back and whack a ww to scattter it and re-rake. The rolling of the material helps it to stay in place when the wind is blowing but hampers curing and makes for uneven bales when rolling, so it's an undesirable aspect.

Hope this gives you another point of view on the subject.

Jerry/MT · Mar 11, 2016

Robert_in_NY said:
How well do wheel rakes work on irregular shaped fields? I'm considering a v rake but have heard they don't like turning to well, issues are dragging hay and bending frames. Basically they're designed for straight fields is what I have read but I've never seen any videos of the dragging hay issues in corners. I'm just not sure if a v rake would work well with my fields but didn't want to rule it out before asking others with experience.

I'm a rookie at this, having cut, raked and baled for the first time last year.( Our custom guy didn't want to fool with my small hayfield after about 5 years of haying for us.)

I have a Bush Hog 10 wheel V rake with hydraulic lift on each arm of the V. I cut the field "for the rake" so I don't make 90ｰ turns with the wheels down. I rake the "headlands" in straight lines and then rake the long runs and "blend" them into the headlands with an approximate 30ｰ turn. Works for me. Any spots I miss, I deal with during baling.

Like I say I'm a rookie and I'm still learning. Guys like Tx Jim have helped me a lot as have others.

Robert_in_NY · Mar 11, 2016

I have oval, triangle, square, rectangular and squiggly shaped fields with the smallest being 5 acres (triangular ). The triangular fields are the most challenging as getting them opened up the first couple rounds is a pain.

DT86 · Mar 11, 2016

Triangles can be fun with about any rake. With out seeing what you are seeing it's hard to say for sure what would work best.

You can lift them just a little to make turns once you are out of the hay, this works especially well if the baler is not far behind the rake and you don't have to cross windrows.

I wish I was on my laptop and could make some crude drawing of different ways to handle tight corners.

Will you be following with a baler or raking everything and coming back later to bale?

aczlan · Mar 11, 2016

We have a side delivery rake and I run it from a hitch on the 3 point.
That way, when I need to "jump over" a windrow, I lift the 3 point and it lets me drive over the windrow without messing it up too badly.

Aaron Z

DT86 · Mar 11, 2016

aczlan said:
We have a side delivery rake and I run it from a hitch on the 3 point.
That way, when I need to "jump over" a windrow, I lift the 3 point and it lets me drive over the windrow without messing it up too badly.

Aaron Z

I've worked with and know people who act as though you killed a man for even thinking about driving over a windrow. I'm not one of them.

aczlan · Mar 11, 2016

DT86 said:
I've worked with and know people who act as though you killed a man for even thinking about driving over a windrow. I'm not one of them.

I used to be pickier about it (and I still try not to do it if I can avoid it), but as long as the ground is dry and I need to get through, I will.

Aaron Z

tom4018 · Mar 12, 2016

You mean there is such a thing as a regular shaped field?

I have used a 8 and 10 wheel rakes on really odd shaped fields and ones with lots of obstacles.

Robert_in_NY · Mar 12, 2016

DT86 said:
Triangles can be fun with about any rake. With out seeing what you are seeing it's hard to say for sure what would work best.

You can lift them just a little to make turns once you are out of the hay, this works especially well if the baler is not far behind the rake and you don't have to cross windrows.

I wish I was on my laptop and could make some crude drawing of different ways to handle tight corners.

Will you be following with a baler or raking everything and coming back later to bale?

The triangular field has 1 90° corner, 1 terrible corner where your swearing and one other corner that isn't too bad at first but becomes a problem after you open up the field and it starts getting smaller. What I try to do is make 8 passes around the fields that are troublesome and bale up the outsides before cutting the rest.

Robert_in_NY · Mar 12, 2016

tom4018 said:
You mean there is such a thing as a regular shaped field?

I have used a 8 and 10 wheel rakes on really odd shaped fields and ones with lots of obstacles.

Some people are blessed with perfect fields, I've even seen them

quicksandfarmer · Mar 12, 2016

With a wheel rake the action of the ground on the wheel drives the raking, and the angle between the wheel and the direction of travel determines what kind of raking action you get. So you get a different raking action when you're going straight from when you're not. Different raking action means your windrow is going to be an inconsistent shape. An irregular field means lots of turning. With a PTO-driven rake the rake speed is the same no matter what your direction of travel.

farmer2009 · Mar 12, 2016

I'm getting ready to learn this spring as my plans are to purchase a 10 wheel with center kicker.

But I've raked for a friend, after watching me drag that rake around the first field he stopped me. I raked 3 circles around the field then ran straight after that. He had me to rake the first circle like I was. Then the next two circles I picked up the rake enough to stop the windrow to make the turn. Then went through and raked the field in straight lines. After the baler came through I backed into each corner and raked a windrow out. Then he could pick that up. That was much easier on the rake. A little more trouble.

showcattle · Mar 14, 2016

I rake all fields just back and forth in straight lines, no matter the shape, picking up the rake when turning. Once field is raked, I'll make two or three rounds all around the outside, cleaning up the loose ends. Seems to work well.

sixdogs · Mar 14, 2016

Wheel rakes are for out here where it's flat with square or long fields. I am familiar with your grape country fields and the New Holland Rollabar rake that is PTO powered and three point hitch is tailor made for you. You can get in or out of tiny corners or bad angles without making a mess and can exit the field when done without making a mess. I think the rake is a model 56 and may now be a model 57. In any event, they work like a charm on small fields. Forget the wheel rake or prepare to be frustrated.

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Robert_in_NY · Mar 14, 2016

sixdogs said:
Wheel rakes are for out here where it's flat with square or long fields. I am familiar with your grape country fields and the New Holland Rollabar rake that is PTO powered and three point hitch is tailor made for you. You can get in or out of tiny corners or bad angles without making a mess and can exit the field when done without making a mess. I think the rake is a model 56 and may now be a model 57. In any event, they work like a charm on small fields. Forget the wheel rake or prepare to be frustrated.

.

I have a 256 currently but I'm looking for a rake to merge 18' - 20' into a single windrow without making multiple passes. I've been considering a large rotary rake but the price of the wheel rakes are attractive.

sixdogs · Mar 15, 2016

Robert_in_NY said:
I have a 256 currently but I'm looking for a rake to merge 18' - 20' into a single windrow without making multiple passes. I've been considering a large rotary rake but the price of the wheel rakes are attractive.

The 256 is too hard to turn and too difficult to get into or out of a small field. The 56 is three point hitch so just pick it up and go. It is near impossible to wide rake a small field because you can't turn around. I used to have a NH258 and 260 right and left combination rake setup and it took an acre to turn it and that was not enough. I wound up not using it because of the hassle.

My neighbor has a wheel rake and has trouble unless on flat ground and long fields. He's always breaking tines. He likes the rake but needs flat ground and lots of room and you don't have either. Also, the wheel rake doesn't "loft" the hay as much as Rolobar rake will.

Your fields are likely small, very irregular and with humps and divots. I have walked the concord grape ground. In my view, the easiest answer is the 56 or the 256. You could go wider with a 258 and that would help some but it's still hard to turn and you would always be bunching up in the bends. You don't have a perfect answer.