Add-On Hydraulics Allow Small Tractor To Handle Big Twin Rake

Add-On Hydraulics Allow Small Tractor To Handle Big Twin Rake HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Rakes (44) 24-5-41 It doesn't take a lot of horsepower to power a big hay rake but Bob Sell, Woodville, Wisconsin, says it can take quite a bit of hydraulic capacity. For example, Sell points out that the manual for an R-23 Vermeer Twin Rake calls for an 18-gal. reservoir minimum. "Not many tractors have that capacity until you get well over 100 hp," he notes. "Newer hydraulically-powered rakes, particularly twin rakes, need a hydraulic flow of 20 gal. per minute or more," Sell says. "Some of the older tractors we've normally thought of as ærake tractors' just don't have this kind of hydraulic capacity." Sell's neighbor, Don Rodel, Woodville, Wis., wanted to use a Deere 4010 on his Vermeer Twin rake. When he did, though, the hydraulic system got red hot. There wasn't enough oil in the reservoir and therefore, not enough cooling capacity for the rake. They double-checked the tractor's hydraulic system to make sure it was operating properly. Then they put Rodel's 4430 on the rake and its hydraulic system overheated, too. Sell solved the problem by equipping the tractor with a pto-powered hydraulic pump and mounting a 20-gal. reservoir and cooler directly on the rake hitch. The existing rake hydraulics plug into this system, just like they plugged into the tractor's hydraulic outlets. "The 4010 has plenty of horsepower to pull the rake and run the PTO. This protects the 4010's hydraulic system while providing plenty of hydraulic power to the rake," Sells says. Sell says the conversion was fairly inexpensive, especially when compared with the cost of having to split a tractor open to rebuild a hydraulic pump worn out because of the intense heat build-up. In addition to farming, Sell operates B-W Machine, a metalworking and machinery repair shop on his farm. "This is the first conversion of this type I've made," he says. "If there's interest, I could put together a kit, along with instructions for mounting it on the rake. There's enough hydraulic capacity from this pump that we could also plumb it to handle the lift cylinder on the rake so there'd be no hoses to hook up to the tractor at all." Rodel now uses a David Brown 995 on the rake. He says there was never a time during the first two cuttings this year that the pump or reservoir got warm enough that you couldn't touch them. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bob Sell, B-W Machine, 2439 County Road BB, Woodville, Wis. 54028 (ph 715 684-2286).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.