Dakota_Lifestyle 12 go steelers

The rakes push all the hay to the centre which means any already on that line would be buried. This turns it over so you don't have that hay still on the ground, essentially putting dried hay underneath.

They're called "kicker wheels"... they're typically used to flip over that part of the swath that would be "unraked" because it went directly between the rear wheels of the rake... the grass in that unraked swath would not be flipped over or mixed with the other hay, meaning it wouldn't dry out as well. Plus, it would have the other windrows from the rest of the rake piled up on top of it, mashing it down to the ground, so that when the baler comes along, it wouldn't pick that hay up very well off the ground, causing the baler to miss a lot of hay. The kicker wheels rake the hay off the ground that would otherwise be stuck down to the ground by the windrow on top of it... by moving it over and tossing it on top of the hay to either side, which WILL be raked up and moved back over into the path where the kicker wheels had passed, the hay all gets mixed up together and rolled up together into a uniform windrow, and so it's moved and flipped and can dry out better, and it's all "mixed in" with the rest of the hay in the windrow so the baler can pick it up better. Later! OL J R :)

....is underrated

Because some guys just don't get them moved off the field in a timely way. Sometimes we leave round bales sit in the field for 3-4 days after they're baled so they go through the "sweat" (ALL hay heats up slightly after it's baled and moisture continues to escape from the hay for several days after it's baled-- stacking it right after baling means the entire stack heats up more than if the bales were left on the field for a few days to heat up and then cool down, and it allows the moisture to escape easier) before it goes into the stack. Leaving the hay out there longer than a week at most, however, tends to cause the grass underneath the bales to die, leaving a dead patch in the field. We try to get all the hay off the field and stacked in rows, preferably up on pallets or light poles, within a week of baling (and usually less). If it rains within a few days of baling, particularly an unforeseen or heavy rain event, it can delay moving the bales for up to two weeks. It's better to just let the hay sit where it is than rut up the entire field trying to go pick up heavy bales and move them off the field. Some guys simply have too much ground to cover and not enough time to get it all done, and end up with hay sitting out in the field a lot longer than they should. Some guys are just lazy and won't move the bales until they need to haul them elsewhere to sell them or feed them. Like I said, not a good thing because it leaves dead spots in the field where the bales were sitting, but not insurmountable either-- the grass does (eventually) grow back... but the bales store better if they're moved off the field and put up on pallets or electric utility poles or gravel or old tires or concrete blocks or in a barn or shed or under a tarp or whatever preferred method of storage one has... Later! OL J R :)

Kaid Benson the wheels in the middle move the hay away from the middle to help it windrow properly

KevinA 1962 correct

LucasWvd say that when you payed a whole bunch of money for a expensive rake that you use for 40 minutes twice a year with 40 acres

Tyson Lewis there not going to buy a certain size rake for a certain sized field

They have WAY more than 40 acres, and it's only 3 or 4 swaths of hay, it's really not that big, we run a 2 swath hay rake and it's pretty good size for what we do, we used to run a bar rake. Our neighbors have a rake like the one in the vid, don't know what brand but it has 12 or 14 wheels. My point is that it's really not as big as you make it sound and it's really not overkill for a 40 acre field. And they have more hay fields btw...

Yeah, that's a crummy design IMHO. I wouldn't want that at all... I like the idea of two wheels for each side arm, because it could save a lot of wear and tear and damage if one wheel dropped say into one of their sinkholes... BUT, having the first one stick out three feet beyond the end of the rake swath, that's just stupid. They should have put that second wheel back about midway down the rake arm-- one wheel near the front end, the other in the middle. Maybe mounted them on a pivot or something like a walking beam so they equalize the load and can "walk" over high spots without lifting the other wheel completely off the ground. Later! OL J R :)

Duals are to add traction and flotation. Usually you put them on for harvest season (when you need the additional traction for pulling a heavy grain cart or pulling out a stuck combine or truck) and tillage season (when you need the additional traction to efficiently transmit power to the ground to pull large, heavy implements through hard soil). Usually they're left on for planting season as well (since it's usually fairly wet in the spring and you need the additional flotation and traction to pull heavy planters through soft ground) but for some jobs duals are just a pain in the butt-- like pulling hay rakes, hay mowers, and balers, or stuff like that. The duals stick out wider, run down more grass/hay, and harder to turn with and maneuver with. Since you don't need the traction to pull a fairly light haybine or rake on dry ground (dry enough to make hay on) and you don't need the flotation on dry ground, and the duals are usually in the way because they stick out wider, it's usually best to remove the duals for hay season. Usually when a tractor is being used to cultivate weeds out of the crop rows or pulling a sprayer, it's also common to drop the duals off to reduce the amount of tracks in the field and damage to the crops. Later! OL J R :)

The baling was being done while we were hauling, so no video about it on this field.

You could buy two or three of these rakes for what ONE rotary rake would cost. This rake would still be raking hay long after that rotary was worn out and required EXPENSIVE major repairs to the gearbox and cam track and followers and probably new arms and pivots and was basically ready for the junk heap. That's why... OL J R :)

Pay attention to the prior vid when he got the Gator

These rakes used in the USA were used in europe quite a while back. I believe the spinny one like you mentioned does a better job but its a bit more slower and more expensive to buy and maintain. And I am from the Netherlands and we only have those rotor ones and not the wheeled ones.

Different rakes for different jobs. There's overlap of course but basically it comes down to preference. Might ask you guys why you use one of those complicated rotary rakes with their PTO driven gearboxes and complex cams and arms that break and require high maintenance instead of the simple wheel rakes... it's because over time the preference has switched to the rotary rake in your area. Decades past wheel rakes were considered a "European" rake and weren't particularly popular in the US... back then most farmers used "rolabar" type rakes with a backwards turning slanted basket. Now the wheel rakes have become a lot more popular, but you still see some rolabar rakes used in some areas for some crops and conditions. We use rolabars here because we're using our older rakes that we've had a long time. Most new rakes sold around this area are wheel-type rakes. Virtually NOBODY uses the rotary "European" style rakes down here... they're too expensive, too many moving parts, have a complex and expensive gearbox and cam track and roller system that has to be maintained and repaired, and with their dinky little wheels under them wouldn't last long on our rough fields compared to smooth fields elsewhere. About the only guys you see in the US running rotary style rakes are baling for persnickety, hard-to-please customers-- dairies that claim the 'ash content' of hay raked by wheel rakes or rolabar rakes is too high, or guys baling hay for horse people, who are notoriously hard to please. That, and a few guys who want to run their baler at highway speed across the field and claim that "roped hay" from a wheel rake or rolabar rake is harder to bale and slows them down, and who PREFER the "tall fluffy windrows" from a rotary rake, and are willing to spend the extra money to buy and maintain a rotary rake. IOW, most hay guys prefer the wheel rakes or big unitized basket rakes... OL J R :)

Watch the Gator vid again.

Because they didn't have it when they made this vid... Did you not hear what he said on the Gator vid?

David Harris that's why I love our speed rake no silly braces needed for transport and how it opens and adjusts the width of the window if needed since we often change widths to pick up 2 or 3 of the mowers windrows depending on thickness.

Shawn Mathew he is not up to date on his videos.

It's a good test if you're only interested in raking dry hay.

Wet hay not worth raking

Ricky models Wet bales result in a higher quality feed so wet hay is worth raking

Illinois Farmer let Wess. Onelonlyfarmer test it.

Where I am from dry hay what we want. Wet hay not so much . all best to you and yours

Becuz MURICAAA

Farming Wisconsin because it is a free country

because it was given to him by rhino for free. they have a contract with rhino that allows him to use equipment of his pickings and after 3 years he can buy the ones he wants.

Where did he say that? And why? Is it because of his youtube channel and rhino thinks they will sell more machines?

I think it is also because it allows them to expand their hay operation. If they want more cows they'll need more hay, meaning they'll need a bigger rake anyway

It's a really old farming phrase, spell check won't do it. It simply means to stir up hay on the ground so that it can dry thoroughly. Hay is then placed into windrows so as to defeat the wind at it's attempts to scatter the hay so thinly that it can't be picked up and baled by the baler.

Thanks. Kinda understood the mechanics of it, but really curious about the origin and meaning of "tedding". Possibly comes from "tending"? Thanks again and be safe.

I compare it to hanging clothes out on a clothesline or letting them sit in a clothes basket. Which will dry faster??

Thanks... and understand, but the term "tedding". How's that fit in? Does all mown hay need tedding, or does it depend on weather and other drying circumstances? Thanks again.

I was curious too, but wiki only states the machines came from england in the 1880s and comprise several different methods of fluffing the hay up so air flow is enhanced. And no source for the name tedding so it could be Ted's machine for all we can know. More likely the term applied in england and is lost in transition from their antiquated ways first. No, not all hay needs tedding, mostly for thick tall and fine growth like this grass. Some high yield alfalfa too. Our sudan grass, sudan/sorgham cross is regularly windrowed by the swather which cuts it first all in one go. It has crimpers which break the stalks so that they will dry out in the windrow and alfalfa is done the same way here in colorado. However blister beetles have to be very low in count or the hay is not suitable for horses due to the poison in the crushed blister beetles.

+Geologenus did you even watch the gator video?

How Farms Work yes, but now I feel as if I misses something so I'm going to watch it again.

How Farms Work my bad fam, delete this comment if you like.

Rob Pond they very much are I have a wing take can't remember the brand 🤢 but I work for a guy that has one and it seems like a waste of money it does the exact same job and the wing take we use is extremely Maneuverable