Hay Guru's I need some advice!!

[BryanM]

Ok the topic Tedding! I purchased a well used Duetz Fahr 4 basket tedder. And am not sure If I am using it right. I have a manual and tilt the baskets down to touch or barely touch the ground and run pto upto 540 rpm.

The problem is I Seem to be windrowing as I tedd instead of spreading the hay out evenly. I have tried differant travel speeds and differant tilts too the tedder. What am I doing wrong?

More questions do I go the same way as I cut, with the windrow? When do you tedd?

 

[zzvyb6]

Is it a tedder and a rake combo like my Kuhn? For tedding, the baskets should rotate opposite on each side and kick out the windrow into a blanket. If so, there ought to be some gears to shift to change the direction of one wing. Yes, you ted in the same direction as you cut for best results although you can double up on the windrows with 4 baskets.

I don't run my tedder at full rpm, I like to keep the hay on this planet and still have some leaves and seeds on it. By all means, keep the teeth out of the dirt/soil. The purpose is to fluff it, not to make it look like the output of a Bassomatic.

 

[jagyzf]

Just to be sure, you are tilting the baskets so the front edge is hitting the hay? Depending on the width of your mower and how you laid the hay down can make a difference. Years ago we had a old Kuhn 4 basket that really was a little small for our mower, we had to lay the hay in a narrow row and drive down so we were hitting 1 1/2 rows. Now we have Kuhn that we bought to match our mower and it makes no difference how we lay the hay, wide or narrow we can do a very good job. Also you want your teeth at least 1" off the ground, probably a little higher. Any lower and your putting dirt and stones into the hay.

If your machine is well used, is there a lot of slop/play in it? If the baskets or the wheels or the tilt linkage has play they can do a poor job. Are all of your teeth the same length? Are they worn down a lot?

 

[BryanM]

I am not sure if it is a combo. I dont think so. The baskets travel in the same direction.

I am titling the basket towards the front but not in the dirt. The tines may be a few inches differant. hope this helps

 

[whodat526]

it can be a combo and the baskets travel the same way

 

[tessiers]

I have a fahr 4 basket tedder/rake combo and there are 2 places on the front of the gear box to attach the driveshaft. looking at the tedder the tedder is on the right and the rake is on the left. Only difference I can tell is that the tedder spins the rotors faster. I don't like it for raking, I still use a side delivery rake.

 

[BryanM]

only one spot for drive shaft.

 

[jagyzf]

I am not sure if it is a combo. I dont think so. The baskets travel in the same direction.

I am titling the basket towards the front but not in the dirt. The tines may be a few inches differant. hope this helps

If the tines are a few inches different that can make a difference. We try not to let them get more than an 1" or so at the most. We either replace them all or cut down the new ones to match the short ones. Other wise some of the tines will be missing the hay or digging into the ground.

Also how much play is in your hitch side to side and vertical? That can also make a difference.

 

[BryanM]

well I am sure their is an inch differance in some of them. Although when I watch the tedder as it is working it seems to pick up the hay especially the 2 baskets directly behind the tractor. as it spins the hay in the basket and the outter basket grabs some of the hay then they release the hay in a wind row, instead of throwing it out into a scatter. although it fluffs it up ad does some scatter but also leaves a pile(small) like its going to wind row it.

 

[trac]

Deutz Fahr made units that looked like tedders, but were rakes as they had a curtain on the side to windrow the hay The curtain could be removed out of a bracket. . I mght have some old lit. on them. Let you know. Trac

 

[jagyzf]

Are you centering the sets of baskets on the rows? With a 4 basket tedder you should be driving down 2 swaths of hay. Each row should be centered between the 2 sets of baskets, the inner and outer should be hitting the hay at the same time. The way you are descibing what is happening to me sounds like you are centered on 1 row.

Are all of the tires of the same size and pressure?

 

[BryanM]

ok I am still having problems with tedder. It does not seem too be spreading hay just sort of half *** makeing windrows. I will post a couple pics fo the tedder.

 

[BryanM]

pics of the Fahr Centipede tedder. I have tried all kind of differant scenerios, It just doesnt seem too be throwing the hay out! It seems Like all tines are hitting the ground at the same distance. Or I should say about an inch of the ground.

No matter where I drive on a windrow it just spitts the hay back directly in back of where the 2 baskets come together!

Now I have windrows that have piles in the ever so often Trapping the wet hay inside.

Went to bale today And take a few readings off each bale and I get around 14% when I check it in differant locations I get upto 24%, where their is a bit of wet hay inside the bale. So I stopped baling spread out the bales with spots in them and am waiting for it all to dry with no wet spots. Is that what you would do? I have alot more grass in this hay does that slow down the drying process?

 

[D7E]

How wide is your mower . They don't like big swaths and you do have to drive in the right place to do any kind of job . Are you revving it hard enough ?

 

[jagyzf]

One thing that may or may not be. The teeth on the tedder look like they are swept back a little. It could be due to usage over time the teeth have bent over time swept back, or it could be just the way it is. I went and looked at our Kuhn and the teeth are more straight up and down. The swept back would seem to me to not lift the hay as much as if they were straighter. I would buy a new tooth and see how they compare length and angle wise to the older teeth on yours.

Things I have found that affect the way a tedder works, some have already been talked about. Swath width, how heavy the hay is, length of the hay, if the tedder is matched to the width or the mower. Ground speed, PTO speed, angle of the baskets, tires.

One thing we have done in really heavy hay is 1st time tedd normal with the rows. The next day tedd across the rows, this will help sometimes break up some of the clumps.

The other things is what are you mowing with? If you are using a haybine, they can sometime "drag" hay or have a area where hay hangs up, then drops, over an over creating clumps in the swaths, then the tedder hits these and can break them up. Is your mower leaving even swaths?

Withour seeing 1st hand, its hard to say for sure. Hope this helps.

 

[jagyzf]

I found this image after my responce.
To me the teeth on this machine seem to be straighter (more vertical in relation to the ground). Please look at the 4th photo down.

Google Image Result for http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa5/jameslloydhowell/Deutz%20Fahr%20Tedder/IMG_1345.jpg

 

[BryanM]

My cutter is 9ft cut (1209). I have the PTO upto 540 and everywhere in between with no luck. I have noticed that the best result is when I have the baskets even it kinda spreads the hay but doesnt throw it out. The 2 outter baskets really dont seem too throw the hay anywhere.

I was wondering since I had alot of mixed hay of grass ,orchard ,clover, alfalfa if that results in anything differant. In the past I could hay this feild in 4 days. this time these where my results:

1. thursday cut with JD 1209. 1p.m. to 2;30p.m also tried using a seperate crimper JD 32 but hay keeps wraping around roller stopping roller so I gave up on that. I had bought this used tedder at an auction so I tried it out on half the field. I didnt care for the results it didnt throw the hay with some what windrowing it in half *** rows. Latter that night got an un expected rain of a tenth or two.
2. Friday woke up early before work and tried tedding hole field with same reults hoping too shake of any rain. in spots tedder made piles where wet hay was trapped. weather was good sunny warm good dring day
3.saturday: again excellant day for drying: Raked hay with side delivery rake hoping too spread out and even out all high spots fluffing up the hay. This was around noon. Hay was dring nicely on top thought we would have good hay and dry before any rain.
4. sunday again very nice day for dying. around 1:00 rake 2 rows together just we in spots under the rows. By rolling the hay rows together thought it would fluff and expose wet hay up too dry. Start baling around 4p.m. I took a few reading in the first few bales readings where 9-15% seemed good so baled a round. come too find out some readings in spots of the bales ranged over 20% so I threw back bales and spread out bales.
5. Monday Rain missed us till 4 then got a down pour. bad dring day. Played with tedder tring too spread rows out too expose hay never the result I was looking for.

 

[aczlan]

One thing that may or may not be. The teeth on the tedder look like they are swept back a little. It could be due to usage over time the teeth have bent over time swept back, or it could be just the way it is. I went and looked at our Kuhn and the teeth are more straight up and down. The swept back would seem to me to not lift the hay as much as if they were straighter. I would buy a new tooth and see how they compare length and angle wise to the older teeth on yours.

We used to have a tedder like that one. IIRC, the upper part of the tines (before the bend in the tine) should be vertical when the baskets are flat from front to back (not angled back like yours are). With ours, the front needed to be 6-8 inches lower than the back and the front needed to be just brushing the stubble to spread the hay well.

Aaron Z

 

[BryanM]

Hopefully this helps. YouTube - Video of Tedder 001.MOV

 

[JasG]

I think the others are on to something with the teeth. Aslo from your video clip, sounds like you may have some driveline slop that could be allowing the baskets to hit each other.