# Tedding right after cutting



## CDennyRun (Nov 26, 2015)

From my experience you cut, give it a day/or half a day, then ted. I've been seeing videos of people tedding right behind the mower on youtube. Is this done to bruise the stems while it's pliable, and in a way act as a conditioner?

Thanks for any thoughts,

Chris


----------



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Sometimes this(immediate tedding) is done when the hay is windrowed as this allows for quicker drying when spread out in many instances.

Regards, Mike


----------



## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

CDennyRun said:


> From my experience you cut, give it a day/or half a day, then ted. I've been seeing videos of people tedding right behind the mower on youtube. Is this done to bruise the stems while it's pliable, and in a way act as a conditioner?
> 
> Thanks for any thoughts,
> 
> Chris


I prefer to Ted right behind the mower......sometimes, different situations require different tactics......and I let it sit for 24-48 hours. If rain is in the forecast and there's a possibility I can "get er done"......I'm tedding right behind the mower...and no on the conditioning, just to get as much as the crop exposed to the big ball of fire as possible......light cuts need not apply Hth


----------



## bool (Mar 14, 2016)

If it has been conditioned I would wait a few hours, because the conditioner fluffs it up and gets it up off the ground. If it has been mown but not conditioned I would ted it straight away because a mower lays it flat and a tedder would fluff it up. I find wind dries hay as much as the sun (but they don't call it Windy Warrnambool for nothing!).

I can see you want to try it out!

Roger


----------



## Bruce Hopf (Jun 29, 2016)

I cut, on day with the swather, and it has a crimper, on it, then I will Ted the hay, with the tedder/rake, the next day, and leave it lay, for a day, maybe 2, before I switch the tedder/rake, and rake 2 rows together, with it. The Odd time, the hay wasn't dry enough, a d I had to take the tedder/rake, a d spread out the rows, again, for a day, before it was dry enough, to bale.


----------



## Cmm (Jun 5, 2016)

I use a disc mower
Tedder right behind cutting


----------



## Bruce Hopf (Jun 29, 2016)

But I often wondered, if it was wise, a few hours after I had cut, to go, and Ted the hay, get it out of the windrow quicker, so it would dry, a little better, and leave it sit, for a day, or two, then rake, and bale.


----------



## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

Once you load it and run it through the conditioning rolls that is the first drying stage of the process so why not let it lay for a couple hours in the sunlight before you tedd it. This time of year when the days are hot and long just a couple hours and you'll get considerable drive over the top in a couple hours .The end of August or September I'm a let it lay a day before I ted . Three and a half weeks ago we were so Parched dry here we did not even bother to ted the Hay, and it was dry in 36 hours. Everyday is different in the hay making business first I watch the weather and then I watch the weather and the crop doing what I think would be the best to get the crop away as quickly as possible in the best condition. I kind of chuckle when people say I always need four days and this is always the way I do it.


----------



## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

You done went an said a mouthful endrow.......
hay making is very dynamic, probably the only reason I do hay......I like a challenge, and I'm a gluten for punishment


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Here most wait a day after mowing.

I've tried the tedding right after mowing, two distinct disadvantages here:

1: Tedding very green hay, IE directly after mowing doesn't leave it very fluffed up, usually lays directly on the ground.

2: After our standard dew at night, if tedded right after mowing it's now plastered tight to the ground by the next morning and very difficult to ted again if required.

I can normally make hay in two days, mow in the morning after the dew is mostly gone, lay out as wide as possible without running over it. Mowing tractor wheels are set as wide as possible. A wheel track leaves a wet streak in the row, especially if the ground is moist.

Ted the next morning before the dew is completely gone and leaf loss is possible, hay is considerably wilted and teds out nice and fluffy, usually rake between 2-4 pm and start baling about 5pm.


----------



## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

I will depending on the situation. First cutting that is heavy or early I will tedd after mowing to expose as much as possible to dry then tedd again late morning the next day.


----------



## reede (May 17, 2010)

I usually rake right behind the mower. Sometimes I'll ted early the next morning, if I happen to cut late in the day. A couple of things rule my thinking here. I'm trying to get the hay spread as well as possible to speed drying, and I want to lose as few leaves as possible, whether I'm playing with grass or a legume.

This time of year with real hot weather, if there is a delay of any sort and I can not ted immediately after cutting, I will wait until the next morning when there is a little dew on the hay.

Oh, and SDD, if you would skip the overseeding of wheat on your hayfields, you could have some gluten-free punishment.


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

endrow said:


> Once you load it and run it through the conditioning rolls that is the first drying stage of the process so why not let it lay for a couple hours in the sunlight before you tedd it. This time of year when the days are hot and long just a couple hours and you'll get considerable drive over the top in a couple hours .The end of August or September I'm a let it lay a day before I ted . Three and a half weeks ago we were so Parched dry here we did not even bother to ted the Hay, and it was dry in 36 hours. Everyday is different in the hay making business first I watch the weather and then I watch the weather and the crop doing what I think would be the best to get the crop away as quickly as possible in the best condition. I kind of chuckle when people say I always need four days and this is always the way I do it.


Exactly right. 
There's no prescribed method. 
You have to take a "Marine Corps" philosophy to making hay.
"Improvise, adapt, overcome"


----------



## CDennyRun (Nov 26, 2015)

That all makes sense. Thanks guys!

Chris


----------



## Swv.farmer (Jan 2, 2016)

I use a drum mower so I ted right behind the mower a drum mower makes a tight windrow so it spreads it out and speeds up drying time.


----------



## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Here. With my 15 foot swather if it isn't tedded within 1-2 hours of swathing it won't spread good. This was my experience with a lousy NH tedder and a good Kuhn tedder.


----------



## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

I did today. Hay was drying very fast. If tomorrow is anything like today was I will be firing up the baler around 1600


----------



## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

CDennyRun said:


> From my experience you cut, give it a day/or half a day, then ted. I've been seeing videos of people tedding right behind the mower on youtube. Is this done to bruise the stems while it's pliable, and in a way act as a conditioner?
> 
> Thanks for any thoughts,
> 
> Chris


Not sure tedding does a whole lot to condition hay, i.e. breaking stems, but is helpful.

We found with our Hesston 1110, it was beneficial to cut in tight windrows to keep,the tractor from mashing down the hay on the next pass with the LH wheels of the tractor. Also kept clear a nice path on the left side of the mower conditioner so prior cut hay wouldn't bunch up - but we Ted a few hours after mowing anyway.

YMMV

Bill


----------



## Beav (Feb 14, 2016)

if we cut early morning ted that afternoon cut late in in the day ted next morning. We lay the hay out as wide as possible behind the discbine no deflectors and added fin kit. average drying time is 36 hours in normal conditions whatever that is


----------



## CDennyRun (Nov 26, 2015)

Beav said:


> if we cut early morning ted that afternoon cut late in in the day ted next morning. We lay the hay out as wide as possible behind the discbine no deflectors and added fin kit. average drying time is 36 hours in normal conditions whatever that is


Boy.. 36hr dry time sounds pretty amazing. The last cutting I did took just over four days (didn't have a tedder at the time). Running a MOCO sounds like a dream to me at this point. One day!

Chris


----------



## Beav (Feb 14, 2016)

That is grass hay add 12 to 24 hours more for Alfalfa always cut late afternoon ted next morning rake day 3 morning and bale day 3 afternoon. That is a weather friendly version add clouds, high humidity, no wind and all bets are off. This year has been pretty good drying hay in IL as ground is dry so moisture goes up and down. hope we get some rain this week we are starting to burn up


----------



## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

Grass hay is definitely faster to dry. What I baled tonight was cut yesterday morning then tedded before noon. Was breaking on twist two. Baled till about 2130 before shutting down for the night. Lots of turtles down on that piece and they really make a horsey lady lose her mind when they find one of those in a bale.
Had that been alfalfa it wouldn't have nearly been ready I wouldn't have been able to look at it too hard without knocking all the leaves off it. That field is optimally placed for our breezes though and that is a huge difference.


----------



## Bruce Hopf (Jun 29, 2016)

I'm seriously thinking, of building a three point hitch system, on the back, of my swahther, and building a PTO System, on it as well, to run my tedder, at the same time I cut hay, will save a trip, with the tractor, to Ted the hay. Any thoughts, on this idea?


----------



## CDennyRun (Nov 26, 2015)

Bruce Hopf said:


> I'm seriously thinking, of building a three point hitch system, on the back, of my swahther, and building a PTO System, on it as well, to run my tedder, at the same time I cut hay, will save a trip, with the tractor, to Ted the hay. Any thoughts, on this idea?


That would be a fun project!

Chris


----------



## Bruce Hopf (Jun 29, 2016)

CDennyRun said:


> That would be a fun project!
> 
> Chris


Got it all figured out, on how to make a PTO, to run the tedder, behind the swather, yesterday, as I was unplugging the Crimper, on one side, there are a couple Single chain sprockets. One of them, I'm going to make as a Double, and build a platform, on the Crimper, to mount a 90 degree Gear Box, and run a shafts, with bearings, and weld a receiver, on the end of the shafts, to hook the PTO Shafter, of the Tedder, and we will be in business. LOL.


----------



## Rodney R (Jun 11, 2008)

Normally ted right behind the mower. 16ft of hay laying in 8ft swaths doesn't dry as well as laying back out around 16 ft. After it's been cut it's a race against the weather - the longer it's outside the higher chance of 'something' happening to it.

Rodney


----------



## Farmineer95 (Aug 11, 2014)

Can you run the tedder hydraulically by adding a pump/motor setup from header drive?


----------



## Beav (Feb 14, 2016)

try a fin kit on your deflector it is a lot less money and the engineering is already done for you


----------



## nprranch (Oct 7, 2009)

I use a Pequa 910 fluffer/tedder which is ground driven. Would work great with just a hitch behind your mower if you wanted to ted immediately. I usually ted the next morning before the dew is all gone on my alfalfa.


----------



## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

There is a pto stub sticking out the back of my discbine I was thinking of doing the same thing until I noticed the stub is so far back the nose of the Tedder would go up and down making the times skip and dig.


----------



## Bruce Hopf (Jun 29, 2016)

Been thinking, of modified a top beater, from a Manure Spreader, and installing it, just behind the crimper, on my swather. Might help spread out the hay, as it goes through, the crimper.


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Bruce Hopf said:


> I'm seriously thinking, of building a three point hitch system, on the back, of my swahther, and building a PTO System, on it as well, to run my tedder, at the same time I cut hay, will save a trip, with the tractor, to Ted the hay. Any thoughts, on this idea?


Just use a 540 rpm hydraulic motor and skip all the bearings and u-joints.


----------

