Small Pull behind hay conditioner

[Threepoint]

If you have a tedder I wouldn't worry about a conditioner. Hope all goes well.

But doesn't that depend on the coarseness of the cutting? Not needed for fine hay, but it can make a coarser (but still nutritious) hay more palatable, so less waste.

 

[barkerwc4362]

We had a 7 footer, New Holland I believe, that Dad bought in the 60's for the sole purpose of reducing the drying time. We ran it off a separate tractor. The John Deere No. 5 behind the John Deere B was not set up to run the conditioner behind it. Cut the drying time of alfalfa hay from two days to one, if mowed early morning. The down side of it was, if it got rained on the hay quality suffered more than if it was just mowed. Eastern Iowa is where I grew up.

Bill

 

[powerscol]

But doesn't that depend on the coarseness of the cutting? Not needed for fine hay, but it can make a coarser (but still nutritious) hay more palatable, so less waste.

Well I got 25 bales up off of the 1.5 acres. I cut early for vacation (would have been too ripe later) so was very happy. Between the drum mower and tedding twice I was surprised at how well things were conditioned. The stem parts were well bused and probably cut a day off of the drying. It was not a true test as I got a light rain shower the afternoon before I was going to bale, setting me back a day. Tedder proved its worth though.