Front-Mount Rake Attached To Tractor Loader

Front-Mount Rake Attached To Tractor Loader TRACTORS Loaders 33-5-7 "It lets me do two jobs at once and eliminates the need for another tractor and operator," says Tom Wivell, Covington, Penn., who modified a Frontier V-wheel rake to fit the front-end loader on his Deere 6603 tractor. He uses it to rake to the center of the tractor and pulls a Krone 1500 round baler behind. "I use it to rake two 12-ft. windrows into one. I've made more than 600 big round bales with this system with almost no problems," says Wivell. "I came up with the idea because I don't always have someone to help me and wanted to get more done by myself. I figured it was easier to mount the rake on the tractor's loader than to build a frame under the tractor to support the rake. The extra weight of the rake hasn't hurt the loader at all. Another big benefit is that I'm not running over any hay like with a conventional rear-pulled rake. That results in less leaf loss." The 14-wheel rake extends about 15 ft. in front of the loader and clamps to the loader arm brackets. A single hydraulic cylinder controls the entire unit. The rake was originally equipped with a tongue and hydraulic cylinder that was used to fold the rake in or out. He removed the tongue and bolted a round bale spear frame - originally designed to mount on a front-end loader - on back of the rake. He remounted the hydraulic cylinder on top of the rake where it's used to fold the rake in or out. He also replaced the two rigid wheels on back of the rake with caster wheels, allowing the rake to slide along the ground during the folding process. "I used it for the first time this year on 350 acres of hay and am really happy with it," says Wivell, who makes 1,000 to 1,500 round bales per year. "I wrap most of the bales with plastic so the hay doesn't have to be dry when I rake it. The rake folds to the same width as the tractor. It's a little tricky learning how to operate it. "To hook up all I have to do is drop two pins and plug in the hydraulic hoses. I had to run hydraulics to the front of the loader so that I can swing the rake in or out and also raise the wheels up or down. I mounted auxiliary hydraulic valves on one side of the tractor where I use a mid-mount valve to operate the loader. I use a toggle switch in the cab to operate the loader or to swing the rake in or out or raise it up or down." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Tom Wivell, 2893 Cherry Flats Rd., Covington, Penn. 16917 (ph 570 659-5253 or 570 659-5286).

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