haying direction

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Our hay is cut and now we need to rake it and bale it. My wife says that you need to make sure that you rake in a certain direction but she can't remember if you rake the same way it was mowed or the opposite way. Anybody know?

-- Paul Wheaton (paul@javaranch.com), July 31, 2001

Answers

I've raked alot of hay and I usually just go around the outside first and go which ever way the rake throws it into the field, and not into the fence or weeds. I could not tell any difference when I went the other direction, but seems like my baler book does say to go the direction it was cut. Don

-- Don (dairyagri@yahoo.com), July 31, 2001.

Sometimes we have to move cut hay clear down off the steep parts of the hills when we do hay, up to 100 feet or more, just keep rolling it over with the rake to where it is safer to go with the baler, so I don't think any direction of raking is required! Doesn't seem to matter at all here, just get it where you can get to it with the baler.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), July 31, 2001.

some people rake it the opposite way but it's usually easier and won't make a difference to rake the same direction. What did you cut it with?

-- somebody (something@somewhere.com), July 31, 2001.

It was cut with a mower conditioner. Although I think we are going to finish the cutting with a sickle bar.

-- Paul Wheaton (paul@javaranch.com), August 01, 2001.

I think the idea is that you just keep on rolling it the way it's already been rolled or layed. Once it's begun to get dry, anytime you disturb it it's going to start breaking, losing leaf, and so forth. If you just roll it over, this will be minimised. If you bend it over backwards and turn it right around you'll lose a lot more.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), August 03, 2001.


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