Vermeer rake

[danl]

I'm helping my father in law bale hay, and his Vermeer wd20 rake is about to kill me.
It keeps balling up, I will be raking along and all the sudden I have a wad of hay about the size of a Volkswagen. I spent a bunch of time pulling hay out of the rake and carrying it back to the winrow, not my idea of fun in 98 degrees

The grass is heavy but well cured. low humidity, windy and hot. it is in good shape.
Most of the time I can only use half of the rake, and it still wads up sometimes.
Is there some adjustment we can make? I've used this rake for years and it has always been a pain in the butt, but not like this year.

I vote for a new rake, but its his stuff.

 

[Angus Cowman]

you might try widening the rear of the rake if he can handle a wider windrow
or just keep using half of the rake
good luck

 

[turklilley]

Mine does the same, open the turn-buckle to widen the rear of the rake.

 

[upfrombottom]

If it is the model I'm thinking of, you can pull the pin in the front or outside wheels and pick them up and place the pin in another hole to hold them up off the ground.
Just think that everything that goes through one wheel has to go through every wheel from there back. So if its kinda thick it will plug up.

 

[cfpinz]

If it's the WR20 listed in the link below, I've had similar problems with my father's.

http://www2.vermeer.com/vermeer/NA/en/N/equipment/rakes/wr-20

The hay starts to bunch up underneath the pins that hold on the round tubes which have two rake teeth wheels attached. The spring clips underneath your pins are the culprits. Remove the pins and install bolts with either a round head or a hex head with no exposed gaps to suck in hay. Put nylon lock nuts on top and cross drill them for cotter pins, problem solved.

 

[danl]

Thanks cfpinz, that is exactly the rake we have.
Except for the cab on the tractor.... I have a tractor with a cab but the ac is out right now and I aint that tough.

I will try your suggestion.