«Previous    Next»
Doubled-Up Equipment Cuts Haying Time In Half
You can cut hay in 18-ft. swaths and rake up to 30 ft. at a time with Harold Gleason's 2-mower frame and 2-rake hitch.
  Gleason, of Tolna, North Dakota, designed a low-profile frame that holds two 9-ft. New Holland sicklebar mowers so you can pull them behind one tractor. The low, compact frame is made from 4 by 8-in. steel tubing.
  He says there are similar mower mounting frames on the market, but feels his is the simplest available. "You just take the 9-ft. mower off the original frame and bolt it on this frame," he says. "There's no drilling or welding. It uses some of the drive shafts belts from the original mowers, but we use our own main driveline from the tractor pto to power both mowers."
  Gleason's 2-mower frame attaches to the tractor drawbar and has two wheels under the rear portion of the frame.
  It allows the cutterbars to fold up 90 degrees and the frame folds to a width of about 9 ft. for transport. The wheels swing in, so they follow in the tractor tracks during transport. A kit is available to allow the cutterbars to be raised hydraulically.
  When it's time to rake, Gleason's tandem rake hitch pulls two side delivery rakes in V formation to make a double windrow. An optional attachment allows you to extend the reach of the rakes by adding two wheels from wheel rakes to the outside edge of each mounted rake.
  The rake hitch attaches to the tractor drawbar. It has dolly wheels to carry the two rakes and folds easily into transport position by just pulling a pin and turning the tractor in the direction of travel. When folded, the second rake tracks directly behind the first, making it the width of just one rake.
  Gleason sells 2-mower frames for around $3,000. He says he's only made a couple of the 2-rake hitches so far, and hasn't set a price for it yet. Shipping is extra.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Harold Gleason, 2843 Gleason Dr., Tolna, N. Dak. 58380 (ph 701 262-4584).


  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
2002 - Volume #26, Issue #4