Using side delivery to turn windrows??

[Standing Elk]

How well will a side delivery rake work for turning windrows? Can you remove the left 1/2 of the teeth to keep from laying the windrows together. Just looking for an economical way to flop my windrows over to help with drying.

 

[Tx Jim]

Windrows I've turned with side delivery rake I just utilized rake without removing any teeth. I just utilized outer end of rake where windrow had been formed to just contact enough off windrow to turn it over.

 

[Leroy]

Tx Jim has it correct. Did that for many a year.

 

[rrlund]

If you can do it without driving on it.

 

[Mike(NEOhio)]

Just use the left half of the rake and run along the side of the windrow unless your wheels are set wide. Or straddle the windrow with the tractor. Traveling the
opposite direction can also help by undoing some of the roping.

 

[RickB]

Offsetting the tractor drawbar can help.

 

[SVcummins]

I have to might have to run over a bit of it to make it turn right but no big deal

 

[paul]

It is rare to have windrows that close together to think about removing teeth.

Offset the hitch on the tractor to the left if you can, and drive between windrows with the left side of the rake just barely contacting the windrow. It should just flip the
windrow over 1/2 turn. Typically the tractor will be running very close to the windrow on the left side of the tractor.

This is done on 95% of the dry hay made in these humid conditions, often a couple times. Don’t over think it. We rake the hay and with do the last pass or the flip pass
the next forenoon before the leaves are crispy, and get the bottom of the windrow exposed to air.

Paul

 

[tom upton]

I cut with a 9 ft haybine and do just what you are talking about to flip windrows. If I dont take the teeth off of the outer end of rake it
is catching the next windrow. I just catch the windrow so it gives it one flip. A small narrow wheel base tractor works best, and you have to
pay attention as hay will do a 360 v/s a 180 if you get over a bit too far. This method also allows to flip outside row without getting it
into the fence row, and also doesnt rope your hay up too bad. The last of our hay this year we baled first of July you could cut one day and
bale the next without touching it. I guess ground was so dry hay was drying from both sides.

 

[rankrank1]

I do not remove any teeth from my rake ever. That said I use just the tail end of the rake to flop it over. The procedure is even outlined in my John Deere 594 hay rake operators manual. John Deere laughingly calls it "making hay the John Deere way" in the book. That all said it does work to maintain color and dry down hay.

Rakes that are known to make loose fluffy windrows will work way better than rakes that are known rope makers. Every time you use a known rope maker type rake it makes more and more rope with each use and while this rope will feed excellent into the baler the roped hay does not dry worth a darned and is actually a detriment towards drying.

 

[John S-B]

(quoted from post at 11:22:43 07/16/20) Offsetting the tractor drawbar can help.

I just use a drawbar attachment on my 3pt. hitch, that way I don't run over the windrow. I can use the different holes to set up the rake to either flip rows or combine them if needed, and it's really cheap to buy one.