3pt- 4wheel rake

Question, I bought a 4 wheel rake because my old rake is in bad shape, I am needing a lesson on how to use this thing. It does not want to rake heavy rye, so do these rakes only do grass hay? And can you use these to tedd hay as well? I was told you can do this with these type rakes. I bought it used and have no manual. Thanks for any replies!

My experiences with wheel rakes is they dont work well with wet, heavy ,tightly stuck hay.If it is the kind where the frame work is in front of the wheels,there is not enough clearance for hay.Big windrows tend to clog up.Sometimes you can rake with a steeper angle and get better results

I have one of those and it works real good if you let the hay dry well before you try to rake it. I have not used mine in years but maybe that is because a friend has had it for at least 5 years now if not longer

I am not use to it, and I hope it will work better on dryer grass hay, it surely don't do good on heavy rye, I'm always been use to roller bar rakes. thanks guys

Can't help yu with three point, but I have a big one (10 or 12 wheel) trailing type. I really like it. Those wheels scrub every last piece of hay up, but I have never raked until it is ready to bale. I like the hydraulic swing as I can open it wide to get both windrows around corners or close it up at the end of an inside corner. Learn it and you will like it.

Note - I just recalled - last year I had brome that needed help drying. I went over it just catching the windrow at the back and giving each one a half turn so the bottom could dry. It was ready in a couple hours. I haven't been proud of what it does with alfalfa, but I hate raking alfalfa anyway and usually don't if I can avoid it.

A wheel rake needs to have a real steep angle to rake real heavy/wet hay. The three point mounted ones can be a pain to use. They do not follow the ground as well and many do not have very large wheels either. You also need to be traveling faster than your used to with a bar type rake. Speed with a bar rake beats the hay. With a wheel rake it makes it work better as the wheels will have more of a lifting action.

I had 2 now and hate both. Can't believe I made the same mistake twice but I did. First they are a king size PIA to mount to the 3 pt. Second, as stated, they don't like heavy windrows being it due to moisture or just bulk involved. Third, they dig up the soil where your plants are that you are expecting another cutting, Fourth, they only row one row at a time. Fifth is that if you are raking a light, dry, crop and the wind is blowing (blows more in N. TX. than Chicago and I didn't coin that phrase) it causes the hay to stick to the wheel/basket and it clogs up.....useless. Only thing I do like is that in an irregular field, like mine, you can lift them up when finishing and you want to roll over some rows without raking them.

TX Jim has posted pictures of his on at least one occasion but his is the big one with I think 14 baskets, fold back arms, wheels and all that. To me, not having operated such, but it's easy to see is a night and day comparison to the 4 basket 3 pt.

I have seen the local commercial producers use the 8 basket 3 pt with the fold up arms. They seem to work well in having to run the highway to get to a field, but sudan/sorghum/haygrazer is the crop of choice for them, due to high yields, and after a field of that has been raked with the rake mentioned, I don't know how the baler opens it's mouth wide enough to gulp down what's in front of it. Just makes a big pile of upended stalks and a big mess (opinion).

On the other hand the JD parallel bar, some call them side discharge (all rakes side discharge if you ask me) like the 600 series which I have had 4 or 5 over the years, are sweeties except for the lifting part, but I could get off the tractor and crank the tines up so that they won't contact a row...too lazy for that. They don't care what you are raking nor what the wind is doing. The 9 footers are wide enough to rake 2 rows simultaneously and they are built such that you can make sharp turns without a problem. Also they can be left or right discharge (had a pair of them...651 and 652 as I recall), or the newer duals fold back to fit a roadway lane for field to field travel.

Nope three points move up and down as the rear of the tractor does..thus lifting rake and missing hay.. I have a buddy that has one and unless your on flat and I mean flat ground your going to be disappointed.. I have owned a 10 wheel for about 11 years now, carted and love it.. I bought it initially for alfalfa but primarily use is prairie and brome hay fields not... One down fall with the carted rakes is space.. large fields better than smaller fields. cant beat a side discharge for the smaller fields with lots of short runs and turn arounds..