Second Cutting?

[Hay Dude]

It’s ON!
Anyone else? I have a long way to go but pretty much started on the last weekend of August and have been going non-stop.
My son is back to college, so it’s me and very little help. Machinery breaking, leaking, failing at alarming rates.

But hey, it’s hay.

 

[ShilohfarmVa]

Same, finally got hay does over the wee

kend but breakdowns and help make things challg

 

[Doughknob]

cut then rained on for 2 days

 

[Hay Dude]

I’ve been baling some “pre-washed“ the past couple of days.
Tedder is getting quite a workout.

 

[Doughknob]

I’ve been baling some “pre-washed“ the past couple of days.
Tedder is getting quite a workout.

I could never figure out the purpose of a tedder. Doesn't it just 'fluff' the hay around dislodging the leaves in the process? Doesn't a rake do the same without such drastic flinging off of the leaves? I had always thought the leaves were the best part of the hay. I am probably missing something........

 

[LouNY]

Once hay gets wet it needs to be tedded to fluff it up and get it up off the wet ground,
that will allow the ground and the hay to dry out.
Some of the older side delivery rakes could be set to ted hay, if raked into a windrow while wet on wet ground it would never dry and cure. Just be a moldy mess.
Yes' the leaves especially on alfalfa have much of the digestible protein and nutrition.
Tedding has too be done with care.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I could never figure out the purpose of a tedder. Doesn't it just 'fluff' the hay around dislodging the leaves in the process? Doesn't a rake do the same without such drastic flinging off of the leaves? I had always thought the leaves were the best part of the hay. I am probably missing something........

We never could put up any hay down here in Florida if it weren't for a tedder.

 

[Raul-02]

We never could put up any hay down here in Florida if it weren't for a tedder.

There's an older Country song I heard once - just once - and the hook line is "Florida ain't nuthin' but the rain."
I've searched for that song several times since and never found it.
I've lived in Eustice, Tarpon Springs, Tampa, and West Palm Beach.
Went to school for spell in Sanford.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

This year there have been very few 3 day windows without rain and even fewer 4 day windows, my experience with NJ is limited to Superstorm or Hurricane Sandy back in 2012, I stayed up there for over a month.

There's an older Country song I heard once - just once - and the hook line is "Florida ain't nuthin' but the rain."
I've searched for that song several times since and never found it.
I've lived in Eustice, Tarpon Springs, Tampa, and West Palm Beach.
Went to school for spell in Sanford.

 

[Hay Dude]

I could never figure out the purpose of a tedder. Doesn't it just 'fluff' the hay around dislodging the leaves in the process? Doesn't a rake do the same without such drastic flinging off of the leaves? I had always thought the leaves were the best part of the hay. I am probably missing something........

A tedder, if operated properly will not damage the hay. Idea is not to tedder too harshly or when crop is dry. It’s designed to dry out rained-on hay, just like the rained on rank hay in your picture