NH Rolabar 57 Rake Tips Please

[Flicka Bray]

Greetings,
We have a NH Rolabar 57 rake which we use on our Orchard Grass/Alfalfa mix, and straight alfalfa also. Being sort of new to this, we are having trouble getting the rake to simply flip over the windrow. Instead it is rolling the hay completely over, so that the wet hay is still on the bottom. I have the manual for the rake, but it is slim on techniques. What are the variables we can try to get better results? Should we be keeping our PTO speed constant (540)? Should we try slower/faster ground speed? We are straddling the windrow with the tractor...should we move left or right (driving on the windrow somewhat) to get better results? Thanks for any tips anyone can give to help us!

 

[Leroy]

Keep the end of the rake to not more than the middle of the row and possibly only a third of the way into the row and slow so it does not want to keep it rolling.

 

[oliverkid]

Flipped a lot of windrows with 56 and 256 rakes when I was a kid. Always tried to hit the windrow almost in the middle of the star on the
windrow side of the rake, maybe get a little more of the tine bar over in big windrows. It would just grab one edge of the windrow and flop it over
without picking the whole windrow up. Unless the windrows were really lite I was usually able to clip along at a fairly decent pace doing it that
way. Just don't run so fast that you start beating the leaves off the alfalfa. Takes a minute to finds the sweet spot.

 

[Hay hay hay]

The wheel spacing on your tractor may be the problem. You only need about 1/3rd of the rake moving hay. try putting the
outside of the left wheel of the tractor against the windrow and let only the tip of the rake that sticks out beyond
the tractor wheel roll the windrow. Don't drive too fast, that can throw the hay rather than just flip it. Frankly a
bar rake is not a very good tool for working wet hay. That is the job for a tedder.

 

[Determined]

Like others have said if you only want to turn the windrow over you only want to be using the end of the rake.

If the drawbar on your tractor is capable of swinging side to side you can try experimenting with moving it so you have less rake working when straddling the windrow.

You can also swing the drawbar over and drive along side the windrow as well but you have to keep a close eye on it so you do not miss or drive over material.

Drive too slow and you will have problems turning wet material.

Drive too fast and things fly apart, you will get used to how it should sound after a while and will know when something is wrong.

 

[JMS/.MN]

It"s really basic- just experiment with it...catch the windrow with the far left side of the rake...just enough to flip it a half turn...not enough to flip the whole windrow over. Just practice that....

 

[Northvale PA]

If you double rake the windrows, which I do on 2nd and 3rdcuttings, you will run your left tractor tire along side the windrows and the rake will
roll them over. You have to drive slower than normal raking or they tend to double roll, since the heavier bottom wants to go back down. On
single raked windrows, the space is too small. Now you have to straddle at best. I raise up the right end as high as possible too.

 

[flying belgian]

It is tricky in deed. Seams driving slower is better then faster. Mankind has been trying to figure that one out since God created hay.

 

[SVcummins]

Drive so the end of the basket is just Over the windrow and it
will flip it half way and you can roll about as fast as you want

 

[RGMartin]

(quoted from post at 18:50:08 05/18/18)
If the drawbar on your tractor is capable of swinging side to side you can try experimenting with moving it so you have less rake working when straddling the windrow.

FWIW, a 57 is a PTO drive 3 point rake.

 

[Flicka Bray]

(quoted from post at 08:08:27 05/18/18) Greetings,
We have a NH Rolabar 57 rake which we use on our Orchard Grass/Alfalfa mix, and straight alfalfa also. Being sort of new to this, we are having trouble getting the rake to simply flip over the windrow. Instead it is rolling the hay completely over, so that the wet hay is still on the bottom. I have the manual for the rake, but it is slim on techniques. What are the variables we can try to get better results? Should we be keeping our PTO speed constant (540)? Should we try slower/faster ground speed? We are straddling the windrow with the tractor...should we move left or right (driving on the windrow somewhat) to get better results? Thanks for any tips anyone can give to help us!

I want to thank everyone who commented with suggestions for us to improve our raking. We had lots of opportunities to practice on our first cutting (which received .5 inch of rain!) and it's working much better for us now. Happy haying everyone!