Hay rakes
Printed From: Unofficial Allis
Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
Forum Description: everything about Allis-Chalmers farm equipment
URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=140511
Printed Date: 27 Jul 2025 at 11:25am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Hay rakes
Posted By: tony
Subject: Hay rakes
Date Posted: 17 Jul 2017 at 8:11pm
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I have a Farmhand 5 wheel rake that I'm about fed up with. In heavy hay it seems like I have to rake each windrow twice to get it to rake clean. Plus it doesn't merge 2 windrows together nice when I want to double up for round baling. Point is I may be looking for a new rake. As much as I'd like a rotary, it just isn't in my budget. Therefore I'm looking at rolabar rakes. Don't have a lot of experience with them though so I'm wondering how well they handle big windrows. Some of the hay I make is conservation easement waterways so I can't cut til after Aug 1 which means the grass is REALLY tall when I cut making huge windrows the the poor old Farmhand rake can't handle. Not does it not rake clean but it also has a tendency to plug up because the hay can't fit under the frame. Will I have the same issues with a bar rake? How well do they handle uneven ground? Leaning towards 1 with a dolly wheel in front just to make turning in odd shaped fields easier but again if regular hitch vs. dolly will handle rough ground better I'll get that instead. Looking at JD NH or IH and New Idea. Anything to watch out for on any of these brands? It'd be neat to find an AC if I could but not seeing any of them around right now. Thanks for the feedback, Tony |
Replies:
Posted By: Gary Burnett
Date Posted: 17 Jul 2017 at 8:40pm
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I've used several different brands my New Holland 256 beats them all, it'll rake as big of a windrow as you can bale and it'll rake anything long hay,short hay,bushes.small Cedar trees you name it. |
Posted By: Gary Burnett
Date Posted: 17 Jul 2017 at 8:41pm
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And personally I want the rake hitched directly to the drawbar of the tractor tried a dolly wheel didn't care for it. |
Posted By: BrettPhillips
Date Posted: 17 Jul 2017 at 8:59pm
| Ditto to all of what Gary said. A neighbor thought his JD with a dolly wheel was hot stuff until he borrowed my 258 without a dolly wheel. He said his would slip the tires in heavy hay, but not the NH, and being able to back up outweighed any benefit of the dolly wheel. |
Posted By: allischalmerguy
Date Posted: 17 Jul 2017 at 9:58pm
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Here is what I rake with https://youtu.be/O28SnaFqhG0?t=3m17s" rel="nofollow - click here to watch video ------------- It is great being a disciple of Jesus! 1950 WD, 1957 D17...retired in Iowa, |
Posted By: matador
Date Posted: 17 Jul 2017 at 11:31pm
| We have an older John Deere 670 rake that we bought new. Ours has the dolly wheel, and it's never given us an issue, but I would prefer one without. Backing the rake by hand gets old real quickly. But, as for the rake itself, it's been perfect. I'm far from being a John Deere guy, but I'd have another of these rakes in a heartbeat |
Posted By: Gary Burnett
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 1:39am
Just wondering if you ever used a NH rake? I had a JD that we raked with for years and thought it was a good rake,used the NH one time never hooked to the JD again. |
matador wrote:Posted By: DiyDave
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 4:41am
X2 on what Gary said about the NH 256. I use mine, attached to a 3 point hitch drawbar, you can lift the arms up, and make really tight turns. A 15 HP Kubota can pull it, too...
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Posted By: AC720Man
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 6:18am
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We use a NH rollar bar rake ,not sure of the model as dad painted 15 years ago and did not put new decals on it. Pull type. Has always done a good job. A friend of mine has 2 of them that he pulls in tandem. They have served him well as he bales 20-25k bales a year. He recently upgraded to a Krone basket rake. He purchased a Bale Barron that requires even length bales. The rollar bar rakes do tend to twist the hay together. Meaning when you are baling and come upon a a large clump of hay and stop the tractor to prevent a broken shear pin, the baler tends to continue to pull the hay in due to the twist created by the rake, resulting in longer bales. The Bale Barron has saved him a lot of labor and he his extremely happy with it. But for most of us that have small farms, the roller bar rakes do a fine job. ------------- 1968 B-208, 1976 720 (2 of them)Danco brush hog, single bottom plow,52" snow thrower, belly mower,rear tine tiller, rear blade, front blade, 57"sickle bar,1983 917 hydro, 1968 7hp sno-bee, 1968 190XTD |
Posted By: rpropst
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 6:50am
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All my fields are small triangles, I use a 3 point hitch ford pickup rake. Sure makes it nice when you have to cross a windrow. ------------- 1950 snap coupler B 1948 WD 1951Ca 1952B 1952adjustable axel B |
Posted By: DougS
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 6:52am
| I've heard that inline balers make a bale of a more consistent size. I don't know how it would work with wrapped hay. I wouldn't think it would be pulling a "rope" of hay into the chamber, though. |
Posted By: Gary Burnett
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 6:57am
Yea usually the smaller tractor you can get by with raking works the best and 28" or smaller rear wheels gives more turning room when hooked directly to the drawbar. I usually rake with a David Brown 780 diesel but use my CA NF to rake with my spare NH 56 rake it'll turn really tight almost backs up the rake.Can make really nice windrows and ends,I hate to bale after someone has done a sloppy rake job. When we used the Roto Baler the windrows had to be raked just right to make it bale like it should. |
Posted By: allisrutledge
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 7:05am
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I have a new idea and ,new holland bar rakes. I use a sitrex speed rake for all hay and does a great job as any high frame wheel rake does. When I bale square bale rye for straw its always the new Holland that gets used .if I was buying another bar rake I would only consider a hydraulic driven . I don't like the new idea but have a neighbor that has a hyd driven one with rubber mounted teeth that does a great job. ------------- Allis Chalmers still exist in my mind and barns |
Posted By: Hockeygoon
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 8:00am
| I actually need a dolly wheel rake, the hay fields I mow are very uneven and the dolly wheel rake follows the contour of the land much better. Using my old NH 256 without a dolly wheel and low spots are filled with hay and the high spots look like they've been harrowed. |
Posted By: matador
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 8:01am
| I pulled a New Holland rake once when I worked for a neighbor, but it was pretty worn out and beat up. I do know farmers out here with New Holland rakes, though. I've never heard anyone say a bad thing about them. Either a Deere or New Holland bar rake should provide you really good service if you get once that's in decent shape |
Posted By: Tbone95
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 8:52am
| 40+ years ago, we had a JD rake that was old then! When the gears all finally wore out, dad bought a New Holland 256. So that has to be over 40 years ago as well. Wow...Anyway, about 20 years ago, we bought a second one. I built a "steerable" double hitch. You can tow the back rake to either the left or right of the front rake. This way, you can either double up windrows for lighter hay, or just cover twice the ground making 2 single windrows. So, Running the NH rakes for over 40 years, no real problems at all. Usually ~100 acres per year of haying. More back in the day. |
Posted By: Gerald J.
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 9:33am
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My Hesston PT-10 mower conditioner left a nice windrow that the baler would pick up (when run in the same direction as the PT-10 that would pick up like a rope when cutting and baling alfalfa. Early on I had an IH #5 bar rake. It kicked the hay at about twice the ground speed so it wasn't good for the hay to pull more than 2 or 3 mph. Then I got a Farmhand wheel rake and never had a problem with big windrows with it, though it could add some dust to the hay that horse owners didn't like. It could be pulled at 6 or 7 mph and still treated the hay gentler than the IH rake did. The rakes and baler are long gone, the PT-10 has been rotting outside for about 15 years, I don't know if it can be made to work again. I know the tires have rotted. Gerald J. |
Posted By: darrel in ND
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 9:57am
| I just come in from raking. I run two New Hollands, one left hand, and one right hand, with a steerable hitch for the rear one. Puts two windrows together nicely for baling. Darrel |
Posted By: Tbone95
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 10:05am
I hear about this, but can never fathom it! You could leave hay for a week up here in a mower conditioner windrow and the bottom will be as wet as the day you cut it, never in a million years could you bale it.
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Posted By: wekracer
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 11:52am
X2. We have a 256 with dolly wheel and the neighbor was one without. He has trouble in uneven ground. We use a Vermeer R2300 now and love it. But we're not selling the new holland just in case. We square bale everything and the bar rakes make a better windrow than the wheel rakes. |
Posted By: Gerald J.
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 5:06pm
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I did learn by experience that having the mower conditioner make the narrowest possible windrow delayed drying at least a couple days. So I learned to set the output chute as wide as possible and fortunately the baler intake chute was as wide. Cut at least two days off the drying even if it was so wide it had to be raked before baling. Around here the first cutting never got more than three days without rain it seemed like. Gerald J. |
Posted By: gerkendave
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 5:40pm
| Can't go wrong with a NH 256. Mine was optioned with the third tooth, amazing how clean it rakes! I've pulled mine many times with just the side x side atv. Not super handy but worked pretty well! I've also used an old David Bradly, which was fine in lighter windrows but bunched in heavier ones. Neighbor has an international bar rake.... STAY FAR AWAY FROM THEM! That thing leaves more hay on the ground than it rakes into windrows! |
Posted By: DiyDave
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 5:52pm
I will say 1 bad thing about the 256, that I have. I hadda order parts fer the gearbox, 2 gears plus the main output shaft, from CNH. shaft wasn't machined right, was oval where the gear was sposed to press on, and it walked back off the shaft, on the test run, from the shop, to the hayfield. Drove back up to the shop, yanked out the shaft and gear, cleaned them up, and mig welded the gear, to the mis-shapen shaft. Man was I pissed, about 4 more hours of work, in hot hayin weather...
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Posted By: kmorth
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 7:41pm
| enrossi bat rake. you tube it best one ive ever had |
Posted By: BigBadAllis
Date Posted: 19 Jul 2017 at 6:56am
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New Holland 258 or equivalent with the dolly is a great rake combination. The dolly keeps the rake more consistent on the adjustments so you don't have to constantly fidget with adjusting it from side to side and up and down. The dolly also allows for tighter turns since it's further back from the rear wheels. I also liked not having it so close to the tractor which makes it easier to see the rake. |
Posted By: Gary Burnett
Date Posted: 19 Jul 2017 at 7:05am
On a hillside the rake with a dolly is harder to keep it where you want it,on the flat they're fine,plus with the small front wheel on a dolly the rake bounces more than hooking to the tractor.I think its one of those things you either really like a dolly wheel or you don't like it at all. |
Posted By: SteveMaskey(MO)
Date Posted: 19 Jul 2017 at 9:01am
| As Gary Burnett said “I hate to bale after someone has done a sloppy rake job” reminded me of what an old timer told me years ago “No one should be allowed to rake hay until they have baled behind someone who didn’t give a crap how they raked! |
Posted By: darrel in ND
Date Posted: 19 Jul 2017 at 10:51am
If I looked at the right video, it's a wheel rake, not.....? What does the term "bat rake" come from? Not trying to steal your thunder or anything, just wondering. Thanks, Darrel |
Posted By: BigBadAllis
Date Posted: 19 Jul 2017 at 2:11pm
We had the New Holland dolly with dual grippy tires. Never had a problem with trailing on hilly ground. No excessive bouncing since they were larger implement size tires. 15 or 16" |
Posted By: cottonpatch
Date Posted: 19 Jul 2017 at 9:23pm
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X2 on 256 wit) dolly wheels. Have two of them, would not want one without. New hollands have dual wheels on their dolly setup and never have an issue on hilly ground which most of my hay ground is. ------------- '52 CA, '61 D10 II, ‘61 D15, '66 D15II, '63 D17D III, ‘69 170, '73 185 Crop Hustler, '79 185, '79 7000, '77 7040 |
Posted By: Ron(AB)
Date Posted: 19 Jul 2017 at 11:36pm
What does the term "bat rake" come from? Not trying to steal your thunder or anything, just wondering. Thanks, Darrel[/QUOTE] Bat rakes have a cart in the middle of a v-rake which is not adjustable (the "v" doesn't change) and the rake wheels lift up on the sides usually in pairs. |
Posted By: victoryallis
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2017 at 6:55am
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Victor or Miller Pro rotary rake. You never raked till you used a rotary rake. ------------- 8030 and 8050MFWD, 7580, 3 6080's, 160, 7060, 175, heirloom D17, Deere 8760 |
Posted By: 1terrygladys
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2017 at 8:19pm
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I rake with an old NH-55 rake and my narrow-front WD with power steering. Don't get much better than that for me. A friend sold me the rake for $50 years ago, and the WD sings/purrs to me all day. I ran a roto-baler all summer one year between years of college. Completely agree with the comments about having to rake dag-gone-near perfectly to rake for the roto-baler. Sure learned which customers didn't know how!?! One thing I want all you Allis friends to remember: I lost a friend this summer who was raking hay with a restored narrow front Oliver tractor. Dropped a wheel in a ditch and rolled it over on top of him. So, ... get a ROPS for your old tractor!!! I'm working on building one for the old WD, and planning on putting a roto-baler top on it. I don't want to hear about any of my Allis buddies having the same accident that my friend here did. Happy and safe haying!!! Terry ------------- WD-45, WD, Unstyled WC, SC Disk, JD 4430D, JD 4010D, JD B, Iowa pastor & disciple of Jesus Christ |
Posted By: Tbone95
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2017 at 6:47am
| And a seat belt? ROPS with no seat belt is a bit of an improvement, but not much. |
Posted By: Dakota Dave
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2017 at 7:14am
| We use a veermer R2300. its a hydraulic driven twin rotary bar rake. it makes wonderfull windrows, even in ditches and corn stover. you do need a good hydraulic supply to run the two hydraulic motors. and two more set of outlets to run the lift and fold. once you use a good rotary rake youll never go back to a ground driven rake of any kind. the twin rake makes such a nice square windrow that your bales always look good. We rake two 15' cuts from a New Holland 499 swingbine together. and bale with a Veemer 605M. the baler can handle a large windrow easily. |
Posted By: kmorth
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2017 at 9:24pm
That's the name on the rake. Guess the same reason you call a brush hog that folds up a bat wing. The rake folds up you can control either side separately. If your rolling hay over no need to worry about what way your going you can drop either side to roll hay left or right or drop both to put windrows together.
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Posted By: BigBadAllis
Date Posted: 22 Jul 2017 at 10:30am
Vermeer engineers and builds great equipment |