Rocks in my hay

[ddivinia]

We've found that the rotary rakes don't add rocks and sticks into the windrows as well as the older style rakes with the reels that tend to rope the hay.

We learned this from haylage as the chopper knives don't seem to hold an edge as well with the steady injestion of rocks and stuff found in fields.

I have heard the same. I am not sure I can justify the expense of a rotary rake. My rock situation is steadily getting better as the turf improves.

I am using a ground driven wheel rake.

D.

 

[art]

They are very economical to buy but they to tend to rope the hay which is how the rocks and foreign items can stay in the hay.

The other style makes all the jobs around the hay easier. For the baler when you slow because of overload it doesn't have an extra five foot or more that it is trying to pull in, same for choppers.

I do understand economics and sometimes it is hard to justify.

 

[LBrown59]

I know I've baled my fair share of fence posts! 4-5" posts don't even make a sound going through.
*I used to bale on islands that flood every spring and get covered in driftwood and logs.
**Lots of sticks in bales there!

*How did you get the tractor and equip onto the island?
**Was the price per bail less because of this?

 

[ddivinia]

I will have to check rotary rakes out. I am just happy to be baling my own hay at this point.

D.

 

[bontai_Joe]

I'd take a rock over a skunk ANY DAY! I can remember when I was a kid stacking square bales in the loft and getting one with a skunk in it. PEEEWWWWWWWWWWWW!

 

[chh]

They are very economical to buy but they to tend to rope the hay which is how the rocks and foreign items can stay in the hay.

In all the years I have used wheel rakes I have only seen hay "roped" once. A knucklehead who did not have a tedder, used his wheel rake to turn some very,very heavy bermuda 5 or 6 times. The baler would literally pull hay from 20' out in front of the tractor. He baled 4 or 5 bales on one round and drove off and left the whole field.

 

[slowzuki]

First, the island is prime ag land as the silt that is deposited each spring and fall during flooding is rich stuff. There is about 3000 acres of so on the chain of 4 islands. 40 years ago a power dam was built above the islands which meant the low summer water couldn't be guaranteed for driving there. They built a bridge and causeway to connect the main islands. Before this the hay was stored in elevated barns on the island and hauled off using sleds across the frozen river. Diesel tractors were a boon as the gas tractors would die crossing the river. Horses would be used to pull them out.

Second, the price is no less as it is great hay but the fellow I worked for kept the ones with big sticks. You can see them easily on the side of the bale.

The worst part was sometimes whole trees would be in the middle of the field and you'd have to go around or you'd hit pieces of them while mowing.

All the ground is now in row crop as far as I know.
Ken

*How did you get the tractor and equip onto the island?
**Was the price per bail less because of this?

 

[Lazy J]

When I read the Subject of this thread I knew the problem would be the result of a Wheel Rake!!!

The wheel rake is the biggest detriment to forage quality! The easy nature of their use results in increased Ash content in the forage. However, each grower must assess the trade off between time/investment and producing qualty hay.

We owned a 10 wheel rake in the past, it sure made raking faster, but we could never get it adjusted properly to limit the amount of soil that contaminated the forage. We now have a rotary rake that we can better adjust to gather hay. If someone doesn't adjust the rake properly though you will have dirt in the hay too. But given the fact that the rotary rake is powered by the tractor and not the ground you have better raking.

Jim

 

[art]

In all the years I have used wheel rakes I have only seen hay "roped" once. A knucklehead who did not have a tedder, used his wheel rake to turn some very,very heavy bermuda 5 or 6 times. The baler would literally pull hay from 20' out in front of the tractor. He baled 4 or 5 bales on one round and drove off and left the whole field.

To only roll it over once might just mean that you are only pulling two feet of extra hay!

 

[ddivinia]

Interesting - almost nobody down here owns a tedder.

D.