Opinion of rotary hay rakes

Makes one of the best windows of any type of rake there is; they are uniform, tall and fluffy which allows lots of air to pass through and get the hay nice and dry. Also one of the most gentle types of rakes there is because they sweep and release the hay into the window.

Yes they are high maintenance, they have a ring and pinion gear as well as each rake arm has a bearing and arm on the end that rides in a cam track that gives the rakes its motion. If its been taken care of and everything is good and tight then you will love it, if its been abused and neglected it will make a preacher cuss.

chevytaHOE5674 wrote: Makes one of the best windows of any type of rake there is; they are uniform, tall and fluffy which allows lots of air to pass through and get the hay nice and dry. Also one of the most gentle types of rakes there is because they sweep and release the hay into the window.

All the above is true. We are on our second one first was a Kuhn and had lots of issues with it. Second is a Victor same as a Miller Pro and love it.

We got a Kuhn rotary rake  it works great!!  Dont remember the modal number but the weak spot is the roll pins on the raking arms!  On on even ground it doesnt seem to follow the contours and digs in resulting that the roll pins snap!

I own a S&K 11 something. It has a tandem axel and I believe it's a Miller Pro rebranded. It took some time to adjust ..it's best if you have a level concrete pad. I adjusted the rotary to miss the ground per the manual. I leave a stubble of at least 2.5 inches , which helps reduce drying time.  I run my rake per the manual..PTO speed wise...  and it produces high fluffy windrows that sit on the high stubble and dry rather quickly in the summer breezes. My hay ground is a mix of grass-clover and grass-alfalfa... with some fields approaching 50% clover.  I rake the hay a bit green and allow it to dry in the windrow... with little to no clover leaf loss. I don't use a hay tedder ... as my disk mower conditioner is one of those that can produce a wide swath of hay...for quick dry down. The tandem axle allows the rake to traverse uneven places without much if any loss of hay contact, the teeth show no appreciable sign of wear after 8 seasons of use and I haven't had any maintenance issues. It is my judgement that using a single raking tractor lets you adjust the rake to that particular tractor..and then it's rather easy to just hookup and go. This is especially important when you use hired help. I've used the rolabar and wheel technologies and while the rotary may not be the fastest .. I'm not in a race anyway.. it does produce the nicest of windrows to feed a round baler. Each machine will have its quirks..so it's best to study the manual and observe its in-use operational characteristics and go from there. 

Ky Allis, there are hay brokers that buy and ship alfalfa to Europe that will only buy the hay if raked with a rotor type rake. No wheel rake. I use dual bar rakes but have been entertaining the idea of getting a rotary rake. But I do use a tedder in the first and sometimes second cuttings depending on crop density. p.s. I still have and use that Deutz/allis discbine I called you on for advice on a repair once. Thanks again. Nick