# Time for a new rake, considering a 8 wheel V rake...



## hollowcd (Nov 9, 2009)

We have a small hay operation covering around 50-75 acres. We use an old John Deere 24t square baler and a John Deere 410 round baler. We currently have an old John Deere bar rake that is coming close to the end of its days. I know there are a few different types of rakes out there but I am unsure which would fit our operation the best. About 90% of what we do if orchard grass while the other 10% is alfalfa. It seems with these old bar rakes we are leaving alot of grass behind in the field but they seem to do pretty good on alfalfa. From what I have seen a small 8 basket V rake might be the ticket. We are in central indiana so the last is as flat as it gets. As far as size goes I just need to be careful not to get a rake that makes too large of a windrow for our balers. I could use some advice on brands and models to look at. Just lightly looking yesterday I came across a Vermeer WR 20 in a couple of posts but there where a few complaints about rigidity. Any info would be appreciated!!


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## rob_cook2001 (Apr 30, 2010)

I am a big fan of the Kuhn V rakes, very reasonable priced.
Robert


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## gman1772 (Mar 20, 2010)

I am a big fan of the Kuhn V rakes, very reasonable priced.
Robert

I have an Kuhn SR110 and am glad I spent the money. 8 wheels are a lot less versatile than 10 wheels and the initial cost is not that much more. You will be chapped for all the time you spent running that rollabar around your patches after that SR 110 picks it clean @ 15 acres an hour.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Go with the ten for later cuttings. I've seen a few brands where the outside wheel can be locked up effectively making it a 8 wheel rake for first cutting.

In the process now of trying to make a way to lock my outside wheels up so I have a ten instead of a twelve. I can bring the wings in to make it narrower, but it makes a better row if they are all the way out.


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## Va_plowboy (Jan 12, 2010)

I agree with everyone else on getting a 10 wheel. The difference in the Kuhn is usually less than 1000 between the 8 and 10. I think they clean the ground just as good as a bar rake and they do even better in uneven ground. And they're a heckuva lot faster.


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## hayray (Feb 23, 2009)

10 wheel is too wide unless you are 10 foot or wider, I have not seen the 10 th wheel lock up but that would be necessary on first cut. I use a 8 wheel Gehl on a 9',2" cut. When I used my Deere 1360 the rake was almost not wide enough. I switched from the old bar rakes years ago. The wheel rake is almost no maintenance at all and last longer and is cheaper. I have seen the new Khun bi-folds and those have a lot of improvements over my Gehl.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

[quote name='hollowcd']We have a small hay operation covering around 50-75 acres. We use an old John Deere 24t square baler and a John Deere 410 round baler.

I have a 24T baler and I also use a v rake at times, mainly for my round baler. You say about 90% of your haying is in orchard grass. I do not believe your 24T can handle a first cutting windrow from a 8 wheel rake in orchard grass(major bulk). Mine certainly cannot. The 24T has a narrow pickup and your windrows with a 8 v rake will be more than it can handle. I am thinking that the JD 410 was a closed throat baler. If it is, you can get into some real headaches with the big windrows made by orchard grass. If I bought a 8 wheel I would keep the bar rake for a season to see how I got along. Regards, Mike


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## hollowcd (Nov 9, 2009)

Thanks guys. Mike the 410 is a closed throat baler hence the reason I am a little concerned with the windrow size. I am sure that a 10 wheel would be even worse on windrow size than the 8 wheel which is why I am interested in the 8 wheel. I guess my primary concern now is the grass we seem to be leaving in the field and figured that the skinny tines on a v style rake would clean up the field nicely. Seems like now I will run into the problem of too big of a windrow if I get a quality pickup of the grass. We use a 6.5ft CCM drum mower to cut, and use the tedder on pretty much everything so we do have an even broadcast of grass/alfalfa in our fields.


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## gman1772 (Mar 20, 2010)

I forgot to mention the Kuhn SR110 has a feature that allows you to rake with the left side up and the right side down effectively creating a left side delivery 5 wheel rake. I used it 1 time to roll over windrows that were'nt dry on the bottom. Pretty effective.


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## rob_cook2001 (Apr 30, 2010)

I have a SR110 also, great rake, and yes you can rake with just one side, once you get use to it you could rake with just one side and make 1/2 size windrows.
Robert


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## rank (Apr 15, 2009)

hollowcd said:


> We have a small hay operation covering around 50-75 acres.......As far as size goes I just need to be careful not to get a rake that makes too large of a windrow for our balers.


Most vee rakes allow you to change the width of the windrow. Some also let you change the working width. With our CaseIH, you can change the working width by opening and closing the Vee on the fly simply by using the remote in the tractor. Product too heavy? Someone dropped a bale in your way? Just push the remote and voila...narrow windrow. If you try that with our H&S, you run the risk of bending the hydraulic cylinders.


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## hayray (Feb 23, 2009)

in first cut I most of the time rake with one side up anyways and just single row everything.


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## hayray (Feb 23, 2009)

YOu can also buy a single row wheel rake also.


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