Another great vid! I had a twin star 7 bar rake on my farm. Never broke anything,it was overkill for me,but I had no problems! When I sold the farm and my machinery,the rake didn't even stay on the dealers lot for a day. My neighbor jumped on it.
Hi from oz wes. Im a hay contractor in Australia. I used to have similar rakes to those and had all sorts of breakdowns all the time. About 15 years ago i decided to bite the bullet and bought a krone double rotary rake covering 30 feet. Will do 25 acres per hour and only breakages is the odd rake tyne and the odd puncture. Its built like their balers. Brilliant rake. Perfect rows ALL the time. Cost a lot of money to buy but its ts cheap as it DOES NOT break. I suggest you try to get a farm demo of one soon.
I member when you bought it, I thought it was a good little unit also, definitely seen some acres! She’s seen alotta hay no doubt, we’re in the market also for a new rake, we’ve welded the piss outta ours also since 2006, good luck keep cranking out the awesome vids!!! 👌👍
I agree that the lack of support for the weight and stress is missing. When I used to build things, I over engineer them. I built some gates out of Square Tube 30 years ago for my father-in-law. I put gusset in the corners and center support. They are still up and as good as the day I built them. Cattle can be rough on gates. They passed the test when a bull tried to break out of the holding pen. Gate held no damage bull failed. But I would go broke making them because they last.
I have same rake. 2nd year arms started breaking and I called h&s. They were pretty fair in my opinion, as I paid shipping and a little bit for new arms which had thicker walled tubing. Put on and no problems in last few years. I don’t do your volume of hay though, only 400 acres per year.
For as many acres that you do, it seems like the best choices are either buy the heaviest best rake you can, or trade these lighter rakes off every spring for a new one.
Rakes aren't a cheap purchase anymore too whether is lighter duty or heavy like anything else today. I think the only option for a heavier frame with clean raking capability is the Rowse, fair, or Vermeer... but those carted rakes are so maneuverable and rake corners better. If Wes does build his own, that would be incredible.
Wes, look into Vermeer. I remember the arms breaking on you. When I still raised beef cattle, I had a vermeer wheel rake and an Ogden big wheel rake. The Vermeer is way heavier and even your H&S is still light weight compared to a Vermeer. I had very little issues with the Vermeer and add the fact that, they've been in the hay business longer than anyone else. Theresa is an awesome woman, you did good with her Wes.
I remember when you were bragging about how great that little rake was. lol. Time has told a different story. I’ll be interested to see what you come up with to replace it with.
@@onelonleyfarmer but it’s an economy rake for a small farm and your using it on a commercial level. Your not gonna like the price tag but Fair MFG makes an awesome wheel rake.
Thought the same when they came years a go i remember Wes said their awesome. It was something like the prize was right to do the job. But enough hard work they cant cope..
@onelonleyfarmer they don't hold up good here either. I know 3 people who have those action rakes. We have used vermeer and kubota and only had 1 minor issue, and vermeer redesigned the axle for the front rake wheel and after that she's goes and goes
I have a 14 wheel Enorossi Maximus rake. It is built very heavy, uses push wheels, and is the mid capacity style you like. The down side is the tires under the frame kept narrow to allow more room for the hay and it likes to tip over. Does show how you can design something to be good for one task but causes other issues.Also I bought a 12 and can add two rake wheels to make it a 14 and if you start with a 14 you can make it a 16 later.
We've junked our h&s high cap buy a ogden hhr12 with tandem wheels best rake ive ever run. Makes a very nice windrow even in very heavy hay and i love the way it picks up at the end of windrows when raking.
Keep picking on her, she knows where you sleep 🤣. As far as the rake, I'd say it's well over due for replacement. If you have to work on a piece of equipment every time you need to use it, that's not very efficient. Great channel and love the wisdom.
We always use Kuhn Rakes and it's without a doubt the best rake I've ever owned, all I have ever done to that rake was grease it, and it's probably 15 years old now and it's been over thousands of acres
Keeping the wheels out of the tung would help too. lol Its hard to get as many acres as you need from any of the equipment made today. Part sales is the business plan...
Put this rake on your "post season project list" and go through it to over-build the weaknesses out of this rake. The whole round baler industry started when Vermeer took an old AC small round baler and scaled it up. Sure you could build a new rake and sell it but tooling investment will make farming investment seem easy. You might look at making replacement parts for others with these rakes.
Fair or darf arr the only really heavily built rakes. Unfortunately they are very expensive. The sitrex built heavy duty rakes (wheels ahead of the arms) work good in heavy hay, but you still will need to do some welding on them occasionally.
I forgot about Fair mfg... They are expensive, but their products actually look beefy. I would say Rowse has the heaviest rakes, but Fair does have a carted version which is probabky what Wes would want.
Those light weight wheel rakes you use in ur heavy wet grass on that rough ground will not hold up ni matter what brand...they hold up a little better if you rake at about 4 or 5 mph...but the speeds you rake with ur conditions, nothing is gonna hold up
No implement of any complexity should have more weld sessions than years of service. I've no idea how they got their road transport certification with that stupid triangle, I'd bet the actual manufacture diagrams are different even on the smaller ones.
(Disclaimer- autocorrect keeps changing rake to take. I'm too lazy to keep changing the mistakes.). I'm sure that rake would hold up for the small beef/dairy farms that do a few hundred acres a year. But someone like you, who does idk how many acres a year of hay and stalks. It seems just couldn't handle that constant abuse. By abuse I don't mean you are abusing the equipment. Just mean by natural wear and tear. I also agree with your video. That rake seemed like a damn good piece of equipment. But at the same time I can also agree with your frustration on the amount of failures for the time you had it. I doubt it, but hopefully someone from that company sees this video and takes in and listens to your criticism and frustration. To fix the problematic areas you pointed out. They most likely won't cause of egos and the lack of ability to accept free ideas and opinions.
@@DavidMiddleton-w6x why are you soo upset? Some didn't get a goodbye hug from mother this morning. Lol go find some aliens or something you're pathetic.
Some h&s products definitely lacked good engineering but you probably have lots of tonnage per acre making mature compost hay. It probably would be sufficient for the second or third crop dairy alfalfa or young grass hay that has lighter windows. Usually I only see rakes like that used when the hay is thin and you need to take large swaths to make even a small windrow.
WOW. it does look pretty feeble . . . I do love my New Holland pro cart though with the kicker wheel. It works better WITH the kicker than without despite what everyone says, lol. rake gets 100% of my hay, leaves nothing behind. my ONLY gripe is trying to adjust the dumb thing . . . it's an impossible feat. Yours at least LOOKS a bit easier to adjust ;) I really can't believe this cost your $14k . . . I think our Procart was $8K . . .
I have a ogden hybrid hayrunner, It is the best v rake that I have ever had. Several of my friends have switched to them as well. I think it would be a perfect match for Wes, if he would look into them.
I personally believe that if a person or a company is going to be building any kind of equipment that they should be taking the time to think about what is it going to be used for and ask their customers for input from that information they should have known the fact that the company should have built the equipment with a higher quality heavier gauge steel plus much better bolts so the equipment will not have any problems
I know they are expensive but the mergers i seen dairy guys use seem to sweep clean, travel fast and work good. Would one of them work for your operation?
I can't remember what make the rake was but I saw one on a video that pushed the hay it seemed to do a good job,it was kinda pricey, I can remember when you bought that rake and watching when you had to repair it.
Wes, years ago was talking about building his own rake I’m waiting for that should be a stout sucker I’m running into the same problems with my rakes falling apart
Sounds like time to remanufacture that rake with enhancements. Aka thicker steel where it needs it. Problem is, do you have the time to do it. Need to find a shop that can do it for you at a reasonable cost and reuse all the giblets that are still good. You may find C&C Equipment on UA-cam interesting. His oldest just graduated high school with a concentration in welding. He’s basically become the shops dedicated welder when needed. This looks like a project they could definitely do, problem is at what price. Maybe if you talked with them they might take it as a project to work on when they are short of work. They have a plasma cutter table for making replacement parts also. Once they spend the time to measure out the parts and have it on a memory stick it’s likely to be just point and click plus welding to make a new one. Wishing you and your family the best.
Have you ever tried a Khun rake. They seem heavier. I’ve never used one, we still use rollabar rakes. I’m looking at a Khun dual rotor for next season.
I feel like these rakes are meant for the 100 acres of light grass hay beef guys not 3500 acres of heavy mulch hay. A new holland is much heavier than that machine.
Look in to darf rakes I have been using the for 30 years I do like 8000 acres a year best rake for smooth windrows and pick everything up better than the speed rakes your running.
You and the boys could make your own pretty easily I think, just copy the design and build it strong. Or even buy another one and beef it up immediately. Good luck
We bought a grass works weed wipe this year. Man alive we are destroying hemp dog vein Jhonson grass and any other weed that sticks up over our fescue. We purchased a 30’ one well built cheap to operate highly recommend to anyone. Kuhn speed rake we love em.
That's a bummer Wes. Sounds like the H&S company needs to hire you as an specialist to engineer a better, stronger and more durable piece of equipment. I like your ideas. They should too.
Sitrex, Vermeer, and Rowse seem to be the only ones built heavy enough. H&S I don't understand how they are still in business as everything they make is very light.
Sorry to hear you are having so much trouble with your H&S rake. I would like to suggest the Sitrex brand of rakes. I have been baling hay in Oklahoma for 22 years now. I purchased a SitrexQR12 in the summer of 2010 and I still use it every day. I cover 600 to 800 acres every year with this rake. the only maintenance I have had to do to it is replacing the rake wheels (4 to 5 per year) and I replaced the tires, last year. (They were weather checked and bald) Is the rake worn? Yes, but not from bad design but from years and years of service. I have zero welds or breaks any where on this rake. I purchased new for $6000 in 2010, I plan on purchasing a new rake this fall. $17,900 is what the price is for a new rake ,but I think you know which brand I plan to repurchase.
I like your stuff Wes,I really do. But a "slightly prettier welding" course would go down well with me , and no doubt others who watch you ! I'm not looking for perfection, but welds that don't look like they were done for a joke wouldn't make me jump so much when I see 'em !😂
Hello wes & the lovely lady... sorry wife 🥰Do take that cheeky Theresa into somewhere private + alone distant field give her a good sorting out from her merry fans... wrong of me to say she needs taming? 😁But that will be a little rough on her 😉As for the hay rake, you got the parts etc build your own with what you got from the old rake hitch/pneumatics/arms/wheels - having seen how you build things wes it will last you years beside the service parts better than what you got now with pos hay rake 3110 HS
I’ve owned several different wheel rakes, currently this brand and style, and the all of the very best brands. Because of the “V” design and the stress and leveraging problems that happen during not only the stress of the “V” design, but also all of the bouncing in the fields, and the hanging of the rake teeth in the field holes, I don’t think you can buy a modern rake that will hold up. Your best bet is to rebuild that rake with all 1/4” wall metal, and double brace all of the joints with also possibly another 1/4” plate to make 1/2” over stressed areas. You know where the problems are, beef it up. You mentioned not wanting to purchases more tongue material, but that’s not going to fix the problem by purchasing the same weight materials……..buy your own metal and beef it up.
Wes I have seen you do some amazing things . Why not this winter when there isn't much happening build your own rake and build it like a tank super strong
I went through this with the 1st generation Pequea rotary rake. I spent more time patching then re-engineering and rebuilding than actually raking. I finally had enough of it and decided to buy a wheel rake. I looked at all of the manufacturers and the Vermeer VR series was the heaviest built rake. The one thing I really hate is as you referred to, it is not a clean sweep rake because of the teeter-totter arms. If one wheel drops in a divet or rut, the opposite wheel raises up out of the hay. With this farm economy, make two good rakes out of three and then plan your exit from H & S when things get better economically.
I am not defending the company. Most companies don’t build things for durability. They also don’t build them to run the capacity that you need in an affordable option. You buy equipment for the long term. You also don’t do like the other channels who “buy” all the latest and greatest tools and equipment and talk about the reliability and great service they get. What’s funny is the next year they “buy” all new again and the previous years “purchases” are gone and never mentioned again
You're talking about farmers like millennial farmer that get all the latest greatest equipment every year or so. How farms work sure Ryan and Travis they get some stuff Free to use in partnership deal but if happy with it they buy it. I don't know if they have bought the rhino rdf14 rake but that thing is high quality and they don't have the money or want to buy new equipment every year or 2 years
Huh, I think the company's building processes are in the crapper. Fire the engineers create a new line facility. The company must be going broke. Putting up hay sucks in the first place. That is if you Putting up square bales. You would probably get more done at this point with an antique 594 deere
We know the 2112 can do the job. If the 3112 was $12K how much is the H & S HC-4112? Going through the rake list what would the closest in a European professional level tine wheel rake sold in the USA? The Europeans put more tires on the rakes sometimes and tow with the 3 point linkage to keep the hitch higher over rows and turn tighter? .Maybe the Sitrex (Italy) they have 10? models of finger wheel rakes. The Magnum Evolution and Magnum Pro V are the medium weights. (Explorer V and below are the lightweights, MKS is the heavyweight). There is video on the Sitrex Spa youtube channel of the (video title) "Sitrex Magnum Evolution "V" Rakes MKE/12 steering".(12 wheel)60 inch wheels/ 25 foot rake width.
Might be time for a "junk yard" wish bone boat trailer, and "Wes-I-FyI" it into a rake, and it would already have an axle and built for weight. Thanks for the shows Wes.
When I saw the H&S that’s all I needed to know. Absolute junk. I miss my old Allen twin rake. So I settle for the vermeer twin rake. Hate wheel rakes. They don’t ever stay together.
You have proven design that works, and have all the parts there. I would price out the metal and copy it. Cut this one apart make a new frame. The design is there just bu8ld it right.
I’ve had similar issues with my Vermeer mower conditioner. Built way to cheap compared to other makes and I’ve had to weld on it countless times and the turtles and skip plates have worn out quicker than other makes we’ve used in the past. My advice is stay away from Vermeer products. Their rakes have fallen apart like my mower in my area of Wisconsin
Another great vid! I had a twin star 7 bar rake on my farm. Never broke anything,it was overkill for me,but I had no problems! When I sold the farm and my machinery,the rake didn't even stay on the dealers lot for a day. My neighbor jumped on it.
Hi from oz wes. Im a hay contractor in Australia. I used to have similar rakes to those and had all sorts of breakdowns all the time. About 15 years ago i decided to bite the bullet and bought a krone double rotary rake covering 30 feet. Will do 25 acres per hour and only breakages is the odd rake tyne and the odd puncture. Its built like their balers. Brilliant rake. Perfect rows ALL the time. Cost a lot of money to buy but its ts cheap as it DOES NOT break. I suggest you try to get a farm demo of one soon.
I got a new Holland pro cart that rake has been very reliable for us and it goes over a lot of ground. It is on its 7th season only broke tines.
I member when you bought it, I thought it was a good little unit also, definitely seen some acres! She’s seen alotta hay no doubt, we’re in the market also for a new rake, we’ve welded the piss outta ours also since 2006, good luck keep cranking out the awesome vids!!! 👌👍
Appreciate the realness in your content, it's like a dose of authenticity
Well all apreciate a bot who serves us all with a dose of bullshit.. Its very refreshing..
I agree that the lack of support for the weight and stress is missing. When I used to build things, I over engineer them. I built some gates out of Square Tube 30 years ago for my father-in-law. I put gusset in the corners and center support. They are still up and as good as the day I built them. Cattle can be rough on gates. They passed the test when a bull tried to break out of the holding pen. Gate held no damage bull failed. But I would go broke making them because they last.
I have same rake. 2nd year arms started breaking and I called h&s. They were pretty fair in my opinion, as I paid shipping and a little bit for new arms which had thicker walled tubing. Put on and no problems in last few years. I don’t do your volume of hay though, only 400 acres per year.
For as many acres that you do, it seems like the best choices are either buy the heaviest best rake you can, or trade these lighter rakes off every spring for a new one.
Rakes aren't a cheap purchase anymore too whether is lighter duty or heavy like anything else today.
I think the only option for a heavier frame with clean raking capability is the Rowse, fair, or Vermeer... but those carted rakes are so maneuverable and rake corners better. If Wes does build his own, that would be incredible.
Where is squatch ???
Just buy a heavy duty v rake on wheels.
Wes, look into Vermeer. I remember the arms breaking on you. When I still raised beef cattle, I had a vermeer wheel rake and an Ogden big wheel rake. The Vermeer is way heavier and even your H&S is still light weight compared to a Vermeer. I had very little issues with the Vermeer and add the fact that, they've been in the hay business longer than anyone else. Theresa is an awesome woman, you did good with her Wes.
I am still running the same vermeer wr22 that I bought new in 2003. Vermeer has some very good equipment.
@@cdelacerda1158 indeed they do, which is why I suggested Wes to look into them
I remember when you were bragging about how great that little rake was. lol. Time has told a different story. I’ll be interested to see what you come up with to replace it with.
@@NichollsSense I still feel it did a really great job. But it’s not built good at all.
@@onelonleyfarmer but it’s an economy rake for a small farm and your using it on a commercial level. Your not gonna like the price tag but Fair MFG makes an awesome wheel rake.
Thought the same when they came years a go i remember Wes said their awesome. It was something like the prize was right to do the job. But enough hard work they cant cope..
1400 Fair will hold up, they suck in uneven ground. I've got a 1600 but it's overkill for putting two together @elliotbenson164
@onelonleyfarmer they don't hold up good here either. I know 3 people who have those action rakes. We have used vermeer and kubota and only had 1 minor issue, and vermeer redesigned the axle for the front rake wheel and after that she's goes and goes
I have a 14 wheel Enorossi Maximus rake. It is built very heavy, uses push wheels, and is the mid capacity style you like. The down side is the tires under the frame kept narrow to allow more room for the hay and it likes to tip over. Does show how you can design something to be good for one task but causes other issues.Also I bought a 12 and can add two rake wheels to make it a 14 and if you start with a 14 you can make it a 16 later.
We've junked our h&s high cap buy a ogden hhr12 with tandem wheels best rake ive ever run. Makes a very nice windrow even in very heavy hay and i love the way it picks up at the end of windrows when raking.
I have been waiting for your channel to come back nice to see your doing you tube again welcome back
Keep picking on her, she knows where you sleep 🤣. As far as the rake, I'd say it's well over due for replacement. If you have to work on a piece of equipment every time you need to use it, that's not very efficient. Great channel and love the wisdom.
that little package is best investment u ever made wez as for the rake u been fixing it since u bought it
May try the kuhn speed rake and see hpw you like it.
We always use Kuhn Rakes and it's without a doubt the best rake I've ever owned, all I have ever done to that rake was grease it, and it's probably 15 years old now and it's been over thousands of acres
I like the build your own rake thought, I just bought a QR10 sitrex and have been very pleased with it, BUT high cap rake is the way to go.
Have you tryed a kuhn speed rake...if so id be curious on your opinion on them the H&S looks to be a copy of a kuhn or maybe the other way around
Keeping the wheels out of the tung would help too. lol Its hard to get as many acres as you need from any of the equipment made today. Part sales is the business plan...
Put this rake on your "post season project list" and go through it to over-build the weaknesses out of this rake. The whole round baler industry started when Vermeer took an old AC small round baler and scaled it up. Sure you could build a new rake and sell it but tooling investment will make farming investment seem easy. You might look at making replacement parts for others with these rakes.
Fair or darf arr the only really heavily built rakes. Unfortunately they are very expensive. The sitrex built heavy duty rakes (wheels ahead of the arms) work good in heavy hay, but you still will need to do some welding on them occasionally.
I forgot about Fair mfg... They are expensive, but their products actually look beefy. I would say Rowse has the heaviest rakes, but Fair does have a carted version which is probabky what Wes would want.
Those light weight wheel rakes you use in ur heavy wet grass on that rough ground will not hold up ni matter what brand...they hold up a little better if you rake at about 4 or 5 mph...but the speeds you rake with ur conditions, nothing is gonna hold up
She's probably watching "Cole the Cornstar" on UA-cam
😂
No implement of any complexity should have more weld sessions than years of service. I've no idea how they got their road transport certification with that stupid triangle, I'd bet the actual manufacture diagrams are different even on the smaller ones.
H&s no more, oxbo probably not worrying about some wheel rake.
The push rake as you call , are at least heavy duty. Good luck 👍
(Disclaimer- autocorrect keeps changing rake to take. I'm too lazy to keep changing the mistakes.). I'm sure that rake would hold up for the small beef/dairy farms that do a few hundred acres a year. But someone like you, who does idk how many acres a year of hay and stalks. It seems just couldn't handle that constant abuse. By abuse I don't mean you are abusing the equipment. Just mean by natural wear and tear. I also agree with your video. That rake seemed like a damn good piece of equipment. But at the same time I can also agree with your frustration on the amount of failures for the time you had it. I doubt it, but hopefully someone from that company sees this video and takes in and listens to your criticism and frustration. To fix the problematic areas you pointed out. They most likely won't cause of egos and the lack of ability to accept free ideas and opinions.
wait! it's ok for a farmer that does a few hundred acres, but not for wes when you don't know how many acres he does? ok, makes perfect sense.
@@DavidMiddleton-w6x why are you soo upset? Some didn't get a goodbye hug from mother this morning. Lol go find some aliens or something you're pathetic.
Some h&s products definitely lacked good engineering but you probably have lots of tonnage per acre making mature compost hay. It probably would be sufficient for the second or third crop dairy alfalfa or young grass hay that has lighter windows. Usually I only see rakes like that used when the hay is thin and you need to take large swaths to make even a small windrow.
WOW. it does look pretty feeble . . . I do love my New Holland pro cart though with the kicker wheel. It works better WITH the kicker than without despite what everyone says, lol. rake gets 100% of my hay, leaves nothing behind. my ONLY gripe is trying to adjust the dumb thing . . . it's an impossible feat. Yours at least LOOKS a bit easier to adjust ;) I really can't believe this cost your $14k . . . I think our Procart was $8K . . .
If my memory is correct i through that you wanted to build your own rake a few years ago
Yeah you need to get a John deer. I have a rake 12 thousands no problem not even a finger to break you will love it
Great video Wes thanks for sharing have a great day and stay safe out there
Ogden makes a high capacity rake, with that design, it’s a very good design
I have a ogden hybrid hayrunner, It is the best v rake that I have ever had. Several of my friends have switched to them as well. I think it would be a perfect match for Wes, if he would look into them.
I bought a new ogden hay runner 12 wheel rake. It pushes the wheels. It’s ok but 16k ok not sure.
Wishing you luck and health, looking forward to your videos
I personally believe that if a person or a company is going to be building any kind of equipment that they should be taking the time to think about what is it going to be used for and ask their customers for input from that information they should have known the fact that the company should have built the equipment with a higher quality heavier gauge steel plus much better bolts so the equipment will not have any problems
I just bought a kubouta 12 wheel rake it's awsome it's built like that but much heaver
I know they are expensive but the mergers i seen dairy guys use seem to sweep clean, travel fast and work good. Would one of them work for your operation?
I can't remember what make the rake was but I saw one on a video that pushed the hay it seemed to do a good job,it was kinda pricey, I can remember when you bought that rake and watching when you had to repair it.
Could you figure out taking the top half of the h&s and put it on the bottom of the peque ( I think it was) that you beefed up the undercarriage of
Wes, years ago was talking about building his own rake I’m waiting for that should be a stout sucker I’m running into the same problems with my rakes falling apart
Sounds like time to remanufacture that rake with enhancements. Aka thicker steel where it needs it. Problem is, do you have the time to do it. Need to find a shop that can do it for you at a reasonable cost and reuse all the giblets that are still good. You may find C&C Equipment on UA-cam interesting. His oldest just graduated high school with a concentration in welding. He’s basically become the shops dedicated welder when needed. This looks like a project they could definitely do, problem is at what price. Maybe if you talked with them they might take it as a project to work on when they are short of work. They have a plasma cutter table for making replacement parts also. Once they spend the time to measure out the parts and have it on a memory stick it’s likely to be just point and click plus welding to make a new one. Wishing you and your family the best.
Have you ever tried a Khun rake. They seem heavier. I’ve never used one, we still use rollabar rakes. I’m looking at a Khun dual rotor for next season.
bless her heart shes loveley
PS take that t design add schedule 40 black iron pipe to form a triangle. It pulls on the center and outsides that way 😮
Hey Wes, have you ever considered building your own rake or would it be cost prohibitive? Thanks and love your content!
What is the advantage of having it pivot front to back
Can you mount the tubing with the raking wheels on your older rakes? It seems like it would be the best of both worlds.
you should try a rotory rake, get a demo and give it a shot
I feel like these rakes are meant for the 100 acres of light grass hay beef guys not 3500 acres of heavy mulch hay. A new holland is much heavier than that machine.
Look in to darf rakes I have been using the for 30 years I do like 8000 acres a year best rake for smooth windrows and pick everything up better than the speed rakes your running.
It’d be worth your time to look into a darf rake, super tough and indestructible
You and the boys could make your own pretty easily I think, just copy the design and build it strong. Or even buy another one and beef it up immediately. Good luck
The Acrobat should be light and 3 point linkage mounted they then are a good machine
Have you ever looked into a Darf rake?
The Ogden hay runner is built like your talking about
I feel your pain with the H & S rake
We bought a grass works weed wipe this year. Man alive we are destroying hemp dog vein Jhonson grass and any other weed that sticks up over our fescue. We purchased a 30’ one well built cheap to operate highly recommend to anyone. Kuhn speed rake we love em.
That's a bummer Wes. Sounds like the H&S company needs to hire you as an specialist to engineer a better, stronger and more durable piece of equipment. I like your ideas. They should too.
Sitrex, Vermeer, and Rowse seem to be the only ones built heavy enough. H&S I don't understand how they are still in business as everything they make is very light.
Sorry to hear you are having so much trouble with your H&S rake. I would like to suggest the Sitrex brand of rakes. I have been baling hay in Oklahoma for 22 years now. I purchased a SitrexQR12 in the summer of 2010 and I still use it every day. I cover 600 to 800 acres every year with this rake. the only maintenance I have had to do to it is replacing the rake wheels (4 to 5 per year) and I replaced the tires, last year. (They were weather checked and bald) Is the rake worn? Yes, but not from bad design but from years and years of service. I have zero welds or breaks any where on this rake. I purchased new for $6000 in 2010, I plan on purchasing a new rake this fall. $17,900 is what the price is for a new rake ,but I think you know which brand I plan to repurchase.
You should look into a Ogden hybrid hay runner we have had pretty good luck with it
im fromuk no h and s over here whats the story with them are they a no frills build for basic do the job equipment or?
Fair manufacturing makes a good looking rake
You have videos 6 years ago and 7 years ago repairing a H&S rake not sure if there the same rake
I still have them and yes I still use them.
Have you thought about designing and building your own rake
Yes if you watched the video you would know I have it all drawn up.
Would you not prefer a twin rota rake for the amount of grass you produce
Wes, i would look at a Darf high capacity rake or the H&S high capacity that is like the Darf
what about the powered bar rake? I was looking at a vermer 2300 or a 2800
Hello Wes looks like just made with low grade steel. Think H&S should do something for you. Have a good day.
Need a 14-16 wheel high capacity wheel rake, not the one that folds up into the air, or a Vermeer powered basket rake
I like your stuff Wes,I really do. But a "slightly prettier welding" course would go down well with me , and no doubt others who watch you ! I'm not looking for perfection, but welds that don't look like they were done for a joke wouldn't make me jump so much when I see 'em !😂
Convert one side to mounted and chuck all the e under bits away mate, its simple
have you looked at the Vermeer VRB14?
Hello wes & the lovely lady... sorry wife 🥰Do take that cheeky Theresa into somewhere private + alone distant field give her a good sorting out from her merry fans... wrong of me to say she needs taming? 😁But that will be a little rough on her 😉As for the hay rake, you got the parts etc build your own with what you got from the old rake hitch/pneumatics/arms/wheels - having seen how you build things wes it will last you years beside the service parts better than what you got now with pos hay rake 3110 HS
I’ve owned several different wheel rakes, currently this brand and style, and the all of the very best brands. Because of the “V” design and the stress and leveraging problems that happen during not only the stress of the “V” design, but also all of the bouncing in the fields, and the hanging of the rake teeth in the field holes, I don’t think you can buy a modern rake that will hold up. Your best bet is to rebuild that rake with all 1/4” wall metal, and double brace all of the joints with also possibly another 1/4” plate to make 1/2” over stressed areas. You know where the problems are, beef it up. You mentioned not wanting to purchases more tongue material, but that’s not going to fix the problem by purchasing the same weight materials……..buy your own metal and beef it up.
Wes I have seen you do some amazing things . Why not this winter when there isn't much happening build your own rake and build it like a tank super strong
I went through this with the 1st generation Pequea rotary rake. I spent more time patching then re-engineering and rebuilding than actually raking. I finally had enough of it and decided to buy a wheel rake. I looked at all of the manufacturers and the Vermeer VR series was the heaviest built rake. The one thing I really hate is as you referred to, it is not a clean sweep rake because of the teeter-totter arms. If one wheel drops in a divet or rut, the opposite wheel raises up out of the hay.
With this farm economy, make two good rakes out of three and then plan your exit from H & S when things get better economically.
I am not defending the company. Most companies don’t build things for durability. They also don’t build them to run the capacity that you need in an affordable option. You buy equipment for the long term. You also don’t do like the other channels who “buy” all the latest and greatest tools and equipment and talk about the reliability and great service they get. What’s funny is the next year they “buy” all new again and the previous years “purchases” are gone and never mentioned again
You're talking about farmers like millennial farmer that get all the latest greatest equipment every year or so. How farms work sure Ryan and Travis they get some stuff Free to use in partnership deal but if happy with it they buy it. I don't know if they have bought the rhino rdf14 rake but that thing is high quality and they don't have the money or want to buy new equipment every year or 2 years
I recommend the New Holland pro cart 1022
Claas or krone twin rotor is the only way to go
Huh, I think the company's building processes are in the crapper. Fire the engineers create a new line facility. The company must be going broke.
Putting up hay sucks in the first place.
That is if you Putting up square bales.
You would probably get more done at this point with an antique 594 deere
Twin rotor rake, plenty of them doing the job in heavy crops of grass in Ireland
I remember u talking about rakes over the years
Try the new holland procart rakes you won’t be disappointed
How much does that one cost new if you are going to sell it for 6000? Just curious
is it worth building a tongue strong enough to your standards for it?
We had a New Holland rake identical to that design, it broke in the exact same place
I know they are expensive but overhead rakes are way good.
We know the 2112 can do the job. If the 3112 was $12K how much is the H & S HC-4112? Going through the rake list what would the closest in a European professional level tine wheel rake sold in the USA? The Europeans put more tires on the rakes sometimes and tow with the 3 point linkage to keep the hitch higher over rows and turn tighter? .Maybe the Sitrex (Italy) they have 10? models of finger wheel rakes. The Magnum Evolution and Magnum Pro V are the medium weights. (Explorer V and below are the lightweights, MKS is the heavyweight). There is video on the Sitrex Spa youtube channel of the (video title) "Sitrex Magnum Evolution "V" Rakes MKE/12 steering".(12 wheel)60 inch wheels/ 25 foot rake width.
Might be time for a "junk yard" wish bone boat trailer, and "Wes-I-FyI" it into a rake, and it would already have an axle and built for weight. Thanks for the shows Wes.
That sucks, you will sort it out, what about two NH tandem rakes like Travis, North East Iowa Farmer
See what a welding shop would charge to rebuild it over the winter . Or talk to H S corporate office.
Would be pretty cool to see an OLF brand rake haha
When are we going to be able to buy a Pandy Action Rake?
We will call it the packtion rake
When I saw the H&S that’s all I needed to know. Absolute junk. I miss my old Allen twin rake. So I settle for the vermeer twin rake. Hate wheel rakes. They don’t ever stay together.
Looks like it was built to ship over seas. And they would say it's built to replace the parts that break.
I think its time to pay Krone a visit and ask for prices!
You have proven design that works, and have all the parts there. I would price out the metal and copy it. Cut this one apart make a new frame. The design is there just bu8ld it right.
I’ve had similar issues with my Vermeer mower conditioner. Built way to cheap compared to other makes and I’ve had to weld on it countless times and the turtles and skip plates have worn out quicker than other makes we’ve used in the past. My advice is stay away from Vermeer products. Their rakes have fallen apart like my mower in my area of Wisconsin