Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
Could you fellas please explain the difference and different usages between the two?
- Thread starter Anonymous-0
- Start date
Zachary Hoyt
Well-known Member
A wheel rake has big vertical wheels with fingers all round the outside edge, I do not know how few wheels one can have but the fewest I have personally seen is 4, I know they make big ones with al least 8 or 10 wheels, probably more. These rakes are big and are used best on large flat fields and to combine windrows into one for faster baling. Side delivery rakes have a wheel or a star on each end with bars connecting them, this assembly sits in a frame. There are fingers along the bars and the hay is swept to one side as the rake passes over it. They are handy in small or rough fields and are easier to turn corners with. I have used side delivery rakes but never a wheel rake. Type your keywords into google images or similar site to see pictures of the many variants of both types. Another common thing is the tedder/rake/fluffer type of machine with horizontal wheels, they look really handy but I have never run one myself.
Zach
Zach
Roger in Iowa
Well-known Member
Never use a "wheel" rake ahead of a forage harvester, unless you have NO rocks. Wheel rake wheels are in contact with the ground and drag rocks into the windrow!
Parallel bar rakes can rake rocks too, but should be adjusted higher off the ground to get the hay but not the rocks.
Parallel bar rakes can rake rocks too, but should be adjusted higher off the ground to get the hay but not the rocks.
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
Will be doing 10 acres Fescue on a field that has some rocks sticking out here and there. And it is a curved sloping field. Sounds like a side delivery rake is the way to go. Don't need to combine two rows into one. Will be using a small round baler. And hopefully a haybine for cutting the grass. Did not know the wheel rakes contact the ground, so that rules it out. Suppose there are some side delivery rakes with rubber fingers on them? Ok, so if I go with a side delivery rake, what is the best setup? I will have a set of remote hydraulics, so should I get a rake with hydraulic up and down? Or just a manual adjust? Any brands better than others? Want an old used one.
First off, both types of rakes are "side delivery."
The rolling bar rakes are driven by the wheels and absolutely should NOT be in contact with the ground normally. Of course there are exceptions where it can't be avoided like ruts or extremely uneven ground.
Very few bar rakes have hydraulic anything, at least around here. We just "set and forget" the height. I don't think we've touched the height setting on the rake in years.
You can get them with hydraulic lift and/or hydraulic drive, but the old fashioned crank lift and ground drive work just fine.
Rubber teeth suck. Avoid them, especially if you're looking at rusty old rakes that sit outside. The rubber deteriorates and the teeth fall off for looking at them wrong. Metal teeth are much more durable.
New Holland makes the best roller bar rake, but you won't buy one cheap unless it is almost total junk. Other brands work but they are not as heavily built, and may not work well in heavy hay.
The rolling bar rakes are driven by the wheels and absolutely should NOT be in contact with the ground normally. Of course there are exceptions where it can't be avoided like ruts or extremely uneven ground.
Very few bar rakes have hydraulic anything, at least around here. We just "set and forget" the height. I don't think we've touched the height setting on the rake in years.
You can get them with hydraulic lift and/or hydraulic drive, but the old fashioned crank lift and ground drive work just fine.
Rubber teeth suck. Avoid them, especially if you're looking at rusty old rakes that sit outside. The rubber deteriorates and the teeth fall off for looking at them wrong. Metal teeth are much more durable.
New Holland makes the best roller bar rake, but you won't buy one cheap unless it is almost total junk. Other brands work but they are not as heavily built, and may not work well in heavy hay.
Dad had New Idea and IH side delivery rakes... the New Idea was much better. Both worked fine on single windrows, but if you doubled them up, the IH would not handle it as well. Never used a NH, but NH is generally good haying equipment. Some are PTO driven and some ground driven, ours were ground driven.
Jim in Ma.
Well-known Member
When adjusted rite, a wheel rake does a real good job on uneven ground. You need to adjust it so the wheels will just stay down on the ground (not dig in) the springs will do their job.
For small and or irregular shape fields my choice would be an old three point bar rake as you can lift the whole rake to turn around.
For small and or irregular shape fields my choice would be an old three point bar rake as you can lift the whole rake to turn around.
chevytaHOE5674
Well-known Member
I personally prefer a Rotary style rake. They sweep the hay up into nice fluffy windows that dry out nicely and feed into the baler nice and even. The hay is almost standing back up on end so it gets lot of light and lots of air moving through it.
Bar rakes roll the hay into a rope and if there are any damp spots IME they always end up in the middle towards the bottom where they have no chance of drying the rest of the way out.
Bar rakes roll the hay into a rope and if there are any damp spots IME they always end up in the middle towards the bottom where they have no chance of drying the rest of the way out.
Zachary Hoyt
Well-known Member
I use an old Ford 3 point hitch PTO powered rake, it does a pretty good job and it is handy because you can pick it up when necessary to hop over obstacles. Ferguson rakes with the same setup are also common around here. With the rocks and the hill you describe it sounds like a wheel rake would not be handy. I got my rake for $165 at an auction 10 years ago, prices are all over the map. This is a good time of year to get a good deal on haying equipment, sometimes.
Zach
Zach
Dan Robertson
Member
We have used this 10 wheel V rake for several years now. None of the fields are flat. And they do have exposed limestone at the surface in places, (not loose rocks). Have never broken or lost a rake tooth yet. The rake does a good job.
notjustair
Well-known Member
I use a 10 wheel pull type. It swings wide enough to combine 3 windrows. The wheel rakes can be intimidating just due to their size. They can also be tougher to use as if you are on a hill the hydraulic swing doesn't always work like you expect.
I have been very impressed with the pickup of the wheels. It does a fantastic job. The one thing I would say is don't let anyone run it for you that you don't trust 100%. You can tear up one of those really fast just because you are looking at a 30 foot width swinging around corners and trees at the edges of a field. None of the hay fields here are square and they do a good job.
I have been very impressed with the pickup of the wheels. It does a fantastic job. The one thing I would say is don't let anyone run it for you that you don't trust 100%. You can tear up one of those really fast just because you are looking at a 30 foot width swinging around corners and trees at the edges of a field. None of the hay fields here are square and they do a good job.
SadFarmall
Member
We started using a wheel rake a few years ago. It took a while to get used to how it trailed, after years using a IH three and four bar reel rakes. The wheel rake is faster and it does a good job. I still really enjoy the old IH machine, but it is slow.
SadFarmall
SadFarmall
Basket style rakes are the slowest and also tend to "rope" the windrow.
Rotary style are medium speed and push the hay into a nice fluffy windrow.
Wheel style are fastest and also push the hay into a windrow.
All styles can rake rocks, best to pick those up, and adjust the rake so it does not dig any new rocks up.
I have used all three styles and prefer the quality job of the rotary rake, with the long finger wheel rake in close second place.
Also have a Ferguson 3pt PTO driven rake that would make a fine starter rake
Rotary style are medium speed and push the hay into a nice fluffy windrow.
Wheel style are fastest and also push the hay into a windrow.
All styles can rake rocks, best to pick those up, and adjust the rake so it does not dig any new rocks up.
I have used all three styles and prefer the quality job of the rotary rake, with the long finger wheel rake in close second place.
Also have a Ferguson 3pt PTO driven rake that would make a fine starter rake
Similar threads
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.
Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy