More hay raking questions

Also can you describe the process? IE do you take the row closes to the out side and roll it in onto swath 2 the turn around and put swath 3 onto 2 ect ect. Just looking for some ides.
Thanks
Kelly

I have raked hay for years. Thick and thin hay. If you are suggesting to rake a 7' windrow with another, the hay crop can not be that good. If the crop is healthy, one 7' windrow would be adequete for many balers. The baler would have to adjust its speed accordingly. If the crop is thin, you can combine many windrows together. I have combined up to 5 windrows into one for the baler in poor fields.

To combine more than one windrow, let's say 3 for an example, leave the outside 2 windrows. The hay is often thicker and damper because it is normally in the shade of the field. Start with the third windrow and rake clockwise. When you complete the first circle (back to the starting point), merge the rake 3 more windrows towards the center. Don't worry about crossing the windrows at a diagonal, but it is best to do it at a corner of the field. Continue this (merging 3 windrows at a time) till the center. When at the center, drive the rake out (best at a corner). Start again at the outside windrow you first started raking and continue towards the center. You should be making your second windrow pass (of a 3 into 1 windrow). Complete the second windrow pass to the center and take the route out where you did on the first pass. Now, after making two passes on the field, and you are ready for the final pass, start with the SECOND windrow you have already raked. Leave the outermost one for now. Rake this until the center. Drive out at the previous rake exit to the outermost part of the field. At this point, the field should be all raked up except for the outermost windrows. When you get done raking, the baler should be there baling or arriving soon. The baler should start with the SECOND windrow and continue till the center. Once the baler has completed its first loop, the rake needs to start up again and "pull in" the outermost windrow by driving counter-clockwise. This will complete the outer most windrow and the baler would bale it up as the last windrow, after baling all the rest to the center.

Hope this makes sense. It is not as difficult as described. Email with any questions.

Otis

I'd go easy on the windrows to start with.

I like to make the last raking of a windrow counter-clockwise, as that makes the corners wide & gentle to follow with the baler. If you are raking inward on the last pass, the corners get sharp & tight.

Hard to get it wrong tho, just rake it, as Nike might say....

--->Paul

Thanks Paul
Kelly