New Holland 55 vs 56 vs 256 Hay Rake - Differences??

Bill VA

Well-known Member
Setting my sights on a rollabar type rake. I've seen adds for a New Holland 55, 56, and 256 rakes. How are these rakes similar/different?

Any other rollabar rake I should consider?

What should I check for when looking for a New Holland rake?

Thanks!
Bill
 
Bill, we have both a 55 and a 256. The 55 has rubber mounted teeth and the 256 is all steel. The rubber ones break easier.The 55 I have had some problems with gear box. You can't get parts at dealer anymore. We have a neighbor with a small machine shop so he has been able to build what I have needed. As far as raking, I think the 256 spins faster and even makes a fluffier windrow. Best of luck.
 
NH, Deere, IH, NI all made decent rollbar rakes. These days I'd be more inclined to look at a rotary type.
 

55 has a straight axle. 56 and 256 have an axle with universal joints in it so that both wheels are close to the basket which makes it easier to go over terraces.

KEH
 
First, count the bars. You need 5 or 6 ...not just 4.

Second, pull type or 3 point? Pull type is easier to hook up but hard to handle in small irregular fields. Pull type makes big hay balls in tight turns. Can plug the baler. 3 pts, harder to hook up but very reliable, PTO driven.

Third, I hate gear boxes. Check all the posts on here about rake gear box repairs, bad seals, filling with grease when they leak, stripped gears, lack of parts.

I have a "MF25" 3 point rake and 2 old NI belt drive rakes. Bought at auction, cheap. They sit out in the rain, usually work with very little maintenance, and look awful, but fit the job of raking very heavy mostly grass hay.

NH rakes bring a big buyers premium here, but when in the bale, all the hay all looks the same.
 
That was my thought, around here (North ID) NH anything is usually %10 higher than anything else. YES they are good quality, and YES they will last a life time if they are taken care of, but a JD, or anything else will probably do just as good of a job!

The neighbor has a pull behind John Deere, and a 350 3-point JD, I have put MANY hours on both of them, and if I had my pick I wouldn't even touch the pull behind.

3-point allows you to make awesome corners, light fluffy hay, due to PTO it is very easy to control the speed of the rake compared to the speed of the ground.

The other thing that I L O V E about the 3 point one, is that when you get to the end of a windrow, you can raise the rake high enough off the the ground AND disengage it so that it doesn't mess up any windrows that have already been raked that you might have to drive over in order to get back to where you need to go...

Bryce
 
I"m with Bryce... Have an old NI 5 bar 3pt. Does everything he sez. Few years ago, son and I mowed and raked a field for a neighbor. "Man, you guys know how to rake!" He"d always had a pull-behind. Especially appreciate it now that I am using a drum mower, and am combining two swaths into one windrow. Straddle right swath, left one just gets picked up and rolled over,combined with right.
 
I have a Ford 503 and I hate it. The stripper pushes the windrow down and leaves it twisted. Not enough clearance under the frame for a large swath and I have to replace the outer stripper bearing every two years. I'll have to disagree on 3-point rakes. I have a hard time getting a good corner. Go too far and turn sharp it drags the windrow around and leaves a gap then a big, dense pile. Enter the turn early to make a larger sweep and it misses the left side of the swath. On my last round I get off and use the foot rake and two-arm tedder to fix the corners.

OK my rant is over and I'm open to suggestions.
 
But you need a dolly wheel on the front for terraces and uneven ground like I have - My current rake (NH 56) doesn't have a dolly wheel on the front and it shows.
 

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