Picked up the JD rake today

[flusher]

It's a 1950s vintage Deere 350 side delivery rake, 10 ft wide overall, about 8 ft raking swath.

Paid $800 which I think is a pretty good price for a reconditioned rake with a new set of rake teeth and a fairly good paint job. I'm willing to pay a reasonable amount for that kind of service. Keeping my fingers crossed on the bearings, but they appear to be OK.

I've been watching these rakes on eBay for nearly a year. The average auction price for this type of rake is about $780.

It's a 3pt hitch setup with pto drive on the rake bars

I like the pto drive better than ground drive rakes which can be a problem if the drive wheel starts slipping. And you can adjust the spin rate of the rake with the engine throttle to handle diffferent hay conditions.

The 3pt is nice since you can raise the rake to cross your windrows without messing them by dragging the rake through the windrow. And the 3pt gives some capability for height adjustment on the rake.

Plan to use the 350 rake on both the Mahindra 5525 and the MF-135 tractors. It's a nice size rake for my modest needs (7 acre hayfield).

 

[chetlenox]

Flusher,

That looks like a great deal! I picked up the New Holand version of that rake (ground drive) a few months back for $1250, and it's not in nearly the condition that rake is in. Well done!

Chet.

 

[ddivinia]

Cool deal - let us know how it goes.

I will be posting pics of my haying this year too.

D.

 

[AKfish]

That's a fine lookin' rake! No bent tooth bars, no tweaked frame members, no welds, even the rubber looks to be good... You scored on that purchase!!

Here's a toast to a good hay season ---

Thanks for sharin'.

AKfish