Twin Rake Hitch Made From Rotary Hoe

Twin Rake Hitch Made From Rotary Hoe HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Rakes 44 “I built my own twin rake hitch from the frame of a mounted rotary hoe and wheels from a self-propelled combine ” says Waltham Minn farmer Jason Christians First he removed the hoe wheels that were bolted to the 16-ft wide 4 by 4-in frame That gave him a clean bar to work with Then he cut the bar about 2 ft from one end and put in a pivot point He welded mounting brackets to the main frame and the wing then attached a dual-acting 3 by 8-in cylinder Christians made two hitches from used scrap steel and welded one to the main bar and the other one to the wing The base of the hitches are supported with hubs from an old Deere 45 combine and 15-in wheels that Christians had laying around The hitches ride about 20 in off the ground so the 2 rakes that he uses a Case and a New Holland ride level in the field “Using the cylinder I can swing the back rake to one side and make 2 individual windrows ” Christians says “I can also make a bigger windrow by swinging the back rake to the other side and rake 2 windrows into one ” The double acting cylinder adjusts right from the tractor seat A full-time mechanic during the day and a part-time farmer on nights and weekends Christians says his homemade hitch cut his raking time in half “With one rake it seemed like I was at it forever but the double hitch works exactly like commercially-made models ” He says he built the hitch in a month during evenings after work Out-of-pocket costs were less than $500 Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Jason Christians 30571 560th Ave Waltham Minn 55982 ph 507 438-4064; jchristians@hotmail com

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