Wheel rake vs rotary rake?

[Bigfoot62]

AKfish,
A buddy of mine had one of these, and I used it several times: JOHN DEERE 705 Hay and Forage Equipment - Rakes/Tedders For Sale At TractorHouse.com
Another one without the green paint: 2006 VERMEER R2300 Hay and Forage Equipment - Rakes/Tedders For Sale At TractorHouse.com
Probably the best and highest production hay rake that I've ever used. You get the width of a wheeled V-rake, but the performance of a "roll-a-bar" rake. The downside is the cost. That's why I pull a 10-wheel Sitrex. It's what I can afford.

 

[Duffster]

AKfish,
A buddy of mine had one of these, and I used it several times: JOHN DEERE 705 Hay and Forage Equipment - Rakes/Tedders For Sale At TractorHouse.com
Another one without the green paint: 2006 VERMEER R2300 Hay and Forage Equipment - Rakes/Tedders For Sale At TractorHouse.com
Probably the best and highest production hay rake that I've ever used. You get the width of a wheeled V-rake, but the performance of a "roll-a-bar" rake. The downside is the cost. That's why I pull a 10-wheel Sitrex. It's what I can afford.

Around here many are ditching the big V wheel rakes for those.

 

[D7E]

I'd say you have an acute eyesight problem. One, the windrows are roped, two they are at least 2 times as tight as a rotary windrow and three, you need to pull some maintenance on your mower. It's painfully obvious (from the picture) that the mower is stripping the field. You can see the uncut swath between every row.

I'd be ashamed to post a picture like that and my contract customers would never be happy with shoddy cutting like that.

Finally, is that hay? Sure looks either rained on or over sun bleached....or both. It's also apparent that your windrow is causing barrel shaped bales. A problem ascerbated by tight rows and poor feeding practice. Try altering your weave pattern to put less material in the center and more on the ends. Your rounds look less than comercially saleable.

Your 'roper' would make a nice yard ornament. I had one for years and then tried a rotary from a dealer who dropped it off for a trial. Never went back.

I would be happy to own that rake rake alongside the others and would have no problem dropping my hesstons into that swath, a bit bleached out but we dont know what weather it has taken ....Agree on the bale shape ..i could'nt sell them either !

 

[D7E]

Spelling Eh?

Nothing better to do EH ?????

 

[foreman Etexas]

I'd buy them cows dont worry about shape I have seen some fallen over after baler!!!:laughing:

 

[TractorToolsDirect]

I think what works best is a local thing and depends upon weather and crop. When I was haying, there was a lot of clover and alfalfa being grown and with the wet cool springs these crops would be very leggy with about half the crop laying on the ground come time to cut. No wheel rakes in the area at the time and convientional parallel bar rakes would just rope the crop and it would never dry. I found a very unique imported rake from Demark which used 2 belts with articulated fingers and the belts traveled side to side. As the fingers reached the end of their travel, just as they were moving around the drum, they give the hay a little kick. Never any roping and could take a heavy rained on, flat as a pancake row and fluff it up close to 2 ft in height. Haven't seen a rake like this in yrs and don't know it they are made or imported any longer.

If roping and drying are issues you have, need to find something that doesn't rope the hay.

Here's a pic of a rake like the one I had (this one not mine)

If you are looking for one of these in the US, look for the brand Molon. There are some dealers who have them. High quality and work well as a tedder too.

 

[blaze 57]

I have a wheel rake and it works fine. Yes maybe a little tight and ropey but that matters zero here in Eastern Washington where the typical summer is 10% humidity at 90 degrees with a 20 mph wind...Yep guys with haybines don't even bother raking when conditions are good.. Heck I cut in the morning, rake in afternoon and bale at dark. Makes for a long day but its nice and GREEN bales because it hasn't set out in the sun long. Horse people love the soft green bales when I can cut, rake and bale the same day. Despite being a little tight in the windrows and can still lay on the ground and see right through the windrows to the other side so I know wind is going right through. On the tight ropey part,,,my baler cares less but if you work the wheel rake right you don't have to make them so tight and ropey. Ive done it both ways but the bales and dry time are always the same due to such low humidity here. We go through hand crème by the gallons here!!

 

[blaze 57]

Junk, I think not. These windrows look good enough for air circulation to me.
I've heard that roping effect thing for years but we'll stick with our 256 with
dolly wheels. They checked at 15% after baling. My wife has been baling long
enough that she knows when it ready by doing a break test with her hands.
It's not as fast but it gets the job done and with proper maintenance you
should 30-40 years out one, the last one did.

those windrows are fine! here those would be dry in less than 6 hrs after raking. A lot of this depends on the location. Here where I live its nice to SLOW DOWN drying time.

 

[Aqualize]

Fun that my belt rake (put it up on wikimedia commons) made it into this thread. They were used a long time ago here in Sweden (the model is a Mads Amby from Denmark). In Sweden almost all use rotary rakes. I see one bother importing them (ELHO, a Finnish brand make those).

Absolute best swather/merger I thing is the pickup style with a conveyor belt. Don't know if more than ROC makes them. But I think they are the very expensive (even when comparing normalized to working width). Example video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_2BOEWTZe0