Rake Hay rake information?

[lennyzx11]

I have about 5 acres that I let grow through the year for the wildflowers and deer.
When I brushhog it right before winter, it leaves a pretty good mess of the field with the cut grass.
It’s a chore picking it up with the baggers on the mowers and my landscape rake doesn’t work.

I’m thinking on getting a hay rake to windrow the grass and then scoop it up with bucket/grapple to dump in the dump trailer.

I know nothing about hay rakes and want to stay under 1k used price so two questions.

What kind of rake should I look for in the classifieds/auctions?

Would a pine straw rake may be a better choice?

Pulling it with a Kubota L3301 or a Ford 2000.

Thanks,
Lenny

 

[LouNY]

Most rakes will not windrow brush hogged grasses too much of it short pieces.
If you find someone with a small haybine that would cut it for you and then go ahead and bale it,
even though it will be useless as hay it could be used as mulch or erosion control.
Or just cut and collect all the baler twine and stack themlet it compost and use them for mulch in a couple of years.

A pto powered side delivery rake would do the best job in that situation, they are hard to find.
The ground driven side delivery don't turn fast enough to move all the short pieces while a pto can be spun up and the tractor slowed down to windrow much of it.