Haying information needed

   / Haying information needed #11  
Apply some math.
A difference of 11" in circumference result in 3.5" in diameter.
That would raise the tractor's ground clearance by 1.75".
Oops, guess I should read the charts better or not do forum posts when tired.
R1 Ag rear tires are 14.9x28 and have a diameter of 54.1" and the R4 tires 16.9x24 have a diameter of 50.6" according to Titan Tire for a difference of 1.75".
 
   / Haying information needed #12  
I always have that issue when bailing fluffy windriws that my Kuhn Masterdrive rotary rake makes which it inherently produces.

What I do is, I took a rubber 1/2 length truck muflap (not a white plastic one), but black rubber, and cut a rectangular hole near the top so it slips over the drawbar.

That way the mudflap 'flattens down the windrow' enough so the round bailer gets a nice even feed of hay. Been doing that for years now. The mudflap will slide back to where the hitch is hooked to the bailer and no more. When I'm not using the bailer, I stow the mudflap under the front cover where the net roll resides. Never had that issue with the old side delivery roper rake but I do with the rotary because of the always fluffy windrow it makes.

I prefer a fluffy windrow because it cuts dry down time appreciably.

Tire size don't enter the equation for me at all. Because the mudflap 'grooms' the windrow before it gets in the bailer pickup. Never had that issue with the square bailer but always did with the round bailer. A 5 buck rubber mudflap cured that issue for me 100%. Tried the white plastic ones but the black rubber does a far superior job. Goner are the days of the hitch pin catching and wwadding up the hay. Feeds smooth with no fuss whatsoever. Never got the pickup wadded up either.
 
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   / Haying information needed #13  
Bolt rubber to drawbar. Cut an inner tube or such. You might have other issues as well. With my tractor and large windrows the rear wheel can actually catch the windrow and start balling it up. Doesn't happen much but it does.
Never had that issue, ever, but I keep my wheel spacing wide enough so I don't run over windrows.
 
   / Haying information needed #14  
Small squares were not an issue because the bailer pickup is offset so I ran the tractor in the already bailed up windrow and I had a 1/4 turn bale turner on the back end of the 575 which dropped the bales out of the aready bailed windrow.
 
   / Haying information needed #15  
I will say from personal experience (5 years now) that a rotary rake beats a side delivery, hands down

Basically maintenance free as well, just keep the hypoid gearbox filled with gear oil and do tate I have not broken a time, even though I have spares.

The thing I like best however is, on my odd shaped fields, at the end of a windrow I can pick it up (mounts to the 3PH and swing around and start raking again with no 'curved' tail to chase with the bailer. For me, that is a huge plus as I don't like chasing windrow tails with the round bailer.

Best 6 grand I ever spent. I see JD also sells the Kuhn rake rebranded as a 'Pioneer', painted JD green, of course.... for you that bleed green of course.
 

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   / Haying information needed #16  
They come in twin rotor as well as single but I bought the single and I'm quite happy with it. 5 years and no maintenance other that checking the gearbox oil and greasing the trailing wheels. No issues about parking it either because all the tine arms come off and tou can park it in a 4 foot wide space.

Almost bought a trailing wheel rake but I didn't. Buddy has one and I wasn't impressed with how much dry hay it left behind. The Kuhn leaves nothing behind and it's gentle on alfalfa as well.

I've even raked combined wheat straw with it and I can rake at any speed I can stay in the seat with. Never tried it on corn stalks but then I don't like bailing corn stalks anyway as they are dirty and hard on a round bailer. You bale corn stalks at at the end of the day, you, your tractor and everything else is a filthy mess.
 
   / Haying information needed #17  
When I bale wheat straw, I alwys bale in the evening when there is a tad bit of dew on it. Hepls keep the bales together prior to netting. Not an issue square bailing wheat straw and I had the knotter blowers on my 575 to keep the knotter stacks from getting fouled. Hard to bale wheat straw behind a rotary combine anyway because they tend to produce a much finer straw.

Anyway, I recommend the black rubber mudflap on the drawbar. That will eliminate any issues you have with hay wadding up under the tractor or catching on the hitch pin.
 

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