who uses a hay tedder

[plbcattle]

As most know I am a virgin to cutting hay. I just got some new equipment and am researching the use of a tedder. I have cut, no rain temps in the upper 80's with sunshine. Let dry 2 days, rake, then bale. Some say they reccomend a tedder, some say it requires more time and cost. They also claim you lose some nutrition value every time you disturb the hay. I know it dries faster but you are looking at about an extra 5 hours of work per cutting and extra cost, and a little nutrition loss. What do most on here do.

 

[Jogeephus]

Depends on what I'm baling. If I don't have to tedder I don't. But most times I do since I usually need to get the grass baled as quickly as possible before the next shower. In this area, I'd hate to know I was going to bale hay without having access to a tedder.

 

[cfpinz]

Use it on just about everything for the first cutting. Used as necessary on second, sometimes dry enough you don't need it. Speeds up drying as well as uniformity.

cfpinz

 

[dun]

We use it like Jogeephus. If it hasn;t been rained on we just rake and bale.

dun

 

[Angus In Texas]

We use one if we are putting up small squares....it helps to blend the hay and give it a more even color for horse owners. They tend to be very picky about what they feed in this area. But if we are rolling it we don't bother with the extra fuel cost and time invested.

 

[sidney411]

We just bought one this year because we had 2 fields down and got rained on and needed to tedder it to fluff it back up so the rake could get it better. I found that the foeld was cleaner (less hay left on the field) when we teddered it hten normal, so that was a good thing. I don't think we will use it every time but if there's showers coming we will be glad to have it now.

 

[MikeC]

We use a tedder on anything that takes more than a day to dry sufficiently for baling or if the we have a rain in the forecast, or the hay is thick.

In these situations, we will cut and let it sit for a day, then tedder and bale as fast as we can.

The trick to good hay is a fast drying time and a tedder can save a days worth of drying.

Depends, depends, depends.

 

[alabama]

We use a tedder on anything that takes more than a day to dry sufficiently for baling or if the we have a rain in the forecast, or the hay is thick.

In these situations, we will cut and let it sit for a day, then tedder and bale as fast as we can.

The trick to good hay is a fast drying time and a tedder can save a days worth of drying.

Depends, depends, depends.

I do the same as mike but i will add that if you cut crabgrass hay you will need to ted it to get it dry. Crabgrass will mold in about 3 days and still won't be dry on the bottom.

 

[msscamp]

We use it like Jogeephus. If it hasn;t been rained on we just rake and bale.

dun

That's how we do it, too.

 

[Dusty Britches]

What is a hay tedder?

 

[msscamp]

What is a hay tedder?

A fluffer - it doesn't really turn the windrow completely over like a rake does, it just loosens the windrow and allows air in so the hay will dry faster. At least, that is my take on it.