Pulling a hay rake with...

   / Pulling a hay rake with... #1  

sjbrunk0

Member
Joined
May 17, 2011
Messages
41
Location
Edgerton, KS
Tractor
JD 2040
I just bought a New Holland Model 56 hay rake, it seems to be in pretty workable order. So now I have all the equipment I need.
I have one tractor and it takes me about 15 minutes to put the sickle bar on it, so I'm motivated to explore options that would reduce how often I need to do that.
I have a polaris ranger (sort of an ATV with a dump bed on it). Is it crazy to think about pullingn that rake with my ranger? maybe in low gear?
Or if that's a bad idea what about pulling it behind a pickup?

Other than losing all respect with my neighbors, what are the considerations?
Wear & tear on the ranger? Too hard to regulate the speed? Ranger isn't heavy enough?

Thanks in advance and please don't laugh at me ;)
 
   / Pulling a hay rake with... #2  
I remember when I was younger my dad telling me about the time my grandpa raked with the farm truck. He said by the time he was done half the teeth were gone. :D it’s just too hard to go the correct speed in a truck. The Ranger might work, if you’re able to keep a slow, steady speed.
 
   / Pulling a hay rake with... #3  
I've pulled a rake with my ATV. You need a dolly wheel to carry the tongue load. Keeping your thumb on the throttle (no cruise control) is a very tiring duty. Its best if you can offset the hitch so that the tow vehicle runs on the previouly raked section. Otherwise there may be some traction issues. I towed it with my pickup once. Hay got wrapped up in the driveline and strained the pinion seal. (Did I say MY pickup?. It was a Company pickup, so it was only a learning experience not a costly one).

There have been a few times when I've run a front hitch bar across and run the rake just ahead of the bailer. To do that, you need to have a field that's easy to get in and out of easy (and has roundish corners). You can't make hard turns with that setup.
 
   / Pulling a hay rake with... #4  
How many acres are you talking, I'd like to suggest using the polaris if it happened to only be like 20 acres or so. Any great deal more may overwork the transmission to the point of heating it up and causing irreparable damage. I agree about the pickups driveshaft, been there done that, except it was my expense but not me driving.
 
   / Pulling a hay rake with... #5  
I just bought a New Holland Model 56 hay rake, it seems to be in pretty workable order. So now I have all the equipment I need.
I have one tractor and it takes me about 15 minutes to put the sickle bar on it, so I'm motivated to explore options that would reduce how often I need to do that.
I have a polaris ranger (sort of an ATV with a dump bed on it). Is it crazy to think about pullingn that rake with my ranger? maybe in low gear?
Or if that's a bad idea what about pulling it behind a pickup?

Other than losing all respect with my neighbors, what are the considerations?
Wear & tear on the ranger? Too hard to regulate the speed? Ranger isn't heavy enough?

Thanks in advance and please don't laugh at me ;)

You're agonizing over 15 minutes? Rather than possibly messing up your ATV or pickup, why not just practice attaching and removing your sicklebar until you can do it in your sleep. The first few times I attached my old 7-ft Massey Ferguson 31 sicklebar to my Mahindra 5525, it took about 15 minutes of work with my 5-ft steel pry bar. I made a nice wooden platform for the mower to rest on and that helps a lot getting it onto the 3pt. It's a lot easier to move the mower around on the platform than on the ground.

IMG_0320 (Small).JPGIMG_0322 (Small).JPGDSCF0153 (Small).JPG
 
   / Pulling a hay rake with... #6  
Will the 3pt. pick the mower up high enough to get the rake on the drawbar?
As for raking with the Ranger, I'd say ok for the 1st go round. But if prolly won't be (because of ground clearance) be able to combine rows or "roll" the hay for the 2nd round.
 
   / Pulling a hay rake with... #7  
Flusher is dead on right. Either learn to live with getting the sickle bar on and off quickly, or get rid of that useless atv four wheeler crap and get a second tractor if taking the mower off is too much work. Rakes were designed to be pulled by tractors because of the clearances and the steady speeds that are needed to rake properly. Making hay is serious business and to do it right you need to know what you are doing. If you are doing it to say money, forget about it,and just by the hay you need. Buying the hay will be cheaper and easier in the long run.
 
   / Pulling a hay rake with... #8  
Making hay is serious business.

Yup, it ranks right up there with brain surgery. :laughing:

Will the Ranger do the job? Yup.
Will it destroy the Ranger? Yup.

Either learn to live with getting the sickle bar on and off quickly, or get rid of that useless atv four wheeler crap and get a second tractor if taking the mower off is too much work.

Ditto.

Buying the hay will be cheaper and easier in the long run.

That is an awful broad generalization. We just put up 35 acres of some of the finest 1st crop alfalfa we have ever made. I would hate to have to shell out the cash it would take to buy that, if you could find it.
 
   / Pulling a hay rake with... #9  
You need a second tractor and a mower/conditioner. Then you need a rotary hay tedder.
 
 
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