"Hydra Swing" Mower Makes Great Dual Rake Hitch

"Hydra Swing" Mower Makes Great Dual Rake Hitch MOWERS Mowers (31H) 23-4-19 "It lets me rake twice as fast as with a single rake yet cost almost nothing to build," says Dale Spoerl, Elizabeth, Ill., who converted an old Hesston 1010 "Hydra Swing" pull-type mower-conditioner into a dual rake hitch. The home-built hitch is used to pull two rakes - a 9-ft. Deere 670 and a New Holland 258 equipped with dolly wheels. The rear rake can be pulled on either side in the field or at the center for transport. Spoerl stripped the mower down to the frame, leaving intact the bridge hitch and the hydraulic cylinder that's used to swing it from side to side. He reworked the front end of the frame so it would clear the front rake. "It lets me rake 24 ft. at a time without having to spend a lot of money on a new commercial V-rake," says Spoerl. "I use my International H tractor to pull it and can rake 100 acres on one tank of gas. I can make either single or double windrows by simply changing the position of the rear rake. "I paid $100 for the mower. I already had the New Holland rake and paid $900 for the Deere rake." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dale Spoerl, 6505 S. Schnitzler Rd., Elizabeth, Ill. 61028 (ph 815 598-3277).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.