Drying straw

sodbuster

Member
I've got a load of oat straw lying in 35 feet swaths. Its had rain on it this weekend past and is fairly wet. I've got a wuffler that I could run through it but I think it will take too long to dry this way. I'm considering running through it with the 4 rotor tedder and spreading it out to then rake up and bale. Would I be best to straddle the rows and try to Ted full width or run to the side and use just 2 rotors??
Thanks
 

Pan mixer

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Near Colchester
I tried running through a big swath of hay lat week with a 4 rotor tedder, it wasn't a great success running down the middle as the middle two rotors go the wrong way i.e. trying to chuck the stuff forward.

This was hay though and very thick and inclined to rope if you know what I mean.

In the end I did alternate rows with each side so that I evened up the wear on the machine.

I have done wheat straw down the middle and that was fine, if the tedder drifts one way of the other by an inch then all the swath ends up on one side.. Would have been better to ted it with one outside pair of rotors first then go down the middle I reckon.
 
Location
Devon
I've got a load of oat straw lying in 35 feet swaths. Its had rain on it this weekend past and is fairly wet. I've got a wuffler that I could run through it but I think it will take too long to dry this way. I'm considering running through it with the 4 rotor tedder and spreading it out to then rake up and bale. Would I be best to straddle the rows and try to Ted full width or run to the side and use just 2 rotors??
Thanks
You need to turn it over in the swath.

Ted it out and all you will do is lose a lot of the straw and end up raking in plenty of small stones when its ready to bale.
 

Bob the beef

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Scot Borders
We throw it all right out. Sometimes have to drive across the swathes to get it spread evenly. Then just rake it back up. Sounds excessive but it works and you get dry straw, which can be hard to achieve in late September / early October
 
If you have a weeks dry and a bit of wind it will come dry if left alone, failing that let it dry as much as possible and just move it towards the end to finish it off. Flipping over with a single rotor rake or a merger is the best way but I only ever had a hs360 haybob which did the job.
 

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