Hey Bruce in Canada

Couple questions about my new toy. I got the manual with it but it's clear as mud. I believe I'm reading that the tine arms go up and locked out of cam track for tedding? Also several of the nylon wheels are missing and some are torn up. If I'm using it to ted and the rollers are not in the cam track I should be ok until I can order some? Darn thing sits really high off the ground, I'm reading that the wheels adjust? Any insight would be awesome! I guess it's a case of tinker with all the adjustments until it works for us? Thanks. Kevin in Alabama

How'd the new truck run when ya picked up the new toy? Is the diesel going to the diesel doctor for new injectors or is it headed for retirement?

Ok , first off , there are two tedding positions. The position were you lift the rollers out of the cam track is called, radical ted! I did try it once, and that was enough for me, I didn?t like the results. The second method is to reach underneath, and there is a little handle that you work, that will allow you to rotate the cam track. This is the method I liked best, and what I was using in the picture I posted. If you think of a man approaching a windrow of hay with a pitchfork in his hand, and using a seeping action, he can sweep the hay over to one side. Raising his fork where he wants the hay to land. This rake really is no different., while raking hay the spot on the cam track will change the location of where the forks on the rotor lift, there by releasing the hay. By moving the cam track so the forks don?t raise till they are at the point of being behind the rake, the hay will scatter. Just the same as a man with a pitchfork could scatter the hay. Make any sense? Replace all of the roller balls. If some are missing, it is because the previous owner ran the machine to the point were they wore away. Run a finger over the cam track and see if the track is deeply grooved These tracks are smooth when new. Once grooved, the groove will cause the nylon rollers to wear some what faster. Do not operate the rake without all rollers in place, as this will cause damage to the cam track. The nylon roller balls are tricky to remove and reinstall, and I felt they were a bit pricey too. They are a wearing part on this machine, just like teeth on a cultivator , or shares on a plough, just the nature of the beast.
One thing you will want to consider while operating your rake/tedder is pto speed. I always liked to have the rake mounted on a tractor that had enough power that I could get a ground speed around 5-6 mph, and only have the engine running at something near half throttle or a bit less. No need to have the pto spinning at 540 to make the rake work. Running at 540 just makes it best it?s self to death, and puts premature wear on the nylon rollers. You will get a feel for what throttle speed you need once you use it some. The rake/tedder doesn?t require much power to operate, and doesn?t need to turn fast. It is just forks sweeping hay.
I don?t know what kinds of hay you might be into. So I will tell you this. While tedding a heavy wet windrow of , say , alfalfa, you will want to watch for hay wrapping around the wheels. Doesn?t happen often, but major pain in the backside when it happens. I also liked to just lower the 3 point hitch to the place where the wheels barely touched the ground. And not make those flimsy little wheels carry the entire weight of the rake/tedder. Bit more to operating this machine than just dropping a draw pin into the tongue of a roller bar rake , and driving away, but the results are much different too.. if I can be of any more help, feel free to ask. Bruce

Bruce, thanks for the information. We were wanting to give it a test today in the hay field, but we better wait and fix roller wheels first. I'm sure we will be asking more questions. But it sounds like we may lucked into buying a good piece of equipment.

Jal- see my new post about the truck.....