Haying changes next year ?

[Hay Dude]

Yes, changing the windrow width on that rake does change the raking width. There is a pair of hydraulic cylinders just behind the lift arm that changes the wing angle to narrow or widen the windrow, and they move the other end of the wing in the opposite direction due to how the wings pivot on the lift arm, and you do this with the rake moving if it has the hydraulics on it (the one below does, I can see them.) The raking width can change by several feet, and depending on your mower and swath widths, it may be no big deal or you may miss hay or catch part of your previously-raked windrow.



I've run the 10-wheel version of that rake (1022) with the regular single-wheel axles and no kicker wheel. It was a pretty solid rake, much nicer than the Kuhn wheel rake that was used prior. It worked well raking in front of a round baler with a wide pickup. I did not like to use it to rake in front of a small square baler as it would plug up in a decent stand of hay when the windrow was set narrow enough for the baler's pickup and it was being used in the normal fashion to pull two swaths into one windrow. You can lock either one of the wings up so you can just use the other wing, although it requires you to dismount the tractor and flip a valve on the rake to disconnect the one wing from the hydraulic lift circuit.

I was going to opt for the 1225 Procart mostly for the double wheels and somewhat for the larger size. I have some bumpy and challenging fields and thought it might be more rugged or hold up longer.
I think you have the single axle version? Are your fields bumpy? Does your single axle seem like it’ll hold up well?
Thanks for chipping into the discussion!

 

[mo1]

I was going to opt for the 1225 Procart mostly for the double wheels and somewhat for the larger size. I have some bumpy and challenging fields and thought it might be more rugged or hold up longer.
I think you have the single axle version? Are your fields bumpy? Does your single axle seem like it’ll hold up well?
Thanks for chipping into the discussion!

Yes, the 1022 is the single-axle version. That size was selected as it will pick up exactly two swaths from a 10'-10 1/2' cutter which is what we use. The fields are somewhat bumpy, generally I can't go faster than about 5-6 MPH when cutting. This rake seems pretty solid, we've had it about 10 years if I remember correctly and all we've had to do is grease it. It certainly is a lot stouter than the Kuhn rake we had before, that bent and broke after one season and got traded in on the New Holland. The only really bad thing I can say about the rake is that it is not a great rake for making a windrow much narrower than about 5 1/2' wide in a thick stand of grass hay, it will plug up. I wouldn't recommend using this to rake in front of a narrow pickup 4' wide round baler or most small square balers but it does great in front of your typical wide pickup round baler.

 

[QRTRHRS]

I picked up a load of hay yesterday from a guy that has gotten ahead of the labor problem. He has a bailer that packs small squares into blocks containing 21 bales. He used a telehandler with a grapple to load them onto my trailer. They are roughly 3x4x8. With that handler, he stacked two bales then grabbed both in the center. He set them on the far side of my trailer then grabbed the top one and set that one down close to him. Repeating that, i now had four bales on my 16 foot skid loader type trailer. He sat two more on top, one behind the other. So like 5 minutes to load 126 bales!

I have heard that that type of baler can require a lot of maintenance but he said he had no issues and does custom bailing in addition to his own.

 

[Hay Dude]

I picked up a load of hay yesterday from a guy that has gotten ahead of the labor problem. He has a bailer that packs small squares into blocks containing 21 bales. He used a telehandler with a grapple to load them onto my trailer. They are roughly 3x4x8. With that handler, he stacked two bales then grabbed both in the center. He set them on the far side of my trailer then grabbed the top one and set that one down close to him. Repeating that, i now had four bales on my 16 foot skid loader type trailer. He sat two more on top, one behind the other. So like 5 minutes to load 126 bales!

I have heard that that type of baler can require a lot of maintenance but he said he had no issues and does custom bailing in addition to his own.

Probably a Krone multi baler.
Most sophisticated baler you can buy.
Leave it to the Germans…..

He will have problems, trust me. And they are crazy expensive to fix. Mine is being “gone through” right now. I feel close to a 5 digit invoice coming my way.

BUT, they get rid of employees and small bale handling, which is the big headache today.

 

[ddbackhoe]

Probably a Krone multi baler.
Most sophisticated baler you can buy.
Leave it to the Germans…..

He will have problems, trust me. And they are crazy expensive to fix. Mine is being “gone through” right now. I feel close to a 5 digit invoice coming my way.

BUT, they get rid of employees and small bale handling, which is the big headache today.

Pete bought a Bale Baron. Gotta admit, makes you a little jealous until sticker price sets in.

 

[Hay Dude]

The thing about the Krone multi baler is that it bales and accumulates and bundles bales.

One of my neighbors has a Bale Baron, but it just picks up bales and bundles them. Still nice, but doesn’t make hay bales like the Krone.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Not sure what brand his baler was or what he paid for it. It was not a Krone. Don't see many large square balers around me much less this kind. Most round bale it. There are a few that like to work hard that do small squares. My usual supplier loads it onto my trailer in the field. I just go strap it down and hook and go.

 

[mo1]

Some of the local equipment dealers are dealers for Bale Bandit and Bale Baron but I've never seen one of those bale banders actually being used or seen anybody hauling or selling banded small squares around here. There is a Krone dealer locally but the only Krone baler I've ever seen there was a round baler.

 

[Hay Dude]

I bet a new Krone Multi Baler is close to $350,000

 

[LHF2019]

Only changes I can think of is less fertilizer and focus on lime. Darn prices on everything.