3 point vs trailed rotary rake

ruffdog · Nov 3, 2015

Neighbor has a Kuhn pulled by the drawbar. He uses his small Ferguson (8n) to rake with and does small fields. I'm not sure if the ground is level enough for the 3pt version as it doesn't take much of a bump or hole to upset a 3pt height. He rakes at a pretty good speed and the drawbar Kuhn doesn't bounce around either. The rake gets used at other farms too (small squares for horses) and gets pulled by a truck.

powerscol · Nov 3, 2015

Krone and Kuhn seem to be the only brands around here, but that could be because there are only 2 dealers that are any good within 100 miles.

Tx Jim · Nov 4, 2015

IMHO I'll take a towed implement over a 3 pt hitch model any day. Towed is normally easier to attach and will follow the terrain better than 3 pt. I rake fields as small as an 2 acres with my 14 wheel H&S rake with no problems.

ruffdog · Nov 4, 2015

Looking at the 2 small Kuhn models show both ride on tires while raking. The 3pt would swing while the towed would follow the tractor. The towed model could be easily moved by truck while the 3pt model can be lifted. Which of the differences is most important? If I had to use one all the time I guess I like towed because it doesn't affect the tractor turning. Raking is done at higher ground speeds and the weight hanging out the back would be felt on the turns.

ruffdog · Nov 4, 2015

Quality? I did repair the neighbor's small towed Kuhn. He loaned it to a person that tied the rake arms for transport then turned the pto on. The ring gear got tore up. The new ring gear was shipped quickly and took about a day to repair. It was mostly disassembled to do the repair and it seemed to be made quite well.

870wing · Nov 8, 2015

Thank you for the feedback. I have the Krone and Kuhn dealer looking for good condition used single rotary towed raked. Hopefully they will be able to find one by spring. Unfortunately with the drop in value of the Canadian dollor it's making the purchase of a new rake from the USA or Europe unrealistic. Todays rate USA $1 USA dollar costs $1.33 cad. $1 euro costs $1.43 cad. That means a new rake is costing me an extra 33% to 43% just for the exchange rate (OUCH!)

Take care

870wing