Hay Rakes

Hay rakes are a crucial part of the hay making process, and some of the larger ones might be known as forage rakes. When you are growing hay for your lifestock, you will want to store some for feeding them in the winter. After the hay is cut in the field, it has to be dried before baling, or it will start to ferment. Hay rakes are pulled behind the tractor or a heavy duty pickup truck and it mechanically rakes the hay into windrows, turning the hay and preparing it for the hay baler. This process might be repeated a few times to get the hay dry enough, depending on weather conditions.

During the peak of hay season, hay rakes are in high demand. Some farmers will help each other with their machinery and labor, when it comes to getting the hay prepared for baling and storage during the winter months. Because it can be costly to pay others to cut, rake and bale your hay, many farmers are buying used equipment to handle their own hay growing, although some equipment is affordable enough to buy new, including smaller hay rakes. There are some that are 40 foot wide models, and these are behemoths by comparison, so obviously a used model would be the most affordable for the average farmer.

The major farm implement companies make models of hay rakes to fit many different tractor models, in fact, they can be hitched to pickup trucks in most cases. There are sizes that range from 2 wheel right hand turner rakes to 10 wheel "V" rakes that rake and fluff the hay from both sides. There are right hand, left hand and center delivering rakes that can be anywhere from 46 inches wide to over 200 inches wide.

The hay rakes can operate at speeds up to 14 miles per hour or more, but most of them are pretty economical to operate, and normally a 30 to 40 horsepower tractor will have no problem pulling most of the hay rakes on the market. The largest ones might require heavy duty equipment to pull, but they can make the process much quicker than smaller models of rakes, too.

When it comes to buying hay rakes, there are a number of private sellers that are upgrading or liquidating their farming operation, and this can be a way to get a great deal on used ones. Of course, there are dealers that have taken them in on trades for bigger models, and sometimes you can find great close-out sales on newer models, too. Part of the problem is locating these listings, because you could browse hundreds of websites and still have a hard time locating them on your own.

That is why our convenient website offers the listings in an easy to find format, in one simple location, saving you time. We feature the listings of the private sellers and dealers that are selling them, used or new, which can change daily. We make it more convenient for you to find them quickly, which can save you money or get you a great deal on hay rakes.

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