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Hay drying times.

D

DaninKansas

Member
How long do you leave sickle cut hay out before raking then baling?

I had some very thick brome that I mowed a week ago Saturday (very dark and cloudy that day but it didn't rain) and I was able to rake and bale it the following Monday afternoon and got it about perfect in terms of moisture.
 
Fast drying times when the humidity is low even when cloudy and a bit cooler. I had some dry faster last week than some in the heat of the summer.
 
Many things come into play on that. How hot it is out and also how dry as in high or low humidity. I cut hay yesterday evening and got a tad bit of rain this morning on it. I figure I'll check it out tomorrow and most likely bale it on Thursday after raking it in the late morning. But I will check it a few times between. I do what I call the rattle test. You pick some up in a few places and shake it and if it sort of rattles then it is ready
 
Yeah, it was supposed to be windy and about 98 degrees today (but with humidity) I figured what I mowed yesterday would be about ready to rake tonight and bale tomorrow afternoon.

Problem is the weatherman missed it again, no wind and its overcast (but still humid). It might be ready to rake by noon Wendesday and bale late Wednesday - or noon Thursday (after the dew burns off) but its supposed to rain Thursday night and getting time off work to do this is getting dicy.
 
I really don't know why I ran for so long without one, but atedder is probably one of the cheapest pieces of equipment you can but and operate. It will cut DAYS off your drying time and make the hay look prettier. You should try one.....
 
Last year my grass hay dried like you fellas from out west talk about, but normally, like the 8 acres I cut last Thursday afternoon it was a good drying day (low humidity on Friday then high humidity Saturday and I tried to bale Saturday evening...too wet. The storms moved north and missed me so I was able to ted it out in the am, then rake and bale in the pm.
I usually need 4 good days to make hay here.
 
I have mowed in the morning and round baled in the afternoon. Same field different year mowed on Monday, and without any rain on it, had to wait til the next Monday to bale. All depends on you humidity, wind, and sun.
 
I be East of you just South of the Ohio Turn Pike two and three miles in. Normaly 4 days drying time here also. This was a fluke. My Grand Son was baling and wrapping high moisture hay and it got to dry on them here last week. I met him on the road with a semi load of the big square bright green bales yesterday afternoon hammer down from South some where. Had to be dry hay. Must of found a spot that got missed by the showers that went thru yestarday.
 
I've never seen one in operation. I've been told my old IH 1000 mower is set up to pull one (has a 540 PTO hookup on the back).
 
That mower is not set up to pull a tedder, the PTO tedders were not yet made. That is for to pull a conditioner,(Crimmper-crusher) with and do the mowing and conditioning with one tractor and operator. Our Oliver mower was set up like that and we pulled the crimper behind the mower for several years untill we bought a mowerr-conditioner outfit. And that outfit would pick up and cut down hay the mower would just slide over the top of. At times would give a half again as much hay per acre.
 
Ya I mowed hay yesterday evening and got rain this morning. Did not get much but still got some rain. Watched the weather this morning and the weather guesser said they had not seen it coming till it had already got us. Seems the system they believed would stay north came down farther south then they believed it would. I figure on raking and baling tomorrow if all goes right
 
here in Mass - sickle cut with no crimping/conditioning - and tedding once a day - you can count on four solid days to get it fully dried.

CAN bale in three but usually not ideal - if it's being fed right out, and not being stacked in a barn where it could ignite we'll do it.

When you have to ted that often I find it's best to ted in the morning so you don't beat it up too bad - it's still damp from dew.

Obviously time is plus or minus based on temp/humidity/wind/location/ground wetness/shade on edges, etc.

Conditioning reduces dry time by a good day.

hardest part around here is accurately predicting 4 days in a row with no rain.
 
If I had really good drying conditions, long hours of sunlight, wind, good sunlight, etc. I could cut and crimp one day, rake and bale in the afternoon the second day. No good drying conditions add at least a day or more. We usually seem to get rain about every third day, so go figure.
 
Leroy is right- a tedder doesn't go behind a mower. Try to find a haybine or, better, a discbine at a sale in the future. But you will find a reel tedder or a basket tedder at a sale, and they usually don't go for too much. After mowing, the hay is 'fluffed' or tedded, picking it up and scattering it some. It re-orients it in the windrow and gets it up higher in the stubble to enhance drying, thus cutting the time lag to get it ready to bale.
 
Up here it can take anywhere from 2 days to 3 weeks to get hay dry. A tedder is a Godsend around here.
 
Went home and check the hay - surprised it was dry - actually dry enough to bale if I could have. Instead I raked for three hours and called it a night.
 
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