Hay Rakes

[Randy S.E.-MN]

Is there any difference or disadvantages between a ground driven rake or a pto driven rake. What do you all prefer? Thanks...Randy

 

[Anonymous-0]

I've heard that the tires on a ground driven rake can slip in real heavy hay or if raking green material such as peas. But I've raked a lot of hay and never had that problem with ground driven rakes. In some circumstances it might be advantageous to be able to vary the basket speed and not change the ground speed. Might help at the corners, but I've never had a problem with a ground driven rake. Perhaps could also be used to make a tighter or fluffer row and possibly save more leaves in alfalfa. Personally I always prefered to run the tractor at low rpm and a higher gear, which might be a little tough with a PTO version. Perhaps I lack the required sophistication to properly appreciate a PTO rake.

 

[Anonymous-0]

We use NH side delivery rakes as well as an 8 wheel Tonutti brand wheel rake. Mainly use the wheel rake for round baling and making second and third cutting hay and the NH when we want single windrows for square baling. Have never used a pto driven rake but everyone seems to love them - say they make a fast drying, fluffy windrow. They may be good machines, just dont think I would like having to drive a rake around the field in a slower gear at higher rpm's when I could be using one of the others using less fuel. Plus for speed and raking width you just cant beat a wheel rake.

 

[old]

I have used both and at times one does a better job then the other but both seem to be pretty good most of the time
Hobby farm

 

[Fern(Mi)]

To each his own I would guess. Although terrains can play an important part in hay rake selection. We have hilly ground here. Have an old IH side delivery, works okay. Have a IH inverter, needs drive wheel weighted.
I like this AC old timer best of the four sitting out here. Two speed forward, one reverse for tedding. Lo speed forward WD45 in third idling along does a fantastic job gently turning alfalfa with knocking off the leaves, 2nd and 3rd cuttings. A gallon or two of gas will rake thirty acres at 4 mph. Okay I can cut at any speed up to almost 8 mph. I often bale hay at 6 mph or less. 4 mph is a pleasant change of speed as little as we ever rake hay around here.
Fernan

 

[johns48jdb]

i've used a power rake and it was great in sudax or long stemed hay like johnsron grass. i didn't like it because you couldn't rake a straight windrow with it unless you had anti sway bars on the tractor. it was nice in odd shaped fields where you could pick it up and go across other windrows when turning around to make another pass. also nice just to pick it up and come out of field without tearing up any windrows. of course, you could just leave a regular rake unhitched and sitting in the field until you got through bailing. i prefered to leave the rake hooked up and then go back and hit any busted bales or missed hay in the corners and then bail that up.

 

[Anonymous-0]

My old AC Rake only had one wheel in front but other than it looks much as yours down to the Paint Job. My complaint: Why did they make the Tongue end so heavy. I remember if it fell off the Blocks I used to support it when not in use,it took at least an Hour to find the handy man jack,jack it up and then if you did not lock the Ball Hitch it probably would jump off the Ball out in the middle of the field and the PTO shaft would unslide and make a big swinging Arc a lot of times until you could get the PTO shut off [ glad no one was near and especially hope the Neighbor did not witness such a site as every one at the coffee shop would know all about it by 5 am tomorrow]. Back to the Barn, find the Jack again, See if the old Truck would start[It probably hadn't been started in a week]back to the Field Gat there and remember ,you forgot the Blocks to hold it when you got it jacked back up[probably should see about getting the Tongue Jack fixed],back to the Barn for the blocks,just as you get to the Barn someone shows up needing your attention for an hour,when they leave ,back to the Hay Field and as you are going across the Field you notice the Tire Tracks you are leaving from all the trips you are making and notice they all are running up and down the Hills[got to, fix that ,will have Ruts next Spring] and as you get to the Rig you hear Thunder in the distance:: Well you all have been there or heard the Story before,or have you.LOL JC

 

[RayP(MI)]

I have a NI 3pt mounted/pto driven rake. Run it on a Farmall 200, adapters to 2pt hitch. Very workable unit. Usually run in 3rd gear idled back, or in heavy work, 2nd gear. Convenient to pick up and carry over existing windrows. I did have to shorten pto shaft to fit particular application. also, makes wide sweeping turns at corners, easy to follow with baler. Yeah, I'm happy with setup.

 

[Bill in Colo]

For heavy hay pto'drives or the new hydraulic drive work much better than the ground drives. I would think 2.5 ton per acre would be the limit for ground drives.
50+ years ago the AC pictured was the most popular rake in our area. I still have the remenits of one in the iron pile.

 

[Fordfarmer]

We run both. Ground driven NH 56 and Ford 513, and pto driven/3-point mounted Ford 503 and Ferguson (model??). PTO driven work better when raking wet hay for high moisture bales, (ground driven sometimes slip, especially when doubling or trippling) ground driven seem to work better for straw with it's high stubble. Either/or for dry hay. Nice to simply lift the rake over the windrows when finished raking, and don't have to get on/off to raise or lower or put the rake in/ out of gear. Usually don't run at full 540 pto, doesn't seem to matter. Run about the same rpm and ground speed with any of the rakes, no matter which tractor is pulling them.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Golly , I like that particular A C Rake , With the ability to ted aswell ,, How does it do ? Anyone got one in the southern Indy area they want to part with ? , Let me know , O.K...Jim

 

[JOSSETTE]

I have a Jd ground drive for sale

 

[Jim.UT]

I have used both and prefer a 3 point mounted pto driven rake. My reason is that I work very small parcels of land that are fully fenced. A pull type rake is just not handy in those confined spaces. My uncle, the former dairy farmer used ground driven rakes almost exclusively but he worked large areas where he didn't have to do a lot of turning around.

Another option is the pinwheel rake. I have a two wheel pinwheel that I use sometimes when I just need to turn a windrow over. But I like the pto rake for sweeping up the hay off the ground and forming the windrows at the start.

I cut with a sickle mower rather than a swather so the result is hay laying all over the field rather than in nice rows like a swather leaves.