Side-Mounted Hay Rake Works Great On Roadside Ditches

Side-Mounted Hay Rake Works Great On Roadside Ditches HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Rakes (44) 23-4-28 "It works great on roadside ditches that are too steep for conventional side delivery rakes," says Harry Kardynal, Saltcoats, Sask., who designed a hitch to pull an older-style, ground-driven International rake alongside his Massey Harris 44 tractor. The 10-ft. wide rake is equipped with two big wheels on front and a pair of smaller caster wheels on back. Kardynal modified the hitch so he can pull the rake with its front wheels alongside the tractor's rear wheels. He used two lengths of steel rod to connect the front part of the rake's hitch to a pair of angle iron brackets that he bolted onto the side of the tractor. A spring-loaded rod connects the back part of the rake to the tractor drawbar. A length of support chain runs from the rake's hitch to a vertical steel rod bolted to the side of the tractor. A spring-loaded chain connects the rake to the hitch. "It lets me keep the tractor up on the road while I rake the ditch," says Kardynal. "The windrowed hay ends up in the bottom of the ditch where I can safely bale it. There's mostly bromegrass and quackgrass in the ditches which makes excellent hay for cows and calves. After I'm done I can remove the rods by pulling out two cotter pins, then unhook the rake and pull it behind my tractor again for use in the field. "When the rake is hitched up I can back up, turn, or even go in circles with no problems." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Harry Kardynal, Box 446, Saltcoats, Sask., Canada S0A 3R0 (ph 306 744-8192).

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