thoughts on which rake,wheel,rotary?

Right now i use a niemeyer rotary,works good for first crop which is mostly alafafa and little grass.I can use that for a tender also.When it comes too second crop alot of trips around a field to get the windrow together. I was thinking a wheel rake a 3pt one i could go faster and it picks up more hay.when i get to the end just pick up.ON wheel rakes is their a difference on the wheel rakes ?some wheel rakes just use small regular rakes tines and some use the longer flexiable tines .i,am in s.e. wi and its allways alafafa crop.Not sure if wheel rake would work or just stick with a rotary.thanks steve
 

Wheel rakes have come a long way in the past 15 years. Most of the older ones aren't worth owning. My dad tried out a 3 point rake back in 1993. It was crap. If you're looking at an older one, don't pay much.

He now has a 4 or 5 year old New Holland front fold rake. It does a very good job of getting everything - EVERYTHING. If you're baling behind it, this isn't much of an issue. If you're chopping behind it, prepare to sharpen your chopper's blades more often. Dad doesn't chop anymore, so it's not much of an issue. With the front folds, you need to match the rake to the cutter. Dad's is too big behind the 1411, so he ends up trying to run it without being completely folded out. This doesn't work too well on hillsides because the downhill wing will "creep" down the hill and the uphill one will "creep" in. The cylinders are plumbed so that they can swap oil. My neighbor had a Vermeer that didn't do this.

Nearly all new wheel rakes are made by Tonutti.

I prefer my New Holland 258 bar rake.
 
Stay away from the old ones that use the short rake tines. Go with the one with the rods all the way to the center of the wheel.
Those old ones,the tines get bent back,all they had was fiber bushings on the spindle,those get bad and the wheel tips under,next thing you know it just slides right over the hay.
 

Get you one similar to my H&S Hi-cap rake. Mine has raked 1000's of acres since I bought it new in 2001. I can rack 1,2 or 3 nine ft cuts and change raking width just by moving the hyd remote control lever. One can't do that on the 3 pt or fold in the air(Butterfly) rakes. Also windrow width is adjustable by turning the crank on the rear
16229.jpg
 

3ph wheel rakes don't float well resulting in more broken teeth. If they have solved this in the current models, I would like to know.

I have a 10 wheel Vermeer v rake on wheels. Works fine except it does not fold up narrow enough to suit me for road transport, or going through some gates. The current model of Vermeer v rakes folds up more compactly. another that folds better for transport is MF, but the transport wheels seem a little close together and I worry about moving it on hillsides or making too fast a turn at road speed.

Inline wheel rakes, 7 or 9 wheels that I am aware of, are nice. They fold into a narrow, but long assembly for transport. Word is if they are used along a steep hillside they will drift down hill. However, they are supposed to make turns while raking without getting out of the hay like a v rake will. Vicon and others make inline rakes.

KEH
 
I have a gehl 6 wheel trailer type rake and love it. Does a nice job and if I need to, i can flip the row over. I agree with with the others on the ones with the short tines, junk. Those miss alot. The rotery rakes do a better job of fluffing the hay up in the row making it dry faster, but they're more expensive.
 
I believe its a wr206. Not sure though. They are older, but if taken care if ok. I'll try and get you a pic tonight. You can still get parts for them too. Just rebuilt my rake wheels,bearings, and wheel bearings last year. I'll get a pic tonight.
 
i have to say that i will never buy another wheel rake, changed to a rotary (Kuhn) 5 years ago and have never looked back. i have a single rotor (14ft i think) and will agree that it is not as quick when you need to cover more ground to make a windrow, but they are so much better in heavy crops. I"ll never go back, but i would love to be able to justify a double rotor rake!
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top