baling hay

[Jim Phelps]

I saw something Saturday I have never seen, my neighbor was having some hay rolled. The guy baling this hay had a rake with a baler hooked to the back of the rake, raked and baled all in one pass????

 

[Tx Jim]

There are several custom baler opertators in my area in N Texas that have tractor/rake/rd baler combinations. It helps lower baling costs in this age of way overpriced fuel.

 

[paul]

Doesnt work well in humid areas, but as you say saves a pass in the areas it can work. Makes a bit of a train going
through the field So also not the best in small irregular fields, and takes some engineering and bucks to set up the
hitch and driveline.

Paul

 

[dcarp]

Heres a link to a business in Kemp, Texas, that makes the baler-rake setup.
Baler Connections

 

[Ken Macfarlane]

Can work well in humid areas, because of how many tedder passes we need here - we rake just barely ahead of the baler. Once raked the hay doesnt dry anymore here except on really dry days in later July or Aug.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

You dont have to zig-zag with round balers anymore?

 

[cjunrau]

With the chemical some guys are using. (I might this year) you can bale at 25% moisture so that set up would be great. My problem is I have hills and small od shaped fields and that rig is to long for that.

 

[dcarp]

I set my rake up to make a winrow just a couple of inches narrower than 5 feet. So no I dont zigzag with my round baler.

 

[Jim Phelps]

That is what it looked like, never seen that in my neck of the woods before, was pulling a new JD baler behind the rake. This is the first year this guy has used this set up.