“In warmer, dryer parts of the country, hay producers can get by without owning a tedder. The ground is dryer, so the crop on the bottom of the windrow typically isn’t being exposed to additional moisture,” Vrieze said.
Is a Hay Tedder worth it? Many people think a tedder is only for rescuing a hay or forage crop that has been rained on. Others are afraid that tedding hay will knock all the leaves off alfalfa or clover—thereby hurting the feed value of the crop. While both scenarios are possible, tedding hay typically provides more positives than negatives.
Similarly, What is a wheel rake used for? Wheel Rakes
These rakes are built for speed and productivity when handling dry hay. Wheel rakes are simple machines that require minimal adjustments for proper operation.
What do you do with hay that got rained on?
With severely rain damaged hay, it may better to leave it on the field, chop it up with a rotary mower to speed decomposition and minimize shading of the next crop.
Do you have to rake hay before baling?
Raking turns the hay one more time to dry the bottom and forms it into a windrow ready to be baled. … As a rule of thumb, wait to rake hay until after the dew has dried and the sun nears its peak, around 11 a.m. If possible, let the raked hay sit for an hour or two before baling to allow more drying time.
When can I tedder hay after mowing?
Initial tedding should be performed after a brief wilting period following a morning cutting while the hay is still moist (two to four hours). In very damp conditions, tedding may need to be done immediately after cutting. A second pass is usually done the next day, and the hay is raked and baled that afternoon.
Can you tedder alfalfa? Tedders are commonly used to spread out grasses and speed drying. But many growers won’t use them on alfalfa. If the hay is too dry, tedding can knock off leaves, which robs the crop of much of its protein. … Tedding alfalfa shortly after cutting, when the crop is typically about 75% water, helps minimize leaf loss.
What are the three types of hay rakes? In North America, three distinct types of hay rakes are typically used for hay and forage operations. These include wheel rakes, rotary rakes and parallel bar or basket rakes. Hay or windrow mergers are growing in use in operations where the very large forage harvesters or choppers are utilized.
How do you rake hay with a wheel rake?
What size hay rake do I need? If you want to rake two swaths on one the basic math would be to take your mower width (18 ft) + swath width (6 ft) + some wiggle room ( 2-3 ft) = about 27 ft, so 30 should work. We run a 14 ft mower, drop a 7 ft swath, and rake with a 23 ft rake.
Does raking hay help it dry?
Raking tends to roll the wetter hay from the bottom of the swath to the outer surface of the windrow, which improves drying. Following the initial improvement, the increase in swath density can reduce drying rate, so the crop moisture content at raking is important.
Is hay ruined if rained on? Rained-on hay often has relatively high protein values compared to fiber content unless there’s great leaf loss. Leaves contain a lot of the plant’s protein. As soluble carbohydrates leach, structural fibers make up a greater percent of forage dry matter. The digestibility of rained-on hay can decline 6 to 40 percent.
Is wet hay OK for horses?
Wet hay typically goes through a fermentative state, of sorts, and it would not be good for the horse to eat it while this was happening,” she continued. Caution should be used in purchasing hay that was wet when baled. Too much moisture affects the quality of baled hay.
When should you rake hay?
As a rule of thumb, wait to rake hay until after the dew has dried and the sun nears its peak, or around 11:00 am. If possible, let the raked hay sit for an hour or two before baling to allow more drying time. Haymakers have several types of rakes available.
Can hay be over dried? Hay that is baled with too much moisture will heat up, become moldy and/or dusty, and has a foul smell. However, if hay is baled too dry, it can get very brittle and dusty. Hay at the peak of maturity is ideal hay for horses. As hay becomes overly mature, it loses nutritional value.
Can you windrow hay with a tedder?
To work effectively, you would want a tedder that could cover two windrows at a time–23′ (and a little more) and be able to blow it out over the whole 30′. Now, since your hay is spread over 30′, you would want a rake that could reach as close to 30′ as possible. My 10’6″ mower drops windrows about 8′ wide.
Can you Ted hay twice?
it is rare that we only ted twice. we ted right after mowing as it gets all the hay fluffed up and the driven over parts unmatted. it will dry faster and evener. it is important to ted SLOW the first time so you can pick it all up.
How do you adjust a hay Tedder?
Which hay rake is best?
Models like the Vermeer R2800 twin rake are consequently better able to handle wetter, heavier forage crops in addition to performing well in dry hay. Because teeth don’t come into contact with the ground, parallel bar rakes offer an overall durability and ease of maintenance similar to wheel rakes.
What is the best way to rake hay field?
Are rotary rakes good?
What is a rotary hay rake? KUHN rotary rakes produce fluffy, well-formed windrows to help you dry your hay faster. This allows you to harvest your crops at their peak nutritional value with less reliance on the weather. Long, flexible tines touch the crop just once, lifting and depositing it neatly into the windrow.