Home-Built "Double Sided Rake"

Home-Built "Double Sided Rake" HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Rakes (44) 29-3-40 "I always thought it was foolish to use an expensive high-powered tractor just to pull an 8-ft. hay rake. So I built a gooseneck hitch and a two-wheeled rear dolly. It lets me pull two standard 9-ft. rakes at a time and cover twice as much ground with virtually no extra cost," says Buzz Kutzler. The Huron, S. Dak. farmer uses the hitch to pull two New Holland model 258 rakes. He made the gooseneck hitch by welding together sections of 4-in. dia. tubing off an old swather. He used the front wheels and axle off an old pickup to make a dolly that carries the rear rake. A hydraulic cylinder is used to swing the rear rake either to the left or right. By changing the position of a pin, he can move the rear rake in line with the front rake for road transport. "The two rakes cover 16 ft. at a time and let me cover a field so fast it's unbelievable," says Kutzler. "I built it about ten years ago and use it a lot. It makes it fun to go to the field. In a heavy hay crop I can set both rakes to leave a swath down the middle. Or, if it's a light crop, I can angle both rakes to the side and then come back from the opposite direction to make a double swath that covers a 32-ft. wide area. If I get too close to a fence, I can automatically swing the rear rake away from the fence. And if I want, I can unhook the rakes and use them separately." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Buzz Kutzler, 20499 399th Ave., Huron, S. Dak. 57350 (ph 605 352-8177).

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