4 Basket Tedder - Vertical Manual Fold?????

Bill VA

Well-known Member
Anyone have a H&S or Sitrex 4 basket tedder with vertical manual vs hydraulic fold? If so, how are they to lift the outer baskets with arm strong power vs hydraulic cylinders?

I believe the H&S 4 basket tedder (RT5002) is made by/same as Sitrex. From what I?ve read, while not a Krone or Kuhn, are the best of the lower cost Italian tedders.

Anyone running a 4 basket H&S or Sitrex (either manual or hydraulic fold) tedder? If so, how?s it holding-up? What kind of ground, ground speed and PTO RPMs are you running?

I might have a line on a manual fold H&S 4 basket tedder.

Any info is much appreciated.

Thanks,
Bill
 

Sitrex ST520, H&S ST520 and M&W PT407 are the same tedder with manual fold, they have a spring assist that helps but your still lifting around 45-60 lbs, it was something like 35 lbs when they were new.
These models with a H at the end of the model number are hydraulic fold.

Sitrex RT5200, H&S RT5200 and Rhino PT405 are newer square tube models of the same tedders and the H again means Hydraulic fold.
All of the above models are 17' swath machines.

The Sitrex RT5800 and H&S RT5800 are 19" models also available with hydraulic fold.

I've had a M&W manual fold machine for 25 years, it's getting a little loose in the hinge bushings, I've had to replace one bearing and have had a couple of the roll pins that hold the wheels in position break, other wise it's been a good machine that has tedded enough hay to make over 8000 4x5 rolls and a few thousand squares.
MIL has a Sitrex ST520H hydraulic fold around the same age as mine, it's been used to ted 100 acres of hay ground every year, it's a little tighter in the hinge bushings than mine but other wise has had the same repairs.
Never payed much attention to the manual fold when I bought mine but 25 years later I wish I'd gotten a hydraulic fold model.

These are good low cost tedders and last a long time for one doing a few hundred rolls or a couple thousand squares per year.
The basket speed is a little faster than I like at times, I'll throttle back run in a faster gear at times when I only want to fluff the hay.
I run Ford tractors and pto speed in 6th gear is around 6 to 6 1/2 mph, not as fast as many run today but fast enough for the fields I have, this may also be part of the reason my equipment last longer than it does for others.
A nephew and his sons had a tedder like mine but it only lasted them around 15 years.

I plan the replace my tedder in a couple of years, I'll be moving up to a Krone, their a very nice well built machine.
 
I have a Vermer that is manual fold with a spring assist. Not hatefully heavy but am thinking of having a welding shop make brackets to add cylinders to it. If you get a hyd try and get one that has hyd tilt on it as well as it saves on the teeth and tooth arms. Tom
 
I had a manual fold Sitrex tedder. I could fold it easily but my wife could not. So I only kept it a year and got a hydraulic fold one. I would say it takes 50-60 lbs. to fold it. The manual fold models usually sell for half the price of a hydraulic fold when used.

You used to be able to buy the hydraulic fold kit from Sitrex. It was around $500. but that has been ten years ago so you may not be able to buy them now.
 
I bought a used Sitrex RT5200 3 years ago. I have no issue with the manual fold, in fact I kind of like it since it is one less thing I have to worry about having a leaking hose or cylinder on. The hydraulics on the JI Case 430 I run it with are very wore anyway. Dad is getting old and complains about the manual fold, but I tell him it keeps him in shape. When I get his age, if I make it, I will likely struggle more than him. I never understood the hydraulic fold cause I would still have to get off anyway to manually tilt it since the tilt is not hydraulic on the Sitrex units.

I will say it does an excellent job tedding. I have even gotten compliments on how well it fluffs and evenly spreads the hay. I have seen much costlier tedders not do as well myself. I run a 12' discbine and set the hay narrow coming out of it as you are supposed to if you are going to ted, and come back and ted about 2-3 hours after cutting. I have grassy alfalfa hay and 1st crop is very thick for it, but it takes it. I will say I have broken multiple tine arms on it. I do not know how old mine is but somewhere Sitrex acknowledged the weak point of their arms and improved them. The arms always break around the second hole where the bolt goes through that attaches the arm to the rotor hub. The new arms to replace the broken ones have an extra plate welded around that hole. I have never had a new one break. And really I do not fault the tedder for this as I do not know how old it is and do not know how much care the previous owner gave it. Adjusted correctly the tines should very infrequently touch the ground. If you are buying a used one, if all the arms have the extra plate on then it is newer than mine and you should not ever break an arm.

With all that being said, I bought my Sitrex cause it was in the area and price was right. I never used a tedder before and did not want to spend a whole lot since I did not know if tedding would work out for me. Now that I have a tedder I would not go without especially with all the wet weather we have and very short haying windows. I consider my Sitrex a starter tedder. Someday I would like to try a Pequea. They look real heavy, have bigger tires, and have an extra arm per rotor.

Hope this helps,
Dan W
 

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We use an old 4 star Kuhn. I got it at an auction missing the cylinders. I took a look at similar tedders on dealers lots, measured things and purchased new cylinders from Surplus Center. Got hoses plumbed up too. Works great and a manual fold would be tough on my wife and daughters, as they do a good bit of the Tedding. Mine came with the brackets of course but they could probably be added too.
 

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