Anyone built a Hay Conditioner Crimper ?? Here is my thought on a design......

[DaveOmak]

I have a small acreage alfalfa fields.... I want to crimp it so it will dry faster..... My thought is pictured below.... Pull behind the tractor, after cutting, to crimp the stalks....

Any thoughts on this idea would be appreciated, before I invest the time and money.....

Is there any other design you have seen that might/would work ??

I was thinking the crimp bars should be spaced about 2" at the tips.......

The cutting swath is about 4 1/2 feet with a drum mower so the alfalfa won't be really thick......

I will have to use this after the drum mower is removed and a 2nd or 3rd trip around the field will be required....



I appreciate your looking and advice......

Dave

 

[KYErik]

Crimpers usually squeeze the hay between two spring loaded rollers. Is there another roller or does your roller press the hay against the ground?

 

[DaveOmak]

I was considering using the ground as an anvil.... Trying to make it simple..... very simple....

 

[aczlan]

My worry would be that it would push the hay into the ground and/or get dirt, sticks and rocks into it.

Aaron Z

 

[buickanddeere]

Why make life difficult for your self and how much are you trying to save? I remember the little
Old towed conditioners that had a drawbar hitch that connected to the back of a sickle mower.
Look around and purchase one for less than the cost of materials to build your own.
Old 10ft swathers with conditioners sell for scrap metal price.

 

[KYErik]

I think that the ground is too uneven to get enough pressure on most of the stems and you would be packing the hay against the ground so there would be less air circulation and it would dry a bit slower.

I think you could put a wanted ad on craigslist and get a conditioner that needs a little work for $200-300.

 

[OldMcDonald]

Dave, Forget it. Unless you live in an area that has similar summer weather to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, your hay is going to dry faster than most folks could hope for. There is no desperate urgency to bale it wherever you live. Save the money, let it dry naturally in the swathe - obviously you want light airy swathes, and getting those is a lot more important than saving a day before you can bale. Why do you want to make work for yourself, and spend money, going through with some gadget to crimp lucerne/alfalfa stalks? Good hay is always made slowly, despite what some folks will tell you, good hay makes in the hay shed more than it does in the field. Take it easy. Cut it, turn it when it begins to wilt, turn it again as it dries, go and pick up a handful, smell it, taste it even, let it dry where it is then bale it and put it in your storage shed.

The piece ofequipment you have sesigned would be really good for pushing down a green manure crop prior to incorporating in the soil.

 

[RickB]

Hay dries faster when fluffy and air can move through the crop mass. Mashing it down on the damp ground will make drying take longer than if you simply mowed it and went and got drunk.

 

[aczlan]

Dave, Forget it. Unless you live in an area that has similar summer weather to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, your hay is going to dry faster than most folks could hope for. There is no desperate urgency to bale it wherever you live. Save the money, let it dry naturally in the swathe - obviously you want light airy swathes, and getting those is a lot more important than saving a day before you can bale. Why do you want to make work for yourself, and spend money, going through with some gadget to crimp lucerne/alfalfa stalks? Good hay is always made slowly, despite what some folks will tell you, good hay makes in the hay shed more than it does in the field. Take it easy. Cut it, turn it when it begins to wilt, turn it again as it dries, go and pick up a handful, smell it, taste it even, let it dry where it is then bale it and put it in your storage shed.

I'll have to disagree. Around here (Upstate NY) we are lucky to get 3 consecutive hot rain free days so if you dont condition your hay, it will get rained on which will cause more nutrient loss than conditioning the hay ever will.

Aaron Z

 

[buickanddeere]

I'll have to disagree. Around here (Upstate NY) we are lucky to get 3 consecutive hot rain free days so if you dont condition your hay, it will get rained on which will cause more nutrient loss than conditioning the hay ever will.

Aaron Z

Same here. We cut hay just before,during or immediately after the last rainstorm before good drying weather is predicted. Conditoning is vital as it saves an entire days drying time.
As previously stated. A light fluffy windrow dries fastest. Better than a flat windrow and having to rake it.