Tedders or Crimpers

I've used a tedder two summers now. I ted the hay right after I cut it. When it's hot, it's dry in 1.5 days; it takes about 2-2.5 days if the temp doesn't get in the upper 80's. A conditioner would definitely help the thick stems of the alfalfa dry faster, but it will dry without being through the conditioner; it just takes longer, which can be trouble if you're worried about weather or have a lot of crop to deal with. I do it for a hobby, so it's not that big a deal. A conditioner has a lot more movin' parts to fix than a simple little two rotor tedder. Using a tedder means another pass over the field (more engine time and fuel, etc). But, it's really fun to see the hay get slung out behind the tedder...just nice to get extra seat time on the tractor.

This is a very crop specific question. Grass hay requires a tedder but Alfalfa requires a crimper. I raise both and the way we approach a field is totally different. Grass hay benefits from the stirring and getting more exposure to the sun so stirring it up every day or so is a good thing. Alfalfa does not benefit from sun exposure because it fades it as it oxidizes. Alfalfa is a stemy crop that dries much better when the stem gets mashed. Tedding Alfalfa MUST be done with dew on and that also makes it suseptable to dirt being stirred up tedding. The dirt will stick to the damp plants and make dusty hay.

A MoCo works great but a crimper will do the same crushing that stem on Alfalfa and only exposing so much to the sun. We turn ours with a rake the second night and let it dry the next day and either rake two windrows together te next night or leave it and bale.

Grass hay, Tedder is great
Alfalfa, Stem crushing is best

good luck,
tom