I don't do alfalfa but understand that it can get too dry and you have considerable leaf loss which is unacceptable.
I have learned in other types of hay that I need a windrow to keep the cut grass out of the next round cutter.....not as much a problem on a swather as it is with just a sickle mower.
I used to do the rake thing to flip the hay over to dry ground but found out that I was not getting anywhere and the more I raked it the more it rolled up in a roll which was slow to cure.
So, Now I have the cut windrow just inside the tractor's wide tire setting and on grass, I come back immediately with a tedder and scatter the hay which seems to dry best even though it covers the ground beneath it, which normally contains moisture. Then, if it's springtime when moisture is a problem, I may go back and tedder again, timing depends upon incoming weather and rate of drying.
Then only one raking and subsequent bailing.
On suday-sorghum, I just leave it where it falls till ready to rake and bale. When it is properly cured, I rake in the late morning and bale that afternoon, stopping before very late in the afternoon when the moisture starts rising.
Not an expert by any means but this seems to work for me.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - An Old-Time Tractor Demonstration - by Kim Pratt. Sam was born in rural Kansas in 1926. His dad was a hard-working farmer and the children worked hard everyday to help ends meet. In the rural area he grew up in, the highlight of the week was Saturday when many people took a break from their work to go to town. It was on one such Saturday in the early 1940's when Sam was 16 years old that he ended up in Dennison, Kansas to watch a demonstration of a new tractor being put on by a local dealer. It was an Allis-Chalmers tractor dealership,
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
Sell 1958 Hi-Altitude Massey Fergerson tractor, original condition. three point hitch pto engine, Runs well, photos available upon request
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.