windrow inverters

[jimg]

From what Ive read merger/inverters are supposed to be gentler w/ the crop. This is more of an advantage for legumes but for grass I dont know. Also it seems that theyre now made in wide widths. I dont think NH has kept up b/c they offer only one and its very narrow. Ive also seen and read about the newer rotary rakes being multipurpose (rake, ted, merge...I think I have that right). It seems like the rotor action could be damaging to the crop...that must not be your experience though.

One of the articles I posted above discusses the method you talk about (swathing for a quick dry) exc in the context of silage/baleage. Are you making hay? If so do you leave it in the swath over night? I see youre in s central VA...how many days does it take for you to make hay? In your area afternoon thunderstorms and high humidity must make it difficult.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

In high moisture/rainy areas you need to use the sun as much as possible. Laying the swath as wide as possible helps expose the most hay to the sun. Come across it the next day with a tedder (run around 350 rpms so that it gently stirs the hay for less leaf loss) and ted or rake the next day depending on conditions. Where I am it usually takes 3-4 days, longer if the sun doesn't shine.

I do see some guys run tedders across Alfalfa fields and they are running them as fast as they can kicking the hay up. There is a huge cloud of leafs behind them when they do this. By running the pto rpms around 350 you stir the hay and do a good job of spreading it out and fluffing it without loosing a lot of leafs.

As for the NH inverters, they made two models (don't know if they still do) but there was the 144 and 166. NH also had a tedder/rake combo unit and Hay Wilson uses one and loves it. If someone was looking for a good way to get started then that rake would do the trick but it is limited in size also. I think Kuhn and Tarrup make tedder/rake combo units also but in multiple sizes but I fear they have a price tag to make most people think twice /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Charolais]

I only make hay. Grass hay.

I set the Moco to spread as wide as the cut. I don't tedder.

In normal weather I cut, do nothing the second day and rake the third morning. Then by the time I have it raked I can bale.

Before I got the 254 NH rake it was 4 days from cut to bale.

I understand about the leaves. Although there's very little alfalfa grown here. In years past use to bale soy beans for hay. Lost a lot of leaves on that when being raked.

I seldom rake hay after noon with the rotary rake. By standing the hay up it'll dry out to much and makes it harder to get a full bale (weight wise) if it's to dry. I like to have just a little dew on the hay when I start to rake.

I guess the best part of that rake is I haven't had any hay raked up to get wet on 9 years now. I can start early enough with the rake so I can get it all baled before those late afternoon thunderstorms roll in. With the reel rake I could never start to rake until 11 am or after. Being a one man show the 254 nh is my #1 hay tool.

 

[Charolais]

The 254 and 255 are pretty much the same rake. The 255 is an improvement over the 254. Bill Wilson uses one or the other. I think he's pretty much a one man operation there too. So that rake is very important to him as mine is to me. I only drop 15-20 acres at a time. I only cut what I can handle in a day with the baler and rake. Although I may cut two days in a row so I can bale two days. That doesn't happen often. Just have to watch the weather maps closely.

For the larger operations the rake wouldn't be fast enough I'm sure. But I do know some that keep a 254 under the shed just in case they have rain on raked hay. The 254 will spread that raked up windrow back out so it can dry again.

For one man and 50-70 acres of hay that little rake is sure a hay saver. It's like clicking undo when the hay gets wet. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[jimg]

>>I set the Moco to spread as wide as the cut. I don't tedder.

The mower-condition specs Ive looked at so far give a 50% swath to cut ratio. What kind of machine do you have? For instance the NH 1441/2 cuts 15'7" w/ max swath of 8'. From what Ive read thats too small for best drying.

>>In normal weather I cut, do nothing the second day and rake >>the third morning. Then by the time I have it raked I can >>bale.

Under what circumstances would you break this routine and do more?

>>Before I got the 254 NH rake it was 4 days from cut to bale.

I dont understand this stmt as it sounds as though youre getting the best dry from the wide swath. Im not arguing jsut trying to figure it all out. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Prior to the 254 what were you doing?

>>I seldom rake hay after noon with the rotary rake. By >>standing the hay up it'll dry out to much and makes it harder >>to get a full bale (weight wise) if it's to dry. I like to have just >>a little dew on the hay when I start to rake.

Day 3 then is rake in the AM and immediately afterward bale?

Thanx for explaining what you do.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

A 9' cutter will cut 9' of hay and lay it in a 7' swath. It is the most efficient size as far as swath to cut ratio and to maximize exposure.

I think I can answer your question about breaking the 3 day routine. The main reason would be sun exposure and humidity. If the elements don't cooperate then the hay won't dry and will require more time on the ground before being baled.

A rotary rake will fluff the hay up as it rakes it allowing it to dry faster then a bar rake. Most people have or did have bar rakes and they rope the hay together which doesn't allow air to flow very well.

Just remember, each area is different as far as baling time. I was able to cut and bale the next day last summer as it was so dry. The hay had no moisture in it as it stood let alone lay down in a swath. But under a normal year I would have had to wait a day before I even thought about raking. Areas that have high humidity and a lot of rain require more time to bale hay the the dryer areas. The sun is one of the most important aspects to drying hay and if it cooperates then it makes your job easy. But if you have a lot of cloud cover like we do here then it can be tricky. Usually, one good day of sunlight will do almost all your drying needs. Two days is perfect.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

You are right. I was thinking the 254/255 was like the 256 bar rake.

If the forecast is good and I have things lined up well I have no problem cutting 40 acres at a time (two days of cutting). The most I have ever cut in one day was 25 acres. Baled over 2500 bales of hay from that cut and only had to unload one wagon into my barn. The rest went into my customers barns that were near by. I guess that is my biggest question mark as to how much I cut at one time, where is it going. If I have to put it in my own barns then I cut smaller lots as I have to help unload. I usually try to cut enough to fill 5 or 6 wagons and be done with it.

I am looking forward to this year. I have had that itch for over a month now. Every time it warmed up and the snow melts away I keep thinking I should be out in the field getting ready to plant /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[jimg]

>>I only drop 15-20 acres at a time. I only cut what I can >>handle in a day with the baler and rake.
The limiting factor then is which implement...baler or rake?

BTW is the 3 days to hay the same for all cuttings? How many cuts do you take/year? What type of grass are you growing?

>>For the larger operations the rake wouldn't be fast enough >>I'm sure.
Just for reference Hesston makes one (3740) thats somewhat wider than most others. Not sure how much time that buys though.

 

[jimg]

>>A 9' cutter will cut 9' of hay and lay it in a 7' swath. It is the >>most efficient size as far as swath to cut ratio and to >>maximize exposure.
I think my question was malformed...lets try this: Why dont the big mowers make big swaths? After all they're very expensive and why would I spend all that money only to be handicapped by small swath width? Isnt more efficency the idea behind bogger gear? Im SURE theres something Im missing here. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

>>I think I can answer your question about breaking the 3 day >>routine. The main reason would be sun exposure and >>humidity. If the elements don't cooperate then the hay won't >>dry and will require more time on the ground before being >>baled.
Yes, I understand about environmental cuases but just wonderd about how you could beat them by using equipment wisely.

As for making hay in NY Im sure it must be very similar to NH and new england in general. The best time are those warm bone dry spring/summer days. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif But you already knew this....

>>A rotary rake will fluff the hay up as it rakes it allowing it to >>dry faster then a bar rake. Most people have or did have bar >>rakes and they rope the hay together which doesn't allow air >>to flow very well.
/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I have a friend in NH that loves his bar rake but insists that wheel rakes make ropey windrows. Oh well....

 

[jimg]

>>If the forecast is good and I have things lined up well I have >>no problem cutting 40 acres at a time (two days of cutting). >>The most I have ever cut in one day was 25 acres. Baled >>over 2500 bales of hay from that cut and only had to unload >>one wagon into my barn.
How do you handle the hay as it comes out of the baler? Does it go into bale baskets, manually stacked on a wagon or picked up by a bale wagon? For a one man operation this seems like a limiter.