# Rotary Rake - Kuhn, Krone, or Pequea? Decisions, decisions...



## farmersam (Sep 1, 2017)

Hello All,

We're buying a rotary rake this year and probably trading in our wheel wake. Two reasons for this: Our new weather patterns in mid to late June for the past 4 years has been at least 29 days of straight rain and the wheel rake just bunches up on 6 foot tall grass. The other reason is we're grazing all of our hay ground in the late summer now, and I'd like to mow at 4 to 6 inches high. Our NH Procart can't rake at that height. Just tears the uncut grass off at that ground.

So, I'm looking at the Kuhn 4221, the Pequea HR1140, and the Krone 46t. Pequea are cheaper, by about $1400 depending on the dealer. Are they decent? I heard they were awful, from a former dealer, 5 years ago but I wonder if they have improved.

Appreciate the help.

Sam

Western Maryland


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

Three seasons on a Kuhn 4221 on our farm fair amount of Acres per year. It rakes perfect thick or thin Imo. N ever broke a tooth or an arm. t last year when our barley straw got rained on we rented a pequea from the local dealer... I would recommend the Kuhn. I have no experience with the krone


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## Trotwood2955 (Sep 4, 2012)

Getting ready to start season #5 with our Kuhn 4221. Have nothing but good things to say about it. Makes a nice windrow. In probably 1000 acres I’ve had to do nothing to it but grease it.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Kuhn makes very good Eq....Krone is typical of German engineering...I don't have experience with Pequea other than looking at farm shows but they appear well built, seems I've heard of a couple of issues on this site. Maybe search haytalk : Pequea on Google, the search function on this site is not very good. 
And welcome to Haytalk Sam....


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## Farmerbrown2 (Sep 25, 2018)

I just went through what your looking at only difference is I ended up with a Claas. I looked at a new Pequea every consignment sale I went to this spring there was 2 or three of them there all busted up so I was not impressed. So next I looked at Kuhn and decided that was what I wanted because of dealer support being closest. Then I was within 5 minutes of the Claas dealer so just for the heck of it I stopped in there ended up with a Claas 450 t price was a little cheaper than Kuhn plus they gave me 0% financial deal which made the rake much cheaper than the Kuhn. Claas dealer actually told me he would rather I buy a Kuhn then buy a Pequea. Right or wrong that’s what I did .


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## Farmineer95 (Aug 11, 2014)

Kuhn has a $750 cash coupon or something going on. Might check their website in case the dealer isn't tw5lling something. I pulled a GA4221GTH home last week, upgrading from a millerpro 900. I looked at the H&S, apparently is undercarriage wears out premature. Its made by enrossi. I was told look for a rake that the tines do not wrap around the tine arm so the springs can spring. Kuhn runs bkt tires,I thought that was a plus. 
Height adjustment and shield seem pretty easy on the kuhn, but thats comparing to a 20+year old model.
Definatly a must have to get hay dry,a rotary that is.


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## krone.1 (Jul 28, 2013)

Are you doing small squares? In heavy crop running full width our 46t makes a windrow thats too large. May want to consider a 42t vs a 46t. 42t is same width as 4221


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

farmersam said:


> Hello All,
> 
> We're buying a rotary rake this year and probably trading in our wheel wake. Two reasons for this: Our new weather patterns in mid to late June for the past 4 years has been at least 29 days of straight rain and the wheel rake just bunches up on 6 foot tall grass. The other reason is we're grazing all of our hay ground in the late summer now, and I'd like to mow at 4 to 6 inches high. Our NH Procart can't rake at that height. Just tears the uncut grass off at that ground.
> 
> ...


Interesting what you say about the NH rake tearing off green grass at 4-6" cut height. I have same problem and it's annoying. I have tried slowing the rake down to the slowest it will turn and still put hay in a windrow, but still get green tear-off.


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

When I bought mine, I looked at the Kuhn and Krone side by side at the same dealer. To my eyes, the steel in the Krone is superior. I got the Krone 38T (which is what I think Krone 1 meant to say with the 42T and have had no issues but love the windrows. Properly adjusted and with the proper speed (both grd and pto, you can push the hay into the skirt and really make it vertical promoting drying. I cut 4-5 inch stubble with high stubble shoes on my new holland discbine, have the 17' Krone tedder to go along with the rake and they are a great pair to match with the cutting width of the 1409 NH I have raked multiple times for my buddy who was round baling and rake one way (in) then put a windrow next to that one raking out. He love the windrows also.


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

one thing I will add, I take my 3 point off during hay season. 3 pt hitch arms make great metal brakes for pto shafts on rotary rakes especially. Check it out, been reported multiple times on hay talk and I have personal experience myself. expensive lesson.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Hayman1 said:


> one thing I will add, I take my 3 point off during hay season. 3 pt hitch arms make great metal brakes for pto shafts on rotary rakes especially. Check it out, been reported multiple times on hay talk and I have personal experience myself. expensive lesson.


I'm now removing my 3pt hitch arms, too.

Makes tight turns more relaxing. One less thing to worry about.


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## Farmineer95 (Aug 11, 2014)

+1 On taking off the arms.


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## Beav (Feb 14, 2016)

have 4221kuhn and a gt-3200 kuhn had a miller pro 1150 for many years. Friend rent a Pequea was a PITA to get adjusted. Take off the 3 point arms


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## farmersam (Sep 1, 2017)

Been meaning to reply to this post. Appreciate everyone's comments. We ended up buying a Kuhn 4221 GTH. It was a tossup between the Krone and Kuhn, but the deals the Kuhn dealer was offering could not be beat.

If we didn't have a rotary rake this past season, we wouldn't have been able to make the hay we did make. We had one stretch of 7 days of sunshine. Most days were 3 in between rain, some were four. Made just over 400 second cutting square bales, ground was too wet for the rest. I fenced off 70 acres and put the cows on it in the fall. Normal year we have 40 inches of rain. We had just over 70 this year.

One thing I would add regarding the rake is to use a shorter hitch pin when dealing with thick hay. First day I used it the cotter pin was pushed out and the longer hitch pin that came with the rake fell out. This reminded me I'm getting old and shouldn't be lifting hay rake tongues on the side of a mountain.


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

farmersam said:


> One thing I would add regarding the rake is to use a shorter hitch pin when dealing with thick hay.


Or tying a feed bag to drawbar, creating a shield (my cheap method on the old Ford 2000, it has a really low drawbar). Another option is a different type hitch pin, I can't find the thread, but Mike (Vol) posted a locking pin quite some time ago that will not come undone. They work good, but are not necessarily cheap. That's two other options for you.

Larry


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## Farmerbrown2 (Sep 25, 2018)

I bought a Claas they have cotter pin in the top of the hitch.


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