Alberta Farmer Rakes & Bales In One Pass

Alberta Farmer Rakes & Bales In One Pass HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Hay & Forage Harvesting 18-6-18 "It cut hay-making time in half and reduced operating expense," says David Jones, Mountain View, Alberta, who mounted a 10-wheel hay rake on the "front" of his Ford Versatile 9030 bi-directional tractor and pulls a Deere round baler behind so he can rake and bale at the same time. Jones raises 1,200 acres of hay. "The bi-directional tractor is what made it work. I modified a 10-wheel rake so I can push it from behind. I removed the tongue and mounted it on a 3-pt. It mounts on the back 3-pt. on the tractor and we reverse travel so we're pushing the rake." The rake narrows and widens hydraulically. "It reduces both labor and machinery costs, since only one tractor is needed to rake and bale, and we cut fuel costs in half. Hay curing time is also reduced since we can lay it out in wider swaths when cutting it. We can gather up two or three swaths with the rake." Jones also feels leaf loss is minimized since there's no windrows to blow around in heavy winds and the rake pulls together fluffy windrows. And there's no need to weave the baler to create an even bale since the rake is adjusted to the width of the baler pickup. After Jones first got the idea, he then had trouble finding a rake that he could use. On most wheel rakes, the wheels extend out behind their supporting framework. He finally read about a rake built in Italy and looked all over North America for one un- til he finally found one in Western Canada. "It works better than I ever expected. People who said it would never work are now telling their friends to come and see it," says Jones. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, David A. Jones, Box 2, Mountain View, Alberta TOK 1NO Canada (ph 403 653-2849).

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