Starting to turn my attention toward a tedder for next year's hay season. Been reading a lot of stuff online, wherever I can find it - good reading.
Looking at used tedders and I see (I think) a lot tedders that look used hard and put away wet, if at all. These tedders look anything but heavy duty, the brands/makes are all over the place! I'm thinking good luck finding parts and support for these things - LOL!
So here is my question, out of all the 2 and 4 basket tedders you have used, which brand and/or model would you recommend? I'd like to narrow the field.
If used is asking for trouble, I'd consider a new tedder - 2 basket only due to cost and my limited acreage.
Another consideration is field ground conditions. We have holes scattered about from groundhogs and while we are filling them, one pops-up every now and then. One of the biggest jolts I got last summer was dropping one of the baler wheels in a hole - BAM!!!! With that, I set the position on my 3pt rake such that it sets on the ground, but can't drop into an unexpected hole - and that worked pretty good. Looking at these tedders, the wheels look tiny and the arms that come connect them look flimsy too. My fear is hitting a groundhog hole and bending or breaking a wheel assy, so I'm also considering a 3pt tedder too. Anyone use a 3pt tedder vs a pull behind?
Used tedders, prices are high in my area. New 2 basket tedders - $2k-ish and up.
One interesting tedder has belt driven spinners vs gear boxes. The concept looks OK to me, but I see a very few posts on them. Brands like JF Stoll, Grimm and JF Fabriken. Don't think any if these are still in production. There is a 2 basket belt drive tedder that looks similar in design to the Stoll/Grimm tedders, may be a clone? It is a Baltimatic (I think made in Denmark) and is a 3pt tedder and there is a pull behind type too. Price for the 3pt us under $1k, but my gut tells me it is flimsy and cheap! OTOH, my wallet says it's lower in cost (new) than most of the junk used tedders I've been seeing. Here is a link to it: http://www.agrisupply.com/hay-tedder/p/81256/
So what brand, make/model used tedder do you recommend? What should I look out for when looking at a tedder?
I have a feeling I'm going to spend the $$$'s on a used 4 basket tedder - the same $$$'s I'd spend on a new 2 basket tedder - but when I spend the $$$'s, I want to hit a home run.
Any tips/experiences are much appreciated.
Thanks!
Bill
Looking at used tedders and I see (I think) a lot tedders that look used hard and put away wet, if at all. These tedders look anything but heavy duty, the brands/makes are all over the place! I'm thinking good luck finding parts and support for these things - LOL!
So here is my question, out of all the 2 and 4 basket tedders you have used, which brand and/or model would you recommend? I'd like to narrow the field.
If used is asking for trouble, I'd consider a new tedder - 2 basket only due to cost and my limited acreage.
Another consideration is field ground conditions. We have holes scattered about from groundhogs and while we are filling them, one pops-up every now and then. One of the biggest jolts I got last summer was dropping one of the baler wheels in a hole - BAM!!!! With that, I set the position on my 3pt rake such that it sets on the ground, but can't drop into an unexpected hole - and that worked pretty good. Looking at these tedders, the wheels look tiny and the arms that come connect them look flimsy too. My fear is hitting a groundhog hole and bending or breaking a wheel assy, so I'm also considering a 3pt tedder too. Anyone use a 3pt tedder vs a pull behind?
Used tedders, prices are high in my area. New 2 basket tedders - $2k-ish and up.
One interesting tedder has belt driven spinners vs gear boxes. The concept looks OK to me, but I see a very few posts on them. Brands like JF Stoll, Grimm and JF Fabriken. Don't think any if these are still in production. There is a 2 basket belt drive tedder that looks similar in design to the Stoll/Grimm tedders, may be a clone? It is a Baltimatic (I think made in Denmark) and is a 3pt tedder and there is a pull behind type too. Price for the 3pt us under $1k, but my gut tells me it is flimsy and cheap! OTOH, my wallet says it's lower in cost (new) than most of the junk used tedders I've been seeing. Here is a link to it: http://www.agrisupply.com/hay-tedder/p/81256/
So what brand, make/model used tedder do you recommend? What should I look out for when looking at a tedder?
I have a feeling I'm going to spend the $$$'s on a used 4 basket tedder - the same $$$'s I'd spend on a new 2 basket tedder - but when I spend the $$$'s, I want to hit a home run.
Any tips/experiences are much appreciated.
Thanks!
Bill