# Raking pattern help



## MyDaughtersPony (Jun 12, 2016)

I have an NH 256 rake. I know how to operate it at a beginner level. I do have the manual and refer to it frequently.

My issue is I suck at raking. I need a pattern or plan of attack. I'm just going and not really planning out my pattern.


----------



## weatherman (Dec 5, 2008)

My first rake was an NH 256. I have more questions than answers. 

Raking 1st cut may be different from raking 4th cut. 

How tall is the stubble...4 in. or 5 in.? Lower the rake (depending on how smooth the field might be) an inch or two above ground so as not to drive the tines into the ground or they can bend. 

Are you raking grass hay or alfalfa? You might want to rake the alfalfa a little earlier than the grass to avoid leaf shatter. Are you talking about the raked pattern? I make six trips around the field. I call these the outside rows. Then cut the laterals...down and back. 

Do you need to join windrows to make an adequate-size windrow for the baler? I bale square bales so I don't know if making a windrow for rounds is any different as long as you make a good bale. Windrow size and baler speed are two factors in making a good bale. 

If you are joining windrows maybe the technique is to determine which windrow(s) to skip so that when you do a down and back you are not creating a windrow too close to its neighbor windrow.


----------



## MyDaughtersPony (Jun 12, 2016)

I have some answers. I am raking grass and doing small squares. Stubble is low on 2 fields and pretty high on another.. So the general idea is this... The first lap I push the hay inwards away from the outside of the field. Then the second lap I go the opposite direction and push the hay outwards to form a double windrow. The next 4 laps I'm pushing hay outwards. Then I have enough room to turn around at the ends of the field... so I can do my long lateral windrows. Please confirm!


----------



## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

Why not just rake round-n-round?


----------



## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

First assumption, your rake is a left delivery (hay exits left side of rake, standing behind it). When we use to cut with a sickle bar mower, we cut the outside of the field first by going counter clockwise. Then turned tractor / mower around and proceed to cut clockwise, almost to the very middle of the field (all but the last 40-75 feet, if I remember correctly) on a rectangle / squarish field. The last area was cut just on the long side, crossing the ends not cutting So most of the fields were cut in a smaller and smaller circle pattern, going clockwise (with your mower hanging on the right side of the tractor as yours does).

Therefore, cutting direction, usually determined out raking direction.

So we would rake counter clockwise one outside round, then proceed to rake clockwise the remainder of the field (making a double window on the out side of the field), going in circles until you got to the middle of the field (last 40-60 feet).. These last few rounds of raking we would only rake the long sides, crossing the ends without raking (sometimes leaving the rake in the middle of the field, as not to mess up windows, while leaving the field) When baling we would start on the second window (skipping the double window to start).. After baling several rounds, we would sometimes rake the double outside round in (towards the middle of the field, raking counter clockwise). This would do a couple of things, re-fluff the hay and allow more drying.

All of this discussion so far has to do with heavy 1st cutting. With lighter hay (including 2nd and on cuttings), we may have doubled or tripled the windows (taking 2 or 3 mower passes together).

Being you have an older baler, I would suggest a window of say 12-16 inches high by 20-24 inches wide after exiting the rake (over night, you windrow may settle). As you learn your baler and speed of your gears with your tractor, you will find a 'sweet' spot, for the size of your windrow with each given cutting, for YOUR area, for YOUR crop.

With all that said, and you are raking what you bush hogged this time, I would shoot for small windrows, to help with drying of your clumps.

Look around your neighbors for ideas of size of windrows. Large square balers and round balers can handle very large windrows, some of the newer square balers can handle a pretty good size windrow, with your older baler, IDK if you could drive slow enough. So look at neighbors with older small square balers for windrow ideas to see in person.

Maybe some others that have an older baler like you can give you a better idea of what your windrow size to start with, than I did. I am thinking back to using a JD24t, a few years newer than your NH66, with it's own engine.

Larry


----------



## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

Tx Jim said:


> Why not just rake round-n-round?


I'm gonna second what Jim said. Do the "reverse racecar" where you only turn right.

You can get fancy raking several windrows together when you get more experience.


----------



## MyDaughtersPony (Jun 12, 2016)

First lap turn left and all the rest turn right?


----------



## weatherman (Dec 5, 2008)

MyDaughtersPony said:


> I have some answers. I am raking grass and doing small squares. Stubble is low on 2 fields and pretty high on another.. So the general idea is this... The first lap I push the hay inwards away from the outside of the field. Then the second lap I go the opposite direction and push the hay outwards to form a double windrow. The next 4 laps I'm pushing hay outwards. Then I have enough room to turn around at the ends of the field... so I can do my long lateral windrows. Please confirm!


Yep, that is the way I do it. I use to cut in circles. Never 100% successful cutting the hay on the turn, always left a bit on the turn. Had to go back to cut the turns for what was left. I'm using NH 488 and I have rectangular fields. Now I leave the very outside row last because I run over it. Cut 5x around. Split the field to start cutting the laterals. when the cut laterals equals about the same size of what is not cut I will move over to finish that section and so on. After I am finished cutting the laterals I will cut the first outside row that was ran over allowing some of the hay to pop back up. I ted the hay regardless if it is grass or alfalfa/grass so that takes the raking direction out of the equation.


----------



## Jharn57600 (Dec 23, 2013)

If you want to rake double windrows back and forth, for a left hand delivery rake, always turn left. On your back and forth rows first rake a pass toward the edge, leaving a rake width of unraked hay. At the end of the row make a left-hand U-turn to double up the row. When you get to the other end turn left and skip a rake width and start over. Always turning toward the row, you can minimize the tails at the end and you aren't trapped in the center of a round and round pattern.


----------



## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

How I do it... OL J R


----------

