Pick-up's - Baler, # of tines, Super Sweep, Etc., ???'s

So we had a good year with out NH68, the JD350 3 point rake did a great job picking-up hay and putting it into a nice windrow.

However, there are places in my old fields that are uneven and still after 30 years of having been plowed, still show some high/low spots.

Didn't really notice any problem digging into the ground with the rake - maybe because it's motion is somewhat sideways vs straight ahead like my baler. But my baler would dig-in with the pick-up tines and sometimes stall the pick-up. Didn't break any tines - glad the pick-up had a clutch disc.

So once I saw what was happening, I raised the baler pick-up tines to probably 2-1/2 or 3 inches off the ground vs 1 inch. What surprised me was how well the pick-up gathered up the hay. No alfalfa, just orchard grass and timothy with maybe some clover mixed-in.

Even with the non-super sweep type pick-up, the hay field was picked clean by the baler.

I know higher density pick-ups like the super sweep type are made for a reason, but have a few questions.

1. How close you you put your pick-up tines on your baler to the ground?

2. What is the highest setting you have put your pick-up teeth of your baler off the ground and had success?

3. My hay was second cutting, but much of it was long stemy stuff, so I think that spaghetti content helped pull hay into the baler pick-up. However, there was much what I call "blade grass" hay, the blades of grass 12 inches-ish. Still the old wide spaced pick-up, with the tines off the ground, did a great job picking up all of the hay. What am I in for when I get to a quality 2nd and 3rd cutting at these tine spacings and height from the ground?

4. Anyone getting along just fine without the super sweep pick-ups or just don't care for them?

Thanks!
Bill

When I baled I had a NH 268 that I converted to the 269 hitch/pto. I added a hyd cyl to the baler pickup so I could adjust at any time. I hung it where the lock-up mechanism was on the side of the baler. When the tire wore out I did not replace it.

One or two inches is fine. Just set it to where it gets the hay but doesnt touch the ground. It would help to put a 'gauge wheel' on the pick up. Not to carry the thing,but to help it to roll up over high spots.I always got along just fine with the wide spaced teeth.Never noticed much if any difference in the picking up of the windrow.More importantly is to bale in the same direction of cutting and rakeing.