Carted Wheel Rakes

[Anonymous-0]

I'm talking about models like Vermeer WR20s, Deere V702s, Frontier WR1008s, etc., I'm sure there are others out there. Generally 8 wheel rakes that can have an working width as wide as 20ft. Would like to cut my raking time down significantly without throwing a lot of money at the problem and these units appear to be a possible solution if they can go 19 to 20ft. Anyone comment on their experience with these?

 

[Tx Jim]

Fold in the air wheel rakes have some inherit problems.

They won't rake heavy hay well because the frames that hold the rake teeth wheels are between/on top of the raked hay and where the windrow is formed.

Also after a lot of use the pins,brackets and hinges get worn allowing teeth wheels to move in/out causing varying widths and bunching of the windrow.

Bi-fold wheel rakes(JD WR21,H&S Hi-cap 12 or NH) with the teeth in the front of the frames plus an infinite windrow width adjustment are a better investment. The will make a windrow very similar to a Vermeer R23A.

 

[hayray]

I switched to this rake about 17 years ago from the Deere and New Holland bar rakes. It has been the best and most maintenance free piece of farm equipment I have bought. Almost half the time we use a pick up to haul it around. It rakes about 350 acres a couple times a year.

 

[Ken Sweet]

We use a double 5 wheel rake and have for 10 years. They are virtually trouble free. We rake hayledge and also spring hay that is shoulder high. The windrows are fluffy and not screwed together like a bar rake does them. The fluffy windrows also lead to better drying in the windrow. University of Ky studies have shown that wheel rakes put up hay with a higher TDN vs the roll bar type rakes, This is because the wheel rakes are gentler on the hay. Ken Sweet

 

[M Nut]

Buy one, and you'll wonder how you raked hay without one before. Biggest single piece of time saving machinery a haying operation can have.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Oh, forgot to ask.....If I take the plunge and buy one of these, is getting one with the center kicker wheel a must-have? These carted wheel rakes are not very plentiful in my area, but when I do see them (8 wheel ones) they run from about $2000 to $4000 - the $4k ones being almost as new. Sound right?

 

[Tx Jim]

(quoted from post at 10:07:15 02/15/11) University of Ky studies have shown that wheel rakes put up hay with a higher TDN vs the roll bar type rakes, This is because the wheel rakes are gentler on the hay. Ken Sweet

Ken
Did the Univ. of Ky. study have anything to comment about hay may contain more dirt compared to a roll-a- bar raked hay?

 

[Ken Sweet]

Nothing in the study mentioned anything about dirt,
just higher quality with more leaves on the hay and
more Total Digestible Nutrients. Maybe A&M could
study the dirt possibility and give us some
scientific data to go on? Ken Sweet

 

[MSS3020]

I have owned sitrex 10 wheel for 6 years or so. Saved me time and gas. I dont have center kicker but get one if you buy one. I wish I would of spent the extra for it when I bought mine. as for the "dirty hay".. come on most cows and horses etc eat off the ground anyway.. Dont think alittle dirt bothers them and if you watch a animal eat hay they move it all around and stir it up so....I sell hay and havent ever had a complaint about my quality.

 

[hayray]

Mine was $2600 new. A couple years ago seemed that a new 10 wheel Khun was $7000. The new Kuhns look the best for the low end models with the wheels on the outside of the frame because the Khun frame is designed to be more high clearence.

 

[Doug Wi]

I bought a new vermeer wr220 10 wheel a year ago. Paid 3450 .Dealer closing. Claimed thet was his cost. Doesn't have a center kicker wheel. We cut with a 9' gehl discbine and lay the swath as wide as possible, so wind up missing some if don't drive just right. Doesn't rake corners worth a darn, so real poor on small fields. Sometimes it seems like you are doing primary tillage because of the way the tines drag in the dirt. In heavy hay it wants to bunch up and plug between the back wheels. In general, I am unhappy with it. I think alot depends on what kind hay you put up. We bale alot of horse hay so we want it good and dry. For beef you don't need to be so fussy. I feel our tandem nh256 rakes are much better for our needs. We generally rake single windrows when its about half dry, then double it up the next day.One good point is when round baling you make a perfect bale every time because the windrow is equal on both sides, which you don't get with a conventional rake. Maybe I don't understand it or maybe I'm just stupid but the vermeer is for sale. NW wis.

 

[Hay Dr]

The WR Vermeer rakes have large dealer discounts. This market has changed to the newer high clearance VR Vermeer rakers made in the USA. the WR is a Tonutti product. Nothing wrong with the WR rake but in heavy hay the new VR rakes and much better.
VR820 Carted Wheel Rake

 

[hayray]

I am trying to figure out how a ten wheel rake is missing some of the rows on a 9 ft. cut. I have a 8 wheel Gehl and it is perfect for my NH 9',2" cut. 10 wheels is too many wheels for 9' so you may be having problems with the pitch you have the rakes set at to either avoid grabing the other rows or are too wide angled and miss some of the middle.

 

[dixon boy]

personall from ones I have assemble and have tried out. the butterfly style foldup units are a cheaper unit period. theywill work put have fewer settings and more hay clearence issues. the style that folds in and out with rake wheel inside frame and transport wheel behind the bar are the cadillacs. (new Holland 152 example). center kicker wheels are helpful if you need them and so is the single side fold option. but whtever you do DO NOT Run any of them at full out fold positon they all start dragging baack feeding hay then cause of to flat raking angle. if yo think a 10 wheel unit will work go with 12 instead ,8 wheel unit go with 10 instead simply so you will nevre have it at max width you will be very happy then. as far as dirt issue they are just not setup correctly. they should just roll on the ground not scrape it to where you can see the teeth marks, all that does is wear out teeth sooner and simply no need in the more quality heavier units

 

[Tx Jim]

(quoted from post at 17:22:35 02/15/11) s for the "dirty hay".. come on most cows and horses etc eat off the ground anyway.. Dont think alittle dirt bothers them and if you watch a animal eat hay they move it all around and stir it up so....

Whoa, I didn't state I believed the dirt theory as that was brought up in a prior thread about dirt & wheel rakes. I've owned a wheel rake since the 90's when I got tired of pushing a Vermeer R23 out/in just to get it through 12 ft gates so I could rake an adjoining field. I've owned a 14 wheel H&S Hi-Capacity rake since '02 that has raked 1000's of acres.

 

[Ken Sweet]

We have just started stocking the new Enorossi high clearance "Bat Rake" These carted wheel rakes have a design that reduces or eliminates flow through problems. Ken Sweet

 

[Ken Sweet]

Picture of Bat rake. Ken Sweet

 

[danofarming]

I have a 9 wheel inline side delivery model, I really like it!

 

[Doug Wi]

It misses some in the middle. You still get it baled up, but it never gets raked up. In good drying weather its no problem, but most of the time around here you have to get it fluffed up off the ground to dry good. By narrowing the windrow width you get more, but then have more problems with it windmilling between the back 2 wheels.

 

[Tx Jim]

(quoted from post at 09:48:36 02/16/11) We have just started stocking the new Enorossi high clearance "Bat Rake" These carted wheel rakes have a design that reduces or eliminates flow through problems. Ken Sweet

Ken
Can you explain the "new design"?? The frames that rake wheels attach to appear to resemble all the fold in the air rakes I've seen with the frames in front of rake wheels.

 

[Ken Sweet]

The tongue and frame are all higher profile than
normal. I tried loading a better pic and can't get
the server to take it?? Ken Sweet

 

[hayray]

Is the outside wheel on both sides grabbing a little bit of rows 3 and 4?

 

[Doug Wi]

No , I run with outside wheels tipped up. I could have gotten by with an 8 wheel.

 

[Tx Jim]

The fact that you can vary the raking width on a bi-fold is another advantage over a fold in the air rake. I have raked widths between one 9" flat cut of a NH 617 disc cutter(hay was making 6-7 ales/acre) to 28' width(1-2 bales/acre) with my 14 wheel bi-fold rake.