Lely Rotund

[Tha Ulsterscot]

Need some advice from the experts on here with experience of the above rake. I bought one this year and have been using it to row up for a narrow pick up round baler. the problem is that i don't get a neat row. Its not so bad with hay and haylage, but with green silage it's so bad I had to change back to the Haybob last night. I don't have the back gates, but what way do you boys set yours up, with the rotors low and parallel to the ground or on her nose so to speak ? slow forward speed /high rotor speed or vice versa? Do the gates make much difference to the row? Any help appreciated.

 

[Still Farming]

Came and went

 

[wdah/him]

what way do we set a haybob or a the rotund?

 

[Bramble]

Used one for years and years in silage, I could never get it to make a neat row. The gates didn’t seem to make much difference. Worked great in hay league or hay though.

Buying a small twin rotor rake was the answer to the problem

 

[milkloss]

Haybob and silage are two things that don’t go together. You’ll need the gates really but might do something without maybe. Tines swept back, wheels short so it’s lower to the ground and toplink so that it’s not too aggressive (leaning forwards)

 

[bobk]

Not familiar with the Rotund but tine depth is crucial for raking grass , got to get under it if you get my drift .

 

[Boohoo]

I've never used a rotunde but I've seen them working and I've followed one. Never seen one with gates so I assume that they don't make any difference. From what I could gather from people who know how to use them they are very sensitive to changes in pto and forward speed and both need varied to suit the crop at the time. Not sure about wheel or toplink settings but I would've thought that a machine that is only designed to row up would sit fairly level and wouldn't need much adjustment from book settings.

 

[Dman2]

Try and match forward speed to rotor speed, or more likely the other way round
Just need to be moving grass into a row not throwing it back into lumps

 

[Boohoo]

There are reprints of the operators manual on Ebay, might not be much help though
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/290702752855

 

[Shep]

I had one for years, always had the rotors low and flat, you say a narrow pickup baler? I'd say the rotors are running too narrow and pulling the grass back out of the row again.
We got on really well with it, so did my driver, I'd have said the rows were perfect, but we were pulling two 3m rows at full width.
A neighbour borrowed it to do two 8ft rows and had your problem, the gap between the rotors was too narrow and the tines were pulling the grass, almost tedding back out.

 

[Tha Ulsterscot]

I'm trying to leave a 4.5 ft. sward for the baler.

 

[Monty]

If it's making untidy rows try running it a bit faster 600rpm ish and drive a bit slower. Seems to get a better row that way in heavy wet grass also run it flatish. It doesn't seem to rake as tidy with a steeper angle on. We run ours in 1000pto to save on diesel/noise. If it's a very heavy crop, overlapping on the driving will help to keep the row narrower. I have baled some monster rows behind ours this year and the balers have not been too happy on a full 15ft especially chopping. Putting less in the swath helps a lot.

 

[Tha Ulsterscot]

Have any of you guys lost a complete tine holder from the cage? not only the flip up holder but the bit it goes onto as well, and can this be bought as a weld on part?

 

[Monty]

Yup fabricated a few replacements. If you wait till winter time you can usually find the old ones in the silage bale remains to save making the complex tine holders. The rest is easy to make from some bar or gate spring handle/latch. You will have to ask a dealer if they can be bought complete but you will probably need to be sitting down. Makes a surprising difference to how neat a job it makes if you are missing just one tine/holder. Well worth checking the rest to find any weak ones and strengthen them before they part company as well. Sparex tines are strong/good quality and good value. Kramp ones are pretty flimsy in comparison

 

[Monty]

Oh and the thick washers for the bolts are crazy expensive for what they are if you buy genuine new ones

 

[Tha Ulsterscot]

Oh and the thick washers for the bolts are crazy expensive for what they are if you buy genuine new ones

Haven't had the pleasure of buying any parts yet, driver (83) forgot to widen her out and raked a few rows with her in transport position. Suppose it could have been a lot worse.

 

[Monty]

Haven't had the pleasure of buying any parts yet, driver (83) forgot to widen her out and raked a few rows with her in transport position. Suppose it could have been a lot worse.

Wow. No wonder the rows were a bit scruffy

 

[Tha Ulsterscot]

Anyone got a set of rowing gates for a Rotund that they would sell?