Haying changes next year ?

[Hay Dude]

Anyone upgrading, downsizing, purchasing, etc?

I have one more tractor to upgrade and one to fix.
Probably going to sell the Hesston square baler and look for a newer Massey or another Krone.

Looking at double and wheel rakes, too.


Anyone else got plans?

 

[Snobdds]

Yeah, not do it. My theory is let someone else deal with those headaches.

 

[4570Man]

My equipment isn’t related to haying but I’m always on the hunt for something different. I’m wanting a D3 class dozer with HST and cab, I might sell my D5 if I get one or I might keep them both. I’ve never liked my current dump truck as much as I thought I would. I’m wanting to sell it and get a grapple truck or dumpster truck. I’m kinda wanting to sell my wheeled skid steer and get another one with a cab and tracks. I’ve always drove beater vehicles. I paid $3500 for my daily driver. I’m wanting to find a nicer SRW service truck to drive. All of those trades probably won’t happen in 1 year though.

 

[Hay Dude]

It’s raining here and cold so I was chatting with one of the hay equipment salesman about a couple wheel rakes.
Looking at 12 wheel New Hollands.
He told me most New Holland hay attachments have increased by 40% in price in last 3 years.

 

[eagle628]

Friend of mine was thinking about a wheel rake after struggling along with some older double rotaries this past year. Then I pointed out that I bought some bales made with a wheel rake that tested at 13.5% ash vs 9% or lower for the rotary-raked ones, so now he is probably backing away from the idea.

 

[Hay Dude]

could be a simple adjustment of the wheel rake

 

[sea2summit]

Huge job change this year and significant family changes on my wifes side will happen next year...apparently I'm getting out of hay. Just bought a brand new baler, rake and grapple this year.

 

[Tx Jim]

IMHO many wheel rake operators have rake wheels set for ""excessive ground pressure"" to successfully gather the crop!!

 

[Hay Dude]

Huge job change this year and significant family changes on my wifes side will happen next year...apparently I'm getting out of hay. Just bought a brand new baler, rake and grapple this year.

You mean like youre moving?

 

[sea2summit]

You mean like youre moving?

Yeah

 

[Hay Dude]

Can you take hay equipment with you and start again? Might be better where you‘re going?

 

[sea2summit]

Still in research mode. Initially the distance and cost of land is making it look pretty bleak for hobby hay making.

 

[EddieWalker]

Still early, but I'm working towards switching from being dependent on buying hay from people that never seem to have enough, to growing my own. I'm buying my late brothers 40 acre farm, so when that's done, I'll start clearing it and opening it up. I should be able to get ten acres clear fairly quickly, then another ten acres will take longer, and in the end, probably have about 35 out of 40 acres cleared for hay. The grass is really nice coastal Bermuda, so it wont take much to improve it. It's just been overgrazed by too many cows and overgrown from not mowing or spraying. Most of the trees are just 4 to six inches at the base, but there are hundreds of them to take out!!!

 

[Hay Dude]

Here’s the rake I’m considering. One of my better dealers has 2 coming. Looked at Pequea too, but their transport width is too wide. I like the 15” tall double bogies on my rough ground and the walking beam axles, too.

Gonna be funny not having a PTO shaft!

 

[Tx Jim]

I know technology on wheel rakes that fold into the air similar to your photo have advanced a long way in the last 20 yrs BUT I'll still chose my H&S bi-fold rake over that style. With my rake I can rake any width of hay from 6' to 28' by just moving tractor scv control lever. I can change windrow width without altering raking width by simply turning a crank. My rakes wheels push hay with no frame or wheel spindles blocking hay flow vs rake wheels pulling hay instead of pushing hay with wheel spindles readily accessible for wrapping. I've seen windrow width variances with worn fold in the air rakes that I've never experienced with my 20 yr old very experienced(many 100's of acres) Bi-fold rake

I feel confident Bi-fold rake is much higher $$$$ than fold in the air rakes but IMHO worth the extra $$$$.

 

[Hay Dude]

Would you believe a Kuhn, Claas, Krone, etc. twin rotary rake is now $33,000?

I mean that’s insane.

The wheel rake I am looking at has hydraulic width control, so some adjustability is available.

I have far outgrown my single rotary. Not sure what other option is available to save time? Theres an outside chance I will go back to a clean used twin rotary rake, but they sell for $15,000-$20,000 now or more. Dealers want $25,000 for a used one.

PROCART™ DELUXE CARTED WHEEL RAKES - Models | Hay ＆ Forage | New Holland (Apac)

Visit our website to find out more about the PROCART™ DELUXE CARTED WHEEL RAKES models and browse the gallery, check out the technical specifications or find a dealer.

agriculture.newholland.com

 

[Tx Jim]

The wheel rake I am looking at has hydraulic width control, so some adjustability is available.

Does changing windrow width alter raking width? It does on older fold in the air rakes but I have no idea on rake in your photo. How many feet can one alter raking width?

I inspected rake brochure & now see one can raise 1 front rake wheel on each side to lessen raking width. I didn't see how to hydraulically change windrow width.

I've discovered on my bi-fold rake if I encounter tougher raking conditions changing angle of sides by narrowing raking width increases rake wheels ability to gather hay.

 

[repete]

We still make small bales on the 40 acres we have. We have found the tedder rake PTO driven unit does a good job of creating the wind rows but leaves a lot of stuff on the field. I follow with a 12' wheel rake to really clean the field as I do not like to leave piles to potentially rake the following year. The final pass does pick up a lot of "inclusions" of garbage weed so it makes decent bedding and general bales for decoration and such at holidays.

 

[Hay Dude]

Does changing windrow width alter raking width? It does on older fold in the air rakes but I have no idea on rake in your photo. How many feet can one alter raking width?

I inspected rake brochure & now see one can raise 1 front rake wheel on each side to lessen raking width. I didn't see how to hydraulically change windrow width.

I've discovered on my bi-fold rake if I encounter tougher raking conditions changing angle of sides by narrowing raking width increases rake wheels ability to gather hay.

There’s a hydraulic adjustment or so the salesman tells me.
I will find out soon.

 

[mo1]

Does changing windrow width alter raking width? It does on older fold in the air rakes but I have no idea on rake in your photo. How many feet can one alter raking width?

I inspected rake brochure & now see one can raise 1 front rake wheel on each side to lessen raking width. I didn't see how to hydraulically change windrow width.

I've discovered on my bi-fold rake if I encounter tougher raking conditions changing angle of sides by narrowing raking width increases rake wheels ability to gather hay.

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.

Here’s the rake I’m considering. One of my better dealers has 2 coming. Looked at Pequea too, but their transport width is too wide. I like the 15” tall double bogies on my rough ground and the walking beam axles, too.

View attachment 775959

View attachment 775960

Gonna be funny not having a PTO shaft!

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.