V rake and 4 basket tedder

[jwcinpk]

I'm in the market for a new 8 or 10 wheel v rake and 4 basket Tedder. Brands that have dealers close are Kuhn, Rhino, Hesston/MF, Case IH, Vermeer, and Enrossi. I'm sure any of the brands rakes will get the job done. The Tedder is a different story. The last thing I want is to buy a light duty one. Some of my leased hay ground is very uneven in spots. What brands have you had good and bad experiences with? I'll be putting up 300-500 4x5 rolls a year.

 

[bsrfarms97]

not sure where your located but here in east Tennessee we have some fairly rough and uneven ground in many places as well. Alot of Kuhn owners here and yet to hear or know of any real issues. my neighbor just purchased a new Krone hay tedder and it seems to be the best built tedder ive seen but it also has a pretty hefty price tag but you get what you pay for also. Me personally if I was in the market for a new tedder it would be a Krone or Kuhn hands down. just my opinion though. good luck with whichever you choose.

 

[jwcinpk]

I'm in Southeast Ky. Just north of the Tn state line.

 

[Verticaltrx]

Another vote for the Krone tedder. My father has one and I've run it a few times. It is probably the heaviest duty tedder I've seen, with some nice features as well.

As for the V-rake, I would suggest one that you can operate the two wings independently. We use a JD 702 v-rake and I modified it so it has a double acting cylinder for each wing. That gives you the ability to use just one wing in really heavy hay or close quarters, or to turn a windrow. The double acting cylinders also make sure the wings go down when you're on a side hill.

 

[jwcinpk]

Anyone ever use a tonutti Tedder or take?

 

[DT86]

Anyone ever use a tonutti Tedder or take?

Yes, the rakes.

They are by far my favorite with the Kuhn Speed Rake second.

 

[Tx Jim]

I owned a JD 704 rake bought new built for JD by Tonnuti that kept breaking the tubing at the rear. I even installed thicker wall tubing and it still failed. It was the worst rake I ever owned.

 

[aczlan]

We have an Enrossi 4 basket tedder, 3-4 years old at this point and no problems with it.
I would like to split the wings at some point so I could life one but not the other, but thats more a want than a problem.

Aaron Z

 

[jwcinpk]

What is the terrain like where you're using the enrosssi?

 

[aczlan]

What is the terrain like where you're using the enrosssi?

Hilly with lots of corners. We usually run it with the L3830, ~300PTO RPM and 9th to 11th gear.

Aaron Z

 

[bsrfarms97]

the tonutti v rake is basically the same as a walton. I have a walton rcs 8 v rake. rakeing rough ground and uneven fields it does a great job. The biggest problem is its not a high capacity rake so in thick hay it tends to plug up more where it sets lower to the ground. but for the price they are hard to beat. then again it all will depend on how much hay you do and how much your willing to spend cause high capacity rakes are quiet abit more pricey.

 

[jwcinpk]

I've seen some high capacity tonutti rakes. I'm thinking I definitely want a high capacity rake.

 

[Tx Jim]

Hi-cap rake is nice. I bought a 14 wheel H&S Hi-cap(similar to rake in photo) trading in a sorry JD(Tonnuti built) model 704 in 2002 and the H&S has raked 1000's & 1000's of acres. It's never failed me or plugged up. My rake will rake 1 or 2 or 3 nine ft cuts depending on my needs from thickness of the hay.

 

[beggar]

I have a fella 4 basket for about 5 years. I has held up great. It cost 4300.00 at the time . I had a sitrex before that and paid about 2400.00 for it
the fella is so much better but we paid for it.But the most important question is.........would you buy another one? Yes I would. bottom line is how deep is your pocket and can you manage a break down at a bad time or like most folks you just trying to get by. good luck to ya from deep in Dixie.

 

[PROFarms]

I owned a JD 704 rake bought new built for JD by Tonnuti that kept breaking the tubing at the rear. I even installed thicker wall tubing and it still failed. It was the worst rake I ever owned.

I agree with you there, we had one for less than 6 months before we reversed it into the barn to keep for parts if needed. i know a guy on youtube - KMAFarms who would agree with both the 704 and the 702 - P.O.S!!!!

 

[Mistyridgefarm]

I have a used Galfry 4 basket that I fix several times a year. It will be replaced as soon as I can afford to. I also bought a WR10 frontier wheel rake. It works way better than the roller bar I started with. After three seasons, it is holding up well. A few things I do not like: 1) one cylinder and it takes way more time to convert to only one side that I definitely would go with a dual cylinder style the next time. 2) the ability to easily remove or otherwise convert to 8 wheels would be nice for heavy cuttings.

I also had to put some shims correct for the drawbar height. I could have changed to a drop drawbar but this was the only pull implement that had a problem so putting in some shims between the tongue and the main frame. It makes good windrows though.

I
When I get ready to replace it, I. Am looking hard at the Durabuilts and the Ogdens.

Hope this helps.

 

[Tx Jim]

A few things I do not like: 1) one cylinder and it takes way more time to convert to only one side that I definitely would go with a dual cylinder style the next time. 2) the ability to easily remove or otherwise convert to 8 wheels would be nice for heavy cuttings.

On your next rake purchase you should consider a bi-fold rake such as an H&S similar to mine. I can change raking width just by moving a hyd control lever. I can rake three 9+ ft cuts or 2 cuts or even 1 cut in real heavy hay. No need to remove rake wheels to rake a smaller width of hay. Also on my rake I can lock one side up with transport lock(install one quick pin) and rake with the other side by itself.