Tips for Successful Hay Raking

“Raking is done to narrow the swath for the baler, and also to move the wetter material at the bottom of the windrow to the outside. Every time you rake hay there is some leaf loss, so rake strategically. The drier the hay is at raking, the greater the leaf loss. If possible, raking alfalfa at moistures between 30 – 40% is often a good compromise between low leaf loss and good drying. Leaf loss can be extremely high if raking at 20% moisture. Hay that is almost dry is less likely to shatter when raked in the early morning when the dew is still on.

Some rake designs are more aggressive and do a better job of fluffing, but are also more prone to leaf loss, particularly at lower moistures. Uniform, consistent raking without bunching is required to avoid wet bales.

If a partially dried hay field does receive a heavy rain, tedders or rotary rakes can break up a windrow that has clumped and matted into the stubble. Moving a windrow onto a drier surface, or fluffing onto stubble can speed drying. Tedders are better suited to grasses than alfalfa. Avoid using a tedder on alfalfa at moistures less than 50%. Avoid driving with tractor tires on the swath and causing leaf loss.” Source: Cutting, Conditioning & Raking For Faster Hay Drying

Massey Ferguson is introducing a new rotary rake series in the US & Canada, with MF3824 and MF3879 models available in New Zealand and Australia. The new RK Series rotary rakes are designed to help hay producers optimize hay quality by gently sweeping, rather than rolling the crop to the center which maximizes leaf retention for optimum protein content and more valuable hay. Find out more information from the product fact sheet for the new Massey Ferguson RK Series Rotary Rakes here.

Check out this video of the rotary rakes at the National Farm Machinery Show: