Drying straw rows

[Against_the_grain]

Is a single rotor grass rake any good for drying wet rows of straw behind the combine or is a proper wuffler/conditioner what's needed?

 

[tr250]

We use an old haybob with no splitter thing in the middle and no gates on the back. It works very well

 

[Al R]

Single rotor and twin rotor rakes work well. Single rotors good for big crops and big combines where as the twin is better for combines under 20ft to fill a baler or in light crops like now.
Watch for stones, I’ve seen enough windows smashed on PP grass let alone on straw :0

 

[Matt77]

Single rotor has worked a treat for me many a time, I did find over the years that less RPM the better, just enough to roll it, full chat and it’s smashs it to bits, plus as said, watch for stones, set it nice and high.

 

[Henarar]

acrobat

 

[Flat 10]

Is a single rotor grass rake any good for drying wet rows of straw behind the combine or is a proper wuffler/conditioner what's needed?

Very good.

 

[d williams]

Is a single rotor grass rake any good for drying wet rows of straw behind the combine or is a proper wuffler/conditioner what's needed?[/QUOTE
2012 was a barsteward for straw I tried everything single rota waste time twin the same wuffler even worse
What I found you just needed to flip straw over onto dry ground to expose the bottom of the row
All of the above just seemed to mix the straw up wuffler being the worst
A acrobat if I could have found one would have been the machine I think without wasting to much straw

 

[Brisel]

acrobat

Can you get a big swath under the beam of an Acrobat? Perfect for just turning over trhe swath to expose the wet underside without breaking any more straw up.

Wufflers just blend the swath even more & big ones just bung them up. Still leave the wet stuff underneath too.

Have you still got swaths on the ground @Against_the_grain ?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

If an acrobat is a finger wheel rake (unsure) then they are about ideal for the job
We had a lot of wet straw to turn and found if it was not too sticky you could roll the row under the duals and turn it neatly over, if wet then don't squash it in of course.

But it was like it was made for the job, anyway; the twin rotor just made a new row with wet straw on the bottom and dry straw on the top.

 

[Against_the_grain]

lol no @Brisel trying to plan for all eventualities next year! My fear with a single rotor grass rake is that it wont properly invert the straw and leave the wet underside on top.
Something like the fransgard in the video would move the straw and invert it properly.

They are more money though but wondered if it was worth the extra investment.

 

[stroller]

Get an old haybob, as an earlier poster said remove the divider, set the tines to rowing up and have the gates parallel. Drive at a speed slightly slower than the tines are turning, you don't want to beat the straw to pieces just lift it to allow the wind to dry it, if you really feel the need to shift the swaths, drive slightly to one side ( I can't remember which without actually doing it)

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Hay bob as good as anything

 

[Henarar]

Can you get a big swath under the beam of an Acrobat? Perfect for just turning over trhe swath to expose the wet underside without breaking any more straw up.

I have done some biggish oat straw with one before, also done rape straw but its hard on the thing
don't get the loss you do with a haybob

 

[warksfarmer]

Is a single rotor grass rake any good for drying wet rows of straw behind the combine or is a proper wuffler/conditioner what's needed?

We’ve been using a single rotor Kuhn (can’t remember model number but it’s about 4m wife from memory), and it’s okay but we do loose straw every time it’s used. Something that lifted the swath up and put it back down in the same place would be better from a loss point of view.

 

[Happy]

Hay bob as good as anything

Have found the same.
Read many times on here and BFF about how good single rotor rakes were for this but didn't find our Claas liner did an awful lot and reverted back to the old haybob instead.

Rake is much gentler on the straw but really just moves the bout across onto dryer ground whereas haybob mixes it about and fluffs it up better letting the wind & sun do it's work.

 

[d williams]

We’ve been using a single rotor Kuhn (can’t remember model number but it’s about 4m wife from memory), and it’s okay but we do loose straw every time it’s used. Something that lifted the swath up and put it back down in the same place would be better from a loss point of view.

Need to move it onto dry ground that's why the wuffler is not any good just mixes it and back onto damp ground

 

[7610 super q]

Anybody tried to estimate losses from a Haybob ?
Was down a couple of bales an acre last year, for no apparent reason. Wondering if the Haybob was to blame....

 

[d williams]

Anybody tried to estimate losses from a Haybob ?
Was down a couple of bales an acre last year, for no apparent reason. Wondering if the Haybob was to blame....

If spring barley everyone was down

 

[Happy]

Anybody tried to estimate losses from a Haybob ?
Was down a couple of bales an acre last year, for no apparent reason. Wondering if the Haybob was to blame....

Was down 1+1/2 bales an acre here and didn't have to turn any.
Drought in April/May to blame.
Every time you do go through it you will end up with less that's for sure.

 

[bovrill]

I know straw's short this year, but I think I'd give up by now if it's still in rows that need turning!

I think a lot depends on the soil type. Free draining ground can have a haybob stirring it underneath and it dries well. On this clay a swath has to be moved across to dry stubblewith a rake, or else it will keep drawing moisture up from underneath.
I use a twin rake, but with one side folded up and the pto shaft taken off. With a single rake I'd be running on the swath, and wouldn't be able to lift the straw out of the rut I'd make.