Adjusting hay rake teeth?

tractorsam · Jul 20, 2013

I have an older tedder/rake combination and I ordered some teeth for it based only on the best of the old ones, the teeth that came will work fine with one exception. The way the teeth are made there are two fingers, the material starts, goes up to a spring coil, makes a small U-shape that sticks up above the coils, comes down into the second coil, and then goes down to finish. The U-shape that sticks up goes into a socket on the rake and then a bolt goes through to clamp it. The new teeth I've got are just a little too wide in the U-shape and don't fit properly in the sockets. Can I heat the teeth and close the 'U' a bit or will that destroy the metal and make them fall apart? Thanks, Sam

tomturkey · Jul 20, 2013

I don't believe you can heat spring steel. I tried once and the piece broke where it had been heated. Others may have had a different experience. gobble

Bret4207 · Jul 20, 2013

Not a good plan. It's surely tempered clear up into that area. You can test it by taking a tooth and trying to make the bend cold, if it springs right back it's tempered. If it stays it's not.

Maybe you could provide a make and model or a picture and someone would know of a decent source for proper teeth.

Leroy · Jul 20, 2013

I straighten the rake teeth cold all the time, very seldom have one break and these are possibly 50 year old teeth. The tooth I just use a vise to bring into a partly correct shape, then use a hamer on the tooth laying on an anvile and just hammer untill it is like I want it and if the springs are bent I possibly just put in a vice and squeeze or to get some ov them I slip a 1/2" pipe over while clamped in the vice and pull till it is as should be. I have done hundreds this way. Last year sold 12 rakes I did that with and already this year 4 rakes and working on more. Cannot afford to buy new teeth even though most of the teeth are about $2.25 each but a few up into the $5.90 range..

tractorsam · Jul 21, 2013

Thanks for the replies, I was afraid about them breaking if I heated them but wasn't sure if there was a 'way' it could be done. I guess I'll try bending them cold with a vise, I've already tried a very large set of Channelock pliers and the teeth just spring back. If that doesn't work I might modifiy the rake. Make and model not known. Thanks, Sam

Bret4207 · Jul 21, 2013

I think you'd be better off trying Leorys method than heating them. I've straightened the long part of the teeth pretty much like Leroy. Doing the short ends...I'd try the vise. Just remember you need to go a smidge further than where you want it to end up because it will spring back a little.

Ellis Kinney · Jul 21, 2013

Don't use heat, they will bend more easily where heated. I re-bend mine cold and have good luck. Ellis

Adjusting hay rake teeth?

tractorsam

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tomturkey

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Bret4207

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Leroy

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tractorsam

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Bret4207

Well-known Member

Ellis Kinney

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