Unveiling the New Hay Rake

Feeling like a BTO in 1975!!! These old rakes cut raking time in half ... duh, it's two rakes compared to the one i was using before. But they are awesome and free of hydraulics to leak and electrical stuff to malfunction.

[@dieselpowerolson3075]

Nice! Most maneuverable raking system out there. Underrated for sure

[@michael7423]

Thanks for another very well explained equipment demo, You are the engine in ingenuity Jacob, thanks for keeping your video’s exciting with all those camera angles! I love all your family farm videos!!!

[@oilfarmer706]

Very nice raking rig you have there! I've used rollabar rakes my entire life up until a couple years ago and I finally broke down and got a 10 wheel V rake. I love that dang thing. I still break out the rollabar hooked up to the WD Allis for old times sake and when I'm doing very small fields. Great video have a good one.

[@ianhaggart1438]

Great work from that wonderful air-conditioned panoramic Ford tractor. 👍👌😉. Love the vid and the setup. Stay safe 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@willbass2869]

Well done on the buy & rehab, Jacob. Well done.

[@seadog6351]

Good one Jacob. Nice to see this equipment working out for you. Hay seems to be going well also.

[@farmshoffman8475]

Great awesome video Jacob, love that old style

[@jankotze1959]

Man that raking video let me think of an Aerobatic display team where the aircraft coming in to form a formation after a turn, the rakes do the same, brilliant video

[@andrewstich7117]

Very interesting thanks for the video keep up the great work you do on your farm

[@rogue9ine]

Farmer I worked for as a teen had the "L" double hitch. You are right you can flip it left or right. If you have it one way your raking two single windrows, Flip it over and your raking a double.

[@lukestrawwalker]

I have one I picked up for $150... I have it hitched to some field rollers; got a homemade bridge hitch for $125 bucks at an auction that works better so I don't use the L one... You can flip them, but you have to take four bolts off that hold the front dolly wheel on the front part of the "L" and flip it over, put the bolts back in, so the dolly wheel is still facing downwards. There's several hitch tabs on the back of the frame to hitch the rakes to-- one is for transport and 2 others for working positions IIRC. The rear implement tire is mounted to one side of the pipe frame and has a pivot bolt setup where you can adjust the "toe in" of the single rear wheel to set the overlap of the front and rear rakes, or the windrow width if you're using a RH and LH rake together to rake to the middle... To go down the road, you have to unhitch one rake and hitch it to the back of the other one. That's what I like about my bridge hitch-- no unhooking rakes unless you want to use one as a single rake. For transport you just hop off flip the rakes out of gear, and then hit the hydraulic lever on the tractor to swing the bridge hitch axle straight; when you pull forward the rear of the hitch and rear rake swings right behind the front one into one long train, ready to go down the road. Hit the next field, hop off throw the rakes in gear, reverse the hydraulic lever to swing the axle to the left, then start raking, and adjust the hydraulic cylinder with the lever a bit til the rakes are overlapping like you want... If you had a RH rake, you can set it to get the windrow width you want. Later! OL J R :)

[@jamesmarsh4957]

o yes that rake is fantastic , what a great job you have done

[@randybennett5417]

For the money, ya can"t find a better raking system than what you have.

[@jimpolk]

Great looking wind rows. I've never seen a rake like that before. Very cool.

[@railroadman57]

Very nice rig Jacob hope It works well for you

[@FarmallFanatic]

Had a fun conversation with Craig the other day 🤣

[@rogerholloway8498]

Now there's something you don't see every day! Pretty clever!

[@larrykeener7900]

Nice setup Jacob. Don't need shiny paint to make hay. Can always paint it some day. Thanks for the video.

[@rogercarrico4975]

That's got to cut your raking time in half. I still use a Rolla bar for the exact reason you stated. It does the job. But, I'm a lone wolf in my neck of the woods. Everybody!!!! else has a V rake.

[@mtozzy11]

Congrats on the new rake setup should make raking alot more efficient for you

[@JT-ei7qj]

Used to rake hay just like this with a homemade version of that hitch until my grandpa got a wheel rake. He would always tell me not to turn too sharp, I'd break the bar. Well one time I did and that's the day I learned how to weld haha! I was probably 11 at the time.

[@train1962]

Nice job Jacob.

[@andrewjones6360]

great idea !!I love it thanks for the video !!

[@galerippey1686]

Had one of those. We built a hitch to go on the 3 point of tractor. Easer and faster to hook up lot shorter to pull like the v set up a lot better than side delivery especially with a round Baler

[@michalmajk2354]

Hello i'm from Poland good you films good job ;)

[@jamesmorrison1884]

Nice video Jacob. I think you can try an experiment if you want. Paint the rakes and you will find you will have much neater straighter rows. Why because you did all that work to paint so you will be more careful with them lol. Have a good night.

[@jonathanfrecking1210]

I'll stick with my Kuhn sr110 V rake. It's way faster than a side delivery rake ever will be! I started with a NH rollabar rake and it work well but it was slow as molasses. I payed what you have in that set up, with parts for my Kuhn.

[@lukestrawwalker]

I picked up one of those old "L" hitches for $100 bucks... it was sitting in the back of a dealer lot taking up space. I figured for that price why not. I pull a couple rollers with it actually instead of rakes because I bought a bridge hitch at auction for $150 bucks! Yes, they CAN be reversed... the little crazy wheel on one side is bolted on with a four-bolt flange, you take it loose and flip it upside down and bolt it back, then just flip the hitch over... then it'll pull one rake up behind the hitch close to the tractor, and the other one hitched to the rear end of the "L" with the carry tire on the frame back there. The carry tire has its spindle mounted in between a couple of flat irons, bolt through it next to the pipe, and a slot further out with another bolt. You can loosen the bolt and "tilt" the wheel for a little bit of "steering" so that the rear rake trails right where you want it in relation to the front rake. Works good, and it's cheap. Just gotta find one! They also have different drawbar pulls on it so you can move the rakes over to the center and hitch the rear rake to the front rake, and pull the whole thing down the road narrow... Later! OL J R :)

[@dehavenfamilyfarm]

I wanted that setup, but couldn't find a 260. So I ended up building a hitch on the back of one rake to pull a second one to rake two rows at once. Actually works pretty good.

[@lukestrawwalker]

Yep lot of those home built systems down here... telescoping pipe within a pipe, hitch tab for the rear rake welded on the end... pull a pin slide the hitch in to go down the road, pull the pin slide the pipe out and hitch the rake to it to double rake. Pull the second rake down the road using a tab on the back of the front rake frame in the middle... OL J R : )

[@harryfarmingvideo5328]

Your right brother the old equipment does a great job for half the price of new That is a nice rake setup and good looking hay to keep up the great work brother

[@boehmfarm4276]

Thank you

[@lukestrawwalker]

@@boehmfarm4276 When it's time for new tires, you can get those rake drive tires with a tractor chevron pattern for about half price online versus what you'll pay for them anywhere else. I've had to buy a set a couple years ago and we just ordered another at the end of last year. OL J R :)

[@pinesedgefarm1155]

Those tandem rakes should save you some time and fuel.👍

[@bobocaterpillar3697]

i think those rake make the BEST windrows! we had a v-type rake, it worked good, but the windrows were lumpy no matter what we did. it did not make the square baler happy! so we went back to the old "roller" rakes like yours. now everything is good.

[@farmcentralohio]

Your problem was either the operator or the rake was not setup and adjusted correctly.

[@bobocaterpillar3697]

@@farmcentralohio had the selling dealer come out and look at it, and make adjustments they said that's just how it is. they weren't super lumpy, but not even close to how smooth the roller rakes are.

[@lukestrawwalker]

Nothing wrong with that setup. Don't see any 260's with the RH delivery down here, at least I never have. All 256/258 LH delivery rakes. About 10 years ago I was at an auction just futzing around and this home-built bridge hitch came up for sale... this is the kind of double rake hitch that NH is selling new for about probably $5,000 bucks or so... it was built out of 3-4 inch pipe welded together about 15 feet long, hitch on the front "gooseneck" end that hitches to the tractor drawbar, with a drawbar hitch right behind it for the first rake to hitch to, then the frame goes up and over like a gooseneck hitch over the first rake, then down to an axle in the back mounted on a pivot with a hydraulic cylinder to swivel the hitch/tongue and axle in relation to each other like a hydroswing mo-co... the axle has a couple hitches on the back of it for the second rake. Nobody was bidding on the thing and so I made the first bid at $125 bucks and got the thing! Then I spent the rest of the summer looking for a second rake that wasn't totally ragged out to pull with my new-ish 256. I hitch the 256 to the front hitch, so it's only about a foot further back than if it were hitched to the tractor itself, right behind where the bridge hitch hitches to the tractor. I found an older 258 that wasn't in terrible shape, did some fixing on it, and hitch it up to the bridge hitch axle pivot hitch. The 256 rakes 7.5 feet right behind the tractor, drops it in a windrow, which the 258 is being pulled behind catches as it goes under the bridge hitch axle, and rolls it over with it's own 8.5 foot swath and deposits the whole single windrow off the left end of the 258. Works like a champ. What's nice about it is, when raking in hay meadows that are heavier on one side and lighter on the other, I can just pick up the windrow AGAIN on the front rake and rake up another swath with it, until I get the size windrow I want. I can duck in and start a new windrow on the other side (yeah I rake roundy-round). Works like a champ. Got vid of it on my channel... kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6XCi6lurNCXnLs kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZXLpZWJec5olaM And a slo-motion video... kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJCpg5uqrryjjrs As for the guys hungry to see new paint, well, when they pay for it they can sure see it LOL:) Best machine is one that's the simplest, PAID FOR, and gets the job done! Same windrow comes out of a $25,000 rake that comes out of a $2,500 rake... Later! OL J R :)

[@philipunderwood477]

Love that rake setup! Wrong color tractor though

[@plowboy7700]

Should have come to western Nebraska. There was a rake setup like you were wanting.

[@ajskab99]

We used to run that same setup when we weren’t doing very much hay. It doesn’t do near as good as job as our Sitrex Magnum M16. When we started our custom hay business, that setup just couldn’t handle the hay we were putting up.

[@randallcrane2704]

Good job

[@timstevens2866]

Pretty cool

[@ardurbin2]

Brother, if it works in the field, new paint DON'T matter!

[@farmerpete]

Rusty but trusty. Good way to go.

[@robertcowden9484]

Can't turn nick lose with that it will be up a tree if you do lol

[@boehmfarm4276]

I know.

[@pocketchange1951]

👍👌🇨🇦❤, your to rakes working together reminds of an old hoedown, br8 music, Jacob

[@ArmpitStudios]

That’s cool! I didn’t know they made them for both directions, but then I’m not a farmer (except for Farming Simulator).

[@lukestrawwalker]

They used to sell that setup and those RH rakes as "bean rakes"... they'd have a third tine next to the other two all they way down the bars, for a closer tine spacing... used them to rake up dry bean plants for combining, handled them gently to prevent shelling out the dry beans. Combine came along with a belt pickup head (windrow head) and fed them into the combine for threshing. Later! OL J R :)

[@PAYNEKILLER..]

Please let Nick run it while you film the carnage. 😆

[@MrMagnum7220]

I think you make a better windrow with opposite takes. We got a 216 and can’t make a bad windrow with it.

[@jimjoe9945]

Doe si doe and around you go!

[@koryleague8833]

Now you just need one of those new holland machines that picks up bales

[@boehmfarm4276]

I have thought about it. It only makes sense if the hay was within a mile or two of home, then I need a barn tall enough, 17' .

[@scottviers3794]

I'm hoping for a video on how you changed the tine bar bearings. Have several to do on my NH 55 bar rake. 55!!! I'm really slumming with that old timer! Thanks for the video. Be well.

[@boehmfarm4276]

I didn't get a video of it, but I still have the other take to fix. You need a chain and a come along. The chain holds the star from turning and the come along pulls the bolt in the bar to line up with the hole. Then smack it with a hammer to go in.

[@scottviers3794]

@@boehmfarm4276 Thanks for the info Jacob.

[@lukestrawwalker]

We ran a 56, which is a straight axle version probably the same as your 55... not a bad rake at all... ours was just flat WORE OUT which is why I traded it on a new 256 25 years ago. They both make the same windrow LOL:) To change the tine bar bearings, you have to basically take 2-3 of the other bars adjoining it loose at the same time, so there's enough "play" between the star wheels to allow you to get the stud going through the bar end bearings through the end of the star wheel hole, then you put the nuts on and tighten everything up... it's kind of a clusterfutz but it works, with a little prying, cussing, and swearing LOL:) dunno WHY they didn't just make them with a through-bolt... I think the new rakes are, with a rounded smooth hex-bore bolt going through the bar end casting and bearing... Much better design LOL:) OL J R :)

[@scottviers3794]

@@lukestrawwalker Thank you for the information sir. I've enjoyed your channel also.

[@lukestrawwalker]

@@scottviers3794 Thanks! Always nice to have a fan... :) Need to get more farm stuff up but life has really thrown us a curve ball these past couple years... Later! Know of any other small farm channels or guys farming with older stuff lemme know! Later! OL J R :)

[@oldretireddude]

You need a hay hook with a GoPro mount on it.

[@frankgibson8861]

What about road transporting ? does all hook up in a line , looks great all the best .

[@boehmfarm4276]

Yep, make a train and roll. Next video you'll kinda see that.

[@bigears4426]

Those bales must be light , you'd need both arm when we press them

[@bryanginder5903]

O Jacob you need to get a kicker for that baler and some kicker racks! Get more done with less work!!

[@waynejones5239]

Nice up grade

[@adelaideinvigilation5230]

Hi Jake do you really need to have the dolly wheels? can you connect straight to your cross bar? Or do you need to have the dolly wheels to adjust the height of the machine?

[@craigadair128]

I assume he takes it apart to move from field to field on the road so would need the dolly for transport is my guess anyway

[@boehmfarm4276]

Dolly wheels help the rakes follow ground contour and make it easier to hook them for road transport.

[@lukestrawwalker]

No you can get by without the dolly wheels, but they make it MUCH easier to move the rakes behind each other for road transport. If you were running on one farm and not having to go down the road or through gates, it'd be fine without the dolly wheels. None of our rakes have dolly wheels, haven't seen but a handful with dolly wheels in my life actually. They're a good idea for this type hitch though, because you have to unhitch the rakes from the V-hitch and move them behind each other and hook them inline to go down the road or through gates. That's where a bridge hitch works great-- I use mine with regular rakes with no dolly wheels, hitch them up once and you're all set-- the front one hitches right behind the tractor drawbar, to the back of the "gooseneck" of the bridge hitch, the frame goes up and over the first rake then back down behind it to an axle on the back of the bridge hitch, with a hitch plate for the rear rake to hook up to. The bridge hitch axle acts dolly wheels for the rear rake, since it's hooked to it. Move the hydraulic lever to retract the cylinder like a hydra-swing mower directly behind the tractor and first rake to go down the road, then extend the cylinder back out to move the rake to the side for double raking, all from the seat, no hitching/unhitching/moving/rehitching required... OL J R :)

[@briandubach3188]

Any issues with hay that is at the bottom of the windrow since it isn't getting flipped?

[@boehmfarm4276]

Nope, this field was tedded.

[@PaulHigginbothamSr]

While ya'll were playing the music while raking I was trying to see how these would be tied end to end in a line behind the tractor. This way if you got rammed by a car you would put the doubler wagon on the tail end. OK that would work towing. So water got in through the disengage? Works well now but a bunch of new bearings.

[@lukestrawwalker]

They usually have hitch tabs welded to the rake frames and the center of double hitch... unhook one rake move it over to the center hitch of the double hitch, then hook the second rake to the back of the first rake. Pull out it all trains in behind each other to go down the road. Have to move all the rakes back to their working positions at the next field. That's where a bridge hitch is nice... throw the rakes out of gear, then use the hydraulic lever to swing the rear rake and bridge hitch right inline behind the first rake, and the whole thing trains along right behind the tractor. Get to the next field, reverse the hydraulic lever to swing the rear rake out to the side, and hop down to flip the rakes back in gear, and go to raking... OL J R :)

[@bryanginder5903]

Nothing Wrong with a wheel rake they do a great job!! If you don't have them adjusted right they dig but if adjusted right you will barley see a mark on the ground from the teeth! To many moving parts on them bar rakes !

[@lukestrawwalker]

More moving parts, yes, but if operated and lubricated correctly bar rakes are pretty indestructible... MOST of the problems I've seen with rakes is people run them WAY too low, scratching down in the dirt trying to get EVERY LAST STRAW AND BLADE OF GRASS off the field and in the windrow... problem is, they rake up a LOT of dirt and scratch up a lot of duff (plant material on the ground surface that is rotting back into the soil) and put all THAT in the windrow too, leading to dusty hay and "ash". Basically a rake can be set on concrete so the teeth *just* clear the surface without touching, or barely touching, and that's as LOW as a rake should EVER be run... usually there's a pretty good stubble left, which the hay should mostly be laying on top of... depending what the hay is and how it was cut, and the rake can be set to clear the ground while running down in the stubble to sweep the hay up and move it over... no ground contact required. Only time a rake should be touching the ground is when a wheel drops in a low spot or a high spot goes under the rake basket or rake wheel tines... BUT lots of guy set them so low you can see every tine scratch mark in the field after it's done... looks like it was harrowed lightly when they're done. All that does is GUT the rake and wear it out-- even wheel rakes-- the tines will bend from stretching too far scrubbing the ground, and the holes in the outer band will egg out and the tines will wear in two or break from wearing thin where they pivot against the band with every turn scratching the ground... rolabar rakes will wear out the bar end bearings and get very slopping, rocking back and forth when you twist the bar. Tines get bent or knocked out. Even rotary rakes operated too low will wear out cam tracks and followers, excess gearbox wear, and will eventually bend, twist, or develop cracks or fractures in the tine bars from metal fatigue from all the extra twisting of the tines hitting the ground... Later! OL J R :)

[@powerram92]

Would you suggest the nh 565 square baler for someone starting out or just move up to a 570 baler?

[@boehmfarm4276]

Its less about model and finding one in good condition. Although I would like the rotary feeding of the larger models.

[@powerram92]

@@boehmfarm4276 so you do prefer the rotary feeder over flow feeding? I've found in good condition 570 for a couple thousand more than the 565 n I didn't know if it'll be worth it or not?

[@lukestrawwalker]

You got those dolly wheels from a supplier I guess?? I've looked at them but they're high for the kits to add them new. I've thought about making my own... just need a couple old car spindles and tires or boat trailer tires or old implement gauge wheels or whatever, and some channel iron... make a tongue long enough for the dolly hitch, weld it to a cross-beam that the spindles are welded to on drops about say 3 feet apart or so for stability (not as wide as a car axle by any means) and extend the tongue over the cross-beam with a hitch plate welded on the back of it real close to the axle cross-beam for the rake to hitch to with its regular hitch... The axle cross beam should be just long enough so the wheels don't hit the frame when turned 90 degrees or so, so not very wide, since the hitch and frame of the rake is only about a foot long or so at the rake hitch point. 3 feet between tires would be plenty I think. The hitch plate for the rake should be as close to the axle as possible-- moving it rearward would let it turn tighter before "bottoming out" or binding up in the turn, BUT, the further back it is the more it will push up on the tongue... Tongue should be just long enough to clear everything in a turn, and counterbalance the weight of the rake hitched onto the dolly... Course I never built them because I didn't need dollies after I got a bridge hitch cheap at auction... OL J R :)

[@boehmfarm4276]

Dolly kit was $300 without wheels.

[@lukestrawwalker]

@@boehmfarm4276 Wow where'd you find them at that price?? Used from a salvage yard or something?? I priced the kit from the dealer while back it was about $900-1k... NOPE didn't pay that for the rake! LOL:) I've seen them in a catalog I got from some parts place up in PA (amish country?) that had them for like $500-600 new for the kits with little skinny rims but no tires IIRC... cheapest I've seen them. I figured I could make my own for a couple hundred bucks, but once I got the bridge hitch didn't really need them, so I never did. Good looking setup! OL J R :)

[@boehmfarm4276]

Got them from Joe's in Pennsylvania.

[@karlrandow5004]

Did you make a video of putting the bars back on?

[@boehmfarm4276]

No, bit I still have another rake to fix.

[@dsp11000]

BTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@peterjames2004]

just a thought could you put a piece of plywood on top of the bales 1 piece per trailer would make life a lot easier and give you a stable place to stand on

[@petepeeff5807]

Works good in loft too.

[@andyeberhard9851]

What do you have to do to pull it down the road

[@boehmfarm4276]

Next videos will give you an idea.

[@brianzimmerman2942]

In rust we trust. Paint doesn't make it work any better.

[@nbooker7504]

What tires are those on the tractor

[@boehmfarm4276]

BF Goodrich Silvertown rice and canes.

[@AdamK96390]

i've never had a crop care if my equiptment is shinny lol

[@chevymetrodriver]

LoL for some reason KZbin cares I prefer the KZbiner that do not take hand out from every company that comes along I honest opinion is better to me

[@lukestrawwalker]

Yep have yet to have a cow complain to me about it! OL J R : )

[@jamesflanigan5994]

If the wagon is strong enough go 3 across the 1st, 3rd and 5th layers and 6 straight across those layers at 5 or 6 panels for 150 or 196 bale loads

[@boehmfarm4276]

It's strong enough, but the deck is 8' wide. Is feel better about the bales being supported on the edges of it was 9'.

[@ethanmoyer8107]

Would you ever think of selling that hay rake hitch?

[@boehmfarm4276]

Not until I find the little L shape double hitch new Holland had.

[@ethanmoyer8107]

Check your FB inbox 👍🏼

[@thepubliceye]

I have only one question "Why"? You don't make that much hay.

[@boehmfarm4276]

4000 squares and 200 rounds. Requires less help.

[@lukestrawwalker]

Raking is the slowest job of haymaking, at least with round baling... so it makes WAY more sense to pull two rakes. You go from an 8.5-9.5 foot swath to about 17-20 feet (depending on what model rakes you have) and with the V-rake squadron hitch like this, you add the center windrow width to the raking width and with a 258 and a 260 putting out a 3 foot wide windrow, you're raking about 23 feet per pass (course it's slightly narrower than that because you have to overlap the rake with the last pass slightly to pick up all the hay, as with any rake). You get done a lot faster and can get on to more important jobs like baling. Later! OL J R :)

[@michaelvogel2522]

Make a 3pt tandem hitch

[@boehmfarm4276]

That was my plan if I only found a lonesome 260.

[@conortimm733]

I feel like youve had a smudge on your camera for 3 months haha

[@boehmfarm4276]

It's a scratch. This camera survived the picker eating it last fall. I need a new camera.

[@conortimm733]

@@boehmfarm4276 oh I see, I remember that video, I guess I just realized it recently

[@jamesdack61]

we fill our rake gearbox full of grease not oil

[@jeffmarek1237]

Keep farming the way you farm koreal rusty equipment trust trusty Paint my look pretty But Cosmo and cut in the profit I got nothing but old rusty trusty