# Rake & ted or just ted



## hosspuller (Aug 27, 2009)

Hello ... I looking for your experience. My hay was rained on last night. Just an isolated shower. It was tedded and ready for raking. I intended to bale it today. The orchard grass is drying on top but has free water below. The forecast is for two sunny days... then more rain... I have a 2 basket tedder and NH 256 rake. what should the plan be ? Thanks for your reply..


----------



## terraceridge (Jul 21, 2011)

I have always cut on day one and tedded immediately following cutting and again on day two. On thin crops (less than 1.5 tons per acre), I may only ted once. On the third day I will start raking at about 10 AM, or whenever the dew has burned off, so give or take 45 minutes. If I have someone baling, they can follow me the rake. If not, I will come back and bale right after raking. I usually finish baling by 2 PM. However, one day last year the baler acted up and I didn't get started till 3 PM. I got it fixed and ended up baling 6 acres and 525 bales that afternoon. I was finished before the dew set in and the hay turned out great. I am in NC and we are pretty humid, so you may have to adjust your plan. If I was you, I would ted your hay at least once, if not twice. Drop your tedder so that your tines are about a quarter of an inch off the ground so that every once in a while a tine will hit the ground, but it's not constant. That way you can get to all your hay. I wouldn't rake it because the hay inside the windrow won't dry well and you will probably end up spreading it out with the tedder. In the past, I have found (on the day of baling) that the bottom of the hay is still moist. In that case, I will rake the wet parts first (as long as the top is dry) and then rake the dry parts of the field. I will bale the dry hay first, giving the wet hay (that is now on top) time to dry out before baling.
I wrote this post and then noticed that you said that your hay had "free water" below. Does that mean that there is standing water in the field? If so, I don't know what to do. 
Good Luck!


----------



## RockmartGA (Jun 29, 2011)

I agree with terraceridge. Ted it, let it lay, and ted it again if it needs it. Don't put it in windrows until it is dry.


----------



## hosspuller (Aug 27, 2009)

TR ... and Rockmart ... Thanks for your reply. I'm in central NC . I tedded late morning, Raked in afternoon and baled in the evening. I expected an evening shower that never came. Just some heavy overcast. Otherwise, the weather cooperated with bright sun and a gentle breeze. Started with the sparse areas of the field then moved to the heavy growth. Some of the last bales were heavy and a bit damp for my comfort. They've been pulled and set aside. I'll monitor them for temperature rise.


----------



## Texasmark (Dec 20, 2011)

This thread is probably now closed, but I had a comment about standing water in the field. I don't remember the details, but I bought some hay from a high school friend of my daughter's sight unseen. When I received the hay it was bright green and I don't remember the water contribution at the time but it did look funny; don't remember how it felt. It spoiled and that was that.

Some weeks later I was in the local small town and some guys were having a park bench yackin session and the subject of baling hay in a water covered field came up. The story went that so and so bailed a whole field under water and sold it to some dumbass guy out east of town.................errrrrrrr ah. Guess who that was? I don't see how they were able to do that, having baled hay personally, nor why they would do it other than to sell it to some dumbass guy out east of town. Ha!

Mark


----------



## terraceridge (Jul 21, 2011)

Texasmark said:


> This thread is probably now closed, but I had a comment about standing water in the field. I don't remember the details, but I bought some hay from a high school friend of my daughter's sight unseen. When I received the hay it was bright green and I don't remember the water contribution at the time but it did look funny; don't remember how it felt. It spoiled and that was that.
> 
> Some weeks later I was in the local small town and some guys were having a park bench yackin session and the subject of baling hay in a water covered field came up. The story went that so and so bailed a whole field under water and sold it to some dumbass guy out east of town.................errrrrrrr ah. Guess who that was? I don't see how they were able to do that, having baled hay personally, nor why they would do it other than to sell it to some dumbass guy out east of town. Ha!
> 
> Mark


I don't understand how anyone could bale hay that wet. It seems like it would flat tear the baler up. The last time I accidentally hit a wet patch the knotter adjustments were horribly messed up. In a field with standing water...I don't know.


----------



## cwright (Oct 19, 2011)

Texasmark said:


> Some weeks later I was in the local small town and some guys were having a park bench yackin session and the subject of baling hay in a water covered field came up. The story went that so and so bailed a whole field under water and sold it to some dumbass guy out east of town................ Mark


And I am sure the same group was complaining how bad the country is and everyone in it.

CW


----------



## cwright (Oct 19, 2011)

hosspuller said:


> Hello ... I looking for your experience. My hay was rained on last night. Just an isolated shower. It was tedded and ready for raking. I intended to bale it today. The orchard grass is drying on top but has free water below. The forecast is for two sunny days... then more rain... I have a 2 basket tedder and NH 256 rake. what should the plan be ? Thanks for your reply..


Was over in Western NC this week and T storms were poping up every where. 30% chance of rain showers always equals 100% wet hay.


----------



## Texasmark (Dec 20, 2011)

cwright said:


> And I am sure the same group was complaining how bad the country is and everyone in it.
> 
> CW


Of course. And.....they know all there is about everything and if you don't believe it, just ask one of them. They have all the solutions to all the world's problems.

Mark


----------

