Hay making equipment.

Lazy-Farmer · May 23, 2020

Not made hay on the farm for about 20 years and changing the business plan a bit and looking to make about 5ha of hay to start with then ramp up to 15-20ha as fields come round in rotation. Got zero kit for fodder production just now and looking to get a mower (prefer with conditioner), rake/Tedder and bring in a contractor to bale.

Don’t wanna break the break the bank as I’d like to make a profit at some point so used kit is where I’ll be looking. However I need to be able to get the job done while the sun is shining. In Scotland that’s often way to short a window.

looking for suggestions on what’s good and what’s to be avoided. Could probably get away with an old PZ 300 year one butwould like to get buy the right thing and keep it well looked after.

Has anyone come up with a good modern rake and tedder combo machine or is two bits of kit the only way to go.

daveydiesel1 · May 23, 2020

Lely combi 300 and 600 here. Tedds and rakes small rows. Good machine

Sharpy · May 23, 2020

The Lely is the best tedder for hay. No ifs or buts. It rows hay well (if its the combi) but makes a terrible job in silage or haylage. We do most of our rowing up with a 300 haybob, but the telescopic (450 ?) would be better, purely to cover ground quickly without a heavy non drying swath thats a bugger to kick out if it rains like you get with a big rake. As for the mower, steel y tines on the conditioner are a must to speed the job.

jpd · May 23, 2020

Sharpy said:
The Lely is the best tedder for hay. No ifs or buts. It rows hay well (if its the combi) but makes a terrible job in silage or haylage. We do most of our rowing up with a 300 haybob, but the telescopic (450 ?) would be better, purely to cover ground quickly without a heavy non drying swath thats a bugger to kick out if it rains like you get with a big rake. As for the mower, steel y tines on the conditioner are a must to speed the job.

says you
all lely tedders here traded for claas and pottinger in these here parts(including myself)
they cannot cope with seriously heavy crops of hay
grand for spreading silage
but leave too many untedded lumps for hay
my opinion
that lely owners will reject strenuously
but my check book voted anything but lely

Sharpy · May 23, 2020

jpd said:
says you
all lely tedders here traded for claas and pottinger in these here parts(including myself)
they cannot cope with seriously heavy crops of hay
grand for spreading silage
but leave too many untedded lumps for hay
my opinion
that lely owners will reject strenuously
but my check book voted anything but lely

Thats very strange. I have never seen a better job done than by a Lely, although round here everything is conditioned. Could your experiences be behind a plain mower?

Andrew · May 23, 2020

The Lely are a very well built tedder and very good for spreading wet grass. The larger rotors aren’t ideal for hay though. We use our Lely for the first one or 2 passes and Pottinger for the rest.
Our neighbor has a smaller ‘combi’ Lely, it lasted a season before he brought a single rotor rake.

2 machines better than one IMO, but one will be OK for your 5ha to start with then buy a rake in a few years time before you get to 50ha.

Lazy-Farmer · May 23, 2020

Sharpy said:
The Lely is the best tedder for hay. No ifs or buts. It rows hay well (if its the combi) but makes a terrible job in silage or haylage. We do most of our rowing up with a 300 haybob, but the telescopic (450 ?) would be better, purely to cover ground quickly without a heavy non drying swath thats a bugger to kick out if it rains like you get with a big rake. As for the mower, steel y tines on the conditioner are a must to speed the job.

Will the 450 make a good row for the baler? I know that smaller rows can cause issues with round balers.

Sharpy · May 23, 2020

Drumbroider said:
Will the 450 make a good row for the baler? I know that smaller rows can cause issues with round balers.

@Gator has one, the pictures he posted looked perfect. You will get the odd monkey complaining that there isn't 30ft in a single swathe, but big swathes do not assist with the final cook of the hay due to poor air flow.

Werzle · May 23, 2020

Haybob

glasshouse · May 23, 2020

Haybob 380 is what you want
Cost you £900 and will spread and rake 12 ac no bother
It widens hydraulically for rowing up

RH15LEW · May 23, 2020

If getting it round baled, i would leave the baling contractor rake it, he’ll get it how he wants it and won’t complain its raked wrong, full of lumps etc. Start with a mower and tedder, build up to a rake/baler over time?

spin cycle · May 23, 2020

no need for moco......swathwilter essential IMO.....if you cant afford one buy and old kidd strawchopper and convert like i did.....often i can mow day 1.....swathwilt day 2....bale pm on day 3

Lazy-Farmer · May 23, 2020

RH15LEW said:
If getting it round baled, i would leave the baling contractor rake it, he’ll get it how he wants it and won’t complain its raked wrong, full of lumps etc. Start with a mower and tedder, build up to a rake/baler over time?

might be a fair point that.

Lazy-Farmer · May 23, 2020

Was looking at the Lely lotus 600 combo. Anyone used one for hay/haylage? They any good?

Stephen E · May 23, 2020

Whatever you get, don’t skimp on the horsepower.

glasshouse · May 23, 2020

Stephen E said:
Whatever you get, don’t skimp on the horsepower.View attachment 880988

Imagine those rollers all wrapped with hay

bobk · May 23, 2020

Drumbroider said:
Was looking at the Lely lotus 600 combo. Anyone used one for hay/haylage? They any good?

I've got one , good machine , bit extravagant for 12 acres though .
Are you selling the hay ?

Flat 10 · May 23, 2020

spin cycle said:
no need for moco......swathwilter essential IMO.....if you cant afford one buy and old kidd strawchopper and convert like i did.....often i can mow day 1.....swathwilt day 2....bale pm on day 3

The Magic Box?

z.man · May 23, 2020

bobk said:
I've got one , good machine , bit extravagant for 12 acres though .
Are you selling the hay ?

Turn it all in an hour and a quarter, got two fine enough machine doesn’t rake that clean but acceptable to me

Lazy-Farmer · May 23, 2020

Stephen E said:
Whatever you get, don’t skimp on the horsepower.View attachment 880988

Might be a problem. Only got a 150hp 6cyl. Not sure I’ll turn her up the hills.

Hay making equipment.

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Never Forgotten

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

0 %

Up to 25%

25-50%

50-75%

75-100%

100% I’ve had enough of farming!

Share this page