# Drying hay without a tedder



## W Bench Farms (May 19, 2016)

I know that everyone else within about 200 miles dropped hay the end of this week and got it rained on with a no rain forecast, so I thought someone would share what they do. Dropped 12-15 acres Thursday evening. We have a disc mower, so it lays flat. We don't have a tedder. I know that a tedder would help us get dry, but a full time job and lack of help make it tough to do ollow up with another pass. Chance of rain now goes into Sunday. It wasn't completely dry, bottom was still wet. On a normal situation, I would have raked it today and baled it tomorrow. I'm thinking of leaving it alone and raking it tomorrow after the rain passes. May have to flip it again before baling. Use a 10 wheel v rake, and have had good luck drying in the windrow. Anyone else do things the same as we do?


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## gradyjohn (Jul 17, 2012)

As soon as the top is dry I would rake it. Then as soon as the ground is dry next to the windrow I would flip it. Objective is no mold. You even might have to turn it again before baling. Don't know about wheel rakes but roll bar rakes tend to give a rope effect to windrows which impedes drying. The year we had a wet July and I raked windrows for the second time and a rain was coming from the west. I waited to see it pass and it didn't. Called my JD dealer and asked about tedders. I bought one to bust windrows ... now we use it all the time to increase drying. But I do not know what hay crop you have ... this was haygrazer and I only do grass hay.


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## Trillium Farm (Dec 18, 2014)

Does your disc mower have conditioning rolls?

What kind of hay is it?

How high is the stubble?

V rake not the best tool for raking or drying only good for speed.


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## W Bench Farms (May 19, 2016)

Started raking around 4 pm. I don't think we got quite as much rain at the farm as I thought. Top was dry, green underneath. Good wind blowing. Hoping to bale tomorrow as long as the sun comes out like it did today. I've had good luck with this rake getting hay dry. Fluffs it pretty good and let's some air in. No conditioner on our mower. With it laying flat behind the mower I have found that I can do some different things to get it dry. This is just a mixed grass, timothy, orchard grass, fescue. Cutting about 4".


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## Beav (Feb 14, 2016)

get a tedder, we got a shower last night on some hay tedded it at 9 am raked at 11am baled at 1 pm


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

I am with Beav. Get a Tedder. Even if you don't have time to use it with each batch of hay you make. When you need one, it will really save you time and save the quality of your hay.


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## rankrank1 (Mar 30, 2009)

Well I do not have a working tedder either although I do have a fixer upper in the weeds but it is not usable. Been making hay for over 12 years without a tedder. When my layed out wide swath from the mower is dry on top and goes totally limp and flat to the ground where it no longer gets air then I rake at that point. From there I will flip the raked windrow using the tail of my rake when it gets dry on top and goes limp and flat to the ground again. This method works fine to retain color and dry hay in shortest time possible (short of a tedder) as long as your rake has the ability to make loose fluffy windrows. Notorious rope maker type hay rakes will not work good at all using this method as they wad the hay into tighter and tighter ropes each time you rake which cuts off both the sun and air so they actually do more harm than good as a drying tool even though they make a great rake for the final feed to the baler.

The logic is get the most wet stuff exposed to the sun which is the #1 drier and get some air moving through the swath which is the #2 drier. Hay that sees neither of these will not dry in a timely manner.

Now when it rains I do kick myself for not getting my project tedder resting in the weeds fixed yet as even my rake which will make loose airy windrows is not the best tool for drying rained on hay but when its all you got it is what you use especially when you a small timer like me.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

Back in the day many guys got dry hay with just raking. The key is SMALL WINDROWS.


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## Hay diddle diddle (Nov 17, 2017)

This is what I do now if it rains on my raked hay.






I love this rake !


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