Hay Rake Buying Guide

Hay rakes are designed to gather hay into windrows for easier collection or baling. This is a very important step in the hay making process, so you’ll want to purchase a hay rake that’s a good fit for your needs. Luckily, this guide from Agrivision Equipment will make finding the ideal hay rake for you so much easier!

Choosing the Right Style

There are a couple of different hay rake styles, each with their advantages and disadvantages.  For example, wheel rakes are popular because they are very simple and easy to use/maintain. However, they also tend to add dirt or debris to the hay, thus lowering its quality. If you’re worried about hay contamination, consider purchasing a rotary rake or belt rake. These hay rakes designs are a bit more complex, but they’re better at handling wet hay. Rotary rakes and belt rakes are also more compact, and thus easy to store. 

Find the Right Size

Another thing to consider is which size of hay rake you’ll need. Bigger hay rakes can do more work in less time, but they can also be a pain to store due to their sheer size. Smaller operations will usually only need a small hay rake to get the job done. 

Don’t Forget Your Tractor

Obviously, it’s important that your tractor be able to actually utilize whichever hay rake you end up purchasing. We recommend having a copy of your specs on hand while hay rake shopping. Things like size, horsepower, and whether your tractor has PTO will determine what sorts of hay rakes your tractor will be able to handle. 

Shop hay rakes at Agrivision Equipment. We operate 15 dealership locations throughout southeastern Iowa. We also offer financing, trade-ins, parts ordering, and servicing. We’re proud to serve communities like Des Mones, Iowa, so come visit us soon!