Putting up hay

Jeff

The dump rakes work fine, it's the unloading that gets you, unless you have a hay fork in the barn or shed, or can always throw the stuff down and not up.

Steel wheeled 4 barred side delivery rakes usually go for $100 or less, if you got one of those things and found someone to bale for you, then you'd be set.

Then too, a usable baler might be available for $200 or $300 plus what it takes to get it running right.

If you go that way, stay with NH or Deere, and the older the stuff is the more I would go with Deere.

Jeff, if you use a dump rake for baling and using a square baler, start with small windrows
to until you know what your baler can swallow and what speed. There are a lot of old small balers like my MF10 that you can get dirt cheap like Tom says.

Depending on where you are, you can probably find a decent used side delivery rake for about $400 (or less if you're patient). Raking takes very little horsepower, and the side delivery rake is the way to go (quick, quiet, soothing). I also use an old Ford sicklebar mower (again, paid about $400) to cut the hay, and a Massey-Ferguson baler (bought 2, one for parts. Paid $600 for the worse one, and 350 for the good one...long story), though frankly an old New Holland would have been a better move for several reasons. You can also put hay up loose--I did for the first year--if you don't want to invest in a baler yet.

good luck,
Tom