anyone have a center wheel on your v-rake?

[cowski]

i was thinking about getting a center wheel for my v-rake.how good do they work?

 

[sweettractors]

Without using one..... the center 3-5 ft of your cut hay does not get raked, so the sun and air can cure it. Ken Sweet

 

[cowski]

one wheel will not rake 5 foot.so how much will it rake? does it make the windrow uneven? does it plug up easier?

 

[fowllife]

It depends on how you use your v rake now. If you windrow your hay when you cut it, then just use your V to merge two windrows then the center kicker wheel won't do a whole lot. As Ken somewhat hinted to, they are designed to turn the hay in the center. Turning the hay over in the center is much more critical if you ted the hay, or just lay it out flat when you cut it. Whitout knowing your process it's kind of hard to say if it would be usefull to you.

 

[RickB]

Without using one..... the center 3-5 ft of your cut hay does not get raked, so the sun and air can cure it. Ken Sweet

+1.
If you make hay in an area where final drying occurs in the windrow after raking, a center (kicker) wheel will probably make the difference between being happy with a wheel rake and hating one.

 

[cowski]

i have had a 8 wheel rake for at least 15 years.the only problem i have had is the baler not picking up the hay that does not get raked.i end up running the baler pickup lower.i got a new rake this year and thought about adding a center wheel.my dealer does not recommend one.he said that they plug up easier ,make a uneven windrow and does not rake it all any way.no one uses one around me,what do you think?

 

[RickB]

i have had a 8 wheel rake for at least 15 years.the only problem i have had is the baler not picking up the hay that does not get raked.i end up running the baler pickup lower.i got a new rake this year and thought about adding a center wheel.my dealer does not recommend one.he said that they plug up easier ,make a uneven windrow and does not rake it all any way.no one uses one around me,what do you think?

I think you had your answer before you posted the question.

 

[cowski]

I think you had your answer before you posted the question.

i guess your in agreement that they are not worth much.i was hoping for a different answer from someone who actually used one since i have not.

 

[RickB]

i guess your in agreement that they are not worth much.i was hoping for a different answer from someone who actually used one since i have not.

I haven't used a V style wheel rake. But I also haven't ever had much luck trying to make dry hay by leaving 10-20% of the swath unraked. It simply won't dry completely in the humid Northeast.
You might try posting the brand and model of rake you are asking about. Different designs are surely more or less prone to plugging than others. If kicker wheels were completely worthless, nobody would offer them. You might also try a forum like New Ag Talk which is more suitable for gathering information about mainstream Ag equipment. There are more folks over there who will have experience with any similar rake than you will find here.

Viewing a forum - Machinery Talk

 

[cowski]

hey rickb thanks for the response and recommending agtalk .in alabama hay drys quickly that 10% does not hurt. other than the hay loss .i just got a vermeer wo 20 v rake.thanks for any other thoughts.

 

[slowzuki]

Rick is right on, here with the moisture if you rake on top of any swath, the unturned hay is as green and wet or wetter than when it was cut.

 

[Mistyridgefarm]

I have the center kicker on the frontier I just got. Mixed review so far. It really only rakes the center maybe 18 inches, so the baler still leaves a little on the edges. In heavy stuff, it wanted to clump up a bit but that was probably because I was still figuring out what ground speed worked the best. I ted my hay and the kicker does seem to leave less on the ground. Since replacing teeth on the baler is a PITB, I don't mind leaving a little behind! I took the kicker off at one point, and the baler did leave quite a bit more. I haven't seen where it makes the window noticeably uneven. I think I contribute more to that by getting over two far and not taking a full bite.