Hydroswing Swath Turner

Hydroswing Swath Turner SWATHERS 29-5-27 "It speeds up drying time and is more gentle on alfalfa than a rake," says Leroy Groening, Lowe Farm, Manitoba, about his home-built hydroswing swath turner. The machine works much like the hydroswing mowers on the market - except that instead of mowing hay it turns the swath over. The machine has an 8-ft. wide pickup and a 10-ft. wide canvas and is entirely hydraulic-operated. Hydraulic cylinders raise and lower the machine and also swing it to the left or right side of the tractor. The cylinders mount on top of the hitch, which leads back over the top center part of the machine. Hydraulic motors are used to operate the pickup and canvas. Groening is a custom hay grower and also raises some cattle on his farm. After swathing alfalfa, he uses his hydroswing turner to fluff up the swath and turn it over at the same time. "I built the machine last spring after baling hay for a neighbor who used a swath turner. I was amazed at how fast the alfalfa dried down, but I didn't want to spend thousands of dollars on a commercial swath turner so I built my own," says Groening. "The machine doesn't turn the swath totally upside down, but just moves it over for better drying. Another advantage over a rake is that it doesn't lose as many leaves. "New Holland makes a swath turner but you have to straddle the swath with a tractor. However, it can't swing to either side like this machine can. The hydroswing feature definitely has advantages. In the field I can move the machine wherever I want it. When driving, I'm looking to the side which is much easier than having to look behind me all the time. I also use my hydroswing swath turner in roadside ditches. I can drive on the road without having to go into the ditch." He bought the main part of the machine at an auction from another farmer. That farmer had used an old swather to build the machine and fitted it to the 3-pt. hitch on his bi-directional tractor. It didn't have a hydroswing hitch or any wheels on it. "I don't have a bi-directional tractor, just a small Deere 2-WD tractor, so I added wheels and the entire hydroswing hitch to it," explains Groening. He used 4 by 4 steel tubing to build the hitch and salvaged some parts from an old disker, including the pins that the hitch swivels on. The orbit motors operate in series because there aren't enough hydraulic outlets on Groening's tractor for all the motors. "The canvas could be operated independently to throw the swath to either side, but then I'd need four sets of hydraulics to operate everything," notes Groening. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Leroy Groening, P.O. Box 266, Lowe Farm, Manitoba, Canada R0G 1E0 (ph 204 746-2063; lginnovations@hotmail.com).

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