«Previous    Next»
Front Rake Puts Hay Under Tractor
Whether gathering a swath or just dressing up a windrow, Edwin Egli's front-mounted rake lays a nice tight windrow just where he wants it.
"I can swing it right or left on-the-go about 3 ft. to better position the windrow," says Egli.
He designed the rake for maximum flexibility. In addition to moving left to right, it can also flex up and down and flex as needed should one wheel go over a gopher mound.
"It floats across the ground," he says.
The arms that connect the rake to the tractor attach to the tractor loader mounts with universal joints. A dolly frame made from a rear axle off an 800 Deere self-propelled swather supports the front end of the rake.
The rake connects to the left end of the rake dolly with a bushing that is pinned vertically to the dolly and horizontally to the arm. This ensures that the dolly can flex up and down, as well as left and right, in relation to the arm. While the right arm is a straight-boxed beam, the left one has a bend in it, allowing the rake its 3-ft. swing.
To move the rake back and forth, Egli mounted a hydraulic cylinder to the front frame of the tractor. When fully extended, the rake is to the far right and delivers the windrow just inside the right front tractor wheel. When fully retracted, the rake swings to the center and delivers the hay just inside the left front tractor wheel.
The rake wheels were picked up from a junk dealer. Mounted to a boxed beam that angles out from the dolly, they're raised and lowered by a second hydraulic cylinder.
While the rake comes in handy, it isn't always needed. Egli took that into account in the design.
"It's only connected to the tractor at the loader mounts and the cylinder at the front of the tractor," he notes. "If I don't need it, I can unhook it by pulling just three pins and backing away."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Edwin Egli, 4825 County Rd. 139, New Salem, N. Dak. 58563 (ph 701 843-7380; egli@westrive.com).


  Click here to download page story appeared in.



  Click here to read entire issue




To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.
Order the Issue Containing This Story
2009 - Volume #33, Issue #5