Harvesting
Raking Equipment
A good hay rake can be an invaluable tool in your hay making operation. A rake can be used to create a windrow by gathering hay from a swath into a narrower row to fit the width of the baler. A rake can also merge swaths or windrows together. This is beneficial when you need to match the windrow density to the capacity of your baler. Rakes are also used to invert a swath or windrow to allow the wet hay on the bottom to be exposed to sun and wind for faster drying. Some growers even use their rakes to move windrows over to drier ground for faster dry down.
Parallel Bar Rakes
A parallel bar rake rolls hay into a windrow. It can also be used to merge two windrows together. Parallel bar rakes are considered to be gentle on the crop but can be more costly and may have less capacity than other types of rakes, such as the wheel rake. Parallel bar rakes were very popular at one time but today their popularity is limited to certain geographic regions.
Wheel Rakes
Wheel rakes can be a cost effective option. Wheel rakes are ground driven and are known for having high capacity and easy adjustments. They work great in dry hay but may have some limitations in wet or very heavy crops.
Rotary Rakes
Rotary rakes are known for their speed in the field and are ideal for all crop types. Rotary rakes are powered by the tractor's PTO. Since they are not driven by ground contact, there is less of a chance for contamination from soil and rocks. This also helps to minimize leaf loss, making the rotary rake a great option for crops that require gentle handling, like alfalfa or in a heavier or wetter crop.
Because your hay rake is such a diverse and important tool, it is very important to make sure that you do your research and pick the type of rake that best suits your operation. It is also important to make sure that you understand how to optimize the settings on your rake so that you can make windrows that optimize dry down, fit your baler or harvester and maintain the overall quality of your crop. Talking with your equipment dealer and studying your operator's manuals are some of the best ways to keep up to date about how to properly adjust and maintain your equipment.
Tedding
If you want to do more to combat dew, humidity and rain's effects on your crop, you can boost your crop's dry down factor by purchasing a tedder. A tedder is pulled behind your tractor and does a great job of spreading the crop evenly. More of the crop is exposed to the elements, such as sunlight and wind, which help it dry down.