Wheel rakes with irregular fields?

[tom4018]

You mean there is such a thing as a regular shaped field?

I have used a 8 and 10 wheel rakes on really odd shaped fields and ones with lots of obstacles.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Triangles can be fun with about any rake. With out seeing what you are seeing it's hard to say for sure what would work best.

You can lift them just a little to make turns once you are out of the hay, this works especially well if the baler is not far behind the rake and you don't have to cross windrows.

I wish I was on my laptop and could make some crude drawing of different ways to handle tight corners.

Will you be following with a baler or raking everything and coming back later to bale?

The triangular field has 1 90° corner, 1 terrible corner where your swearing and one other corner that isn't too bad at first but becomes a problem after you open up the field and it starts getting smaller. What I try to do is make 8 passes around the fields that are troublesome and bale up the outsides before cutting the rest.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

You mean there is such a thing as a regular shaped field?

I have used a 8 and 10 wheel rakes on really odd shaped fields and ones with lots of obstacles.

Some people are blessed with perfect fields, I've even seen them

 

[quicksandfarmer]

With a wheel rake the action of the ground on the wheel drives the raking, and the angle between the wheel and the direction of travel determines what kind of raking action you get. So you get a different raking action when you're going straight from when you're not. Different raking action means your windrow is going to be an inconsistent shape. An irregular field means lots of turning. With a PTO-driven rake the rake speed is the same no matter what your direction of travel.

 

[farmer2009]

I'm getting ready to learn this spring as my plans are to purchase a 10 wheel with center kicker.

But I've raked for a friend, after watching me drag that rake around the first field he stopped me. I raked 3 circles around the field then ran straight after that. He had me to rake the first circle like I was. Then the next two circles I picked up the rake enough to stop the windrow to make the turn. Then went through and raked the field in straight lines. After the baler came through I backed into each corner and raked a windrow out. Then he could pick that up. That was much easier on the rake. A little more trouble.

 

[showcattle]

I rake all fields just back and forth in straight lines, no matter the shape, picking up the rake when turning. Once field is raked, I'll make two or three rounds all around the outside, cleaning up the loose ends. Seems to work well.

 

[sixdogs]

Wheel rakes are for out here where it's flat with square or long fields. I am familiar with your grape country fields and the New Holland Rollabar rake that is PTO powered and three point hitch is tailor made for you. You can get in or out of tiny corners or bad angles without making a mess and can exit the field when done without making a mess. I think the rake is a model 56 and may now be a model 57. In any event, they work like a charm on small fields. Forget the wheel rake or prepare to be frustrated.


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[Robert_in_NY]

Wheel rakes are for out here where it's flat with square or long fields. I am familiar with your grape country fields and the New Holland Rollabar rake that is PTO powered and three point hitch is tailor made for you. You can get in or out of tiny corners or bad angles without making a mess and can exit the field when done without making a mess. I think the rake is a model 56 and may now be a model 57. In any event, they work like a charm on small fields. Forget the wheel rake or prepare to be frustrated.


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I have a 256 currently but I'm looking for a rake to merge 18' - 20' into a single windrow without making multiple passes. I've been considering a large rotary rake but the price of the wheel rakes are attractive.

 

[sixdogs]

I have a 256 currently but I'm looking for a rake to merge 18' - 20' into a single windrow without making multiple passes. I've been considering a large rotary rake but the price of the wheel rakes are attractive.

The 256 is too hard to turn and too difficult to get into or out of a small field. The 56 is three point hitch so just pick it up and go. It is near impossible to wide rake a small field because you can't turn around. I used to have a NH258 and 260 right and left combination rake setup and it took an acre to turn it and that was not enough. I wound up not using it because of the hassle.

My neighbor has a wheel rake and has trouble unless on flat ground and long fields. He's always breaking tines. He likes the rake but needs flat ground and lots of room and you don't have either. Also, the wheel rake doesn't "loft" the hay as much as Rolobar rake will.

Your fields are likely small, very irregular and with humps and divots. I have walked the concord grape ground. In my view, the easiest answer is the 56 or the 256. You could go wider with a 258 and that would help some but it's still hard to turn and you would always be bunching up in the bends. You don't have a perfect answer.

 

[Tx Jim]

I've raked fields smaller than 2 acres with a 14 wheel rake similar to the one in photo with no problems.