Late comment, but since of the best I've seen were made out of rectangle box channel that they welded mounted in a line about a foot on center but then cut the bottoms off of they used a size that would hold a 2*4 that they would put a bolt through to hold them in took care of having the cross bracing out so far. One thing you have going really well for you is how well your 3pt floats and holds the ground, one of the reasons they use wood on these is that they will get jammed up and break eventually and if they use steel it winds up breaking other parts of your equipment. Using the steel box channel makes it strong enough at the back but will allow the tines to remain long and thin without cross bracing out far

Video has been on a long time but I will try, I remember the buck rakes working. The used old cars with a second transmission mounted backwards. That way they could get high speed going the length of the windrow . The rake filled very quickly and off the barn.

I am the biggest fan of home made tools, whether for house shop or yard. I cut and polish rocks and saws and laps are well above my budget. So I make my own. Have had many failures but the ones that work, work very well. Never give up, you're doing great

@PrattFamilyHomestead

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!!!!!

From what I can see, it looks like you should run the windrow rake right before you run the buck rake. That should get the hay up on top of the grass so the forks can get it. I know I'm late to see this & suggest it but maybe you'll see this anyway.

@PrattFamilyHomestead

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! And yes I think your right!

See? I love when I'm pondering something that's 100% not the way everyone here does it, and I'm thinking I've lost my mind, and then I see y'all trying it too, and I can show it to Fred ans say, "SEE!!!! The PRATTS are doing it!!!!!" :D

@midkiffsjoy

4 жыл бұрын

I think what I might have tried for the spacers is running a 1x4 across the bottom and counter sunk it so it was flush with the ground and didn't drag. I'd be lower than the current spacers and might not catch as bad. Though I'm surprised your spacers are catching to begin with. You're doing great. *thumbs up*

@PrattFamilyHomestead

3 жыл бұрын

I love it!!! Thank you!! I'm willing to try anything :)

It looks like it’s working pretty good. I’m sure you can tweek it a little. It sure beats pitch forking it. Jeni, I am proud of you going back to college. I did the same thing, after staying out about 10 years. They didn’t offer the courses I needed at night, so I had to go in the day. I worked a full time job on the evening or night shift & went to school in the day. It took me 3 years to finish my last year & a half of a 5 year degree. I was also driving over a 100 miles a day. It wasn’t easy, but I did it & was really proud of myself. I know you can do it, especially with the support of your wonderful family. Go get ‘em girl! I’ll be rooting for ya! What will your degree be in?Blessings, Love & Hugs from Vicki in Ft. Worth, Texas 🇨🇱🇺🇸👍❤️👩🏼‍🎓🥰🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

@PrattFamilyHomestead

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!! And Jeni thanks you as well!!! She is pretty excited about it all of it!!

I was just wondering about gathering hay. Last time I mowed I realised how much of the stuff I leave in the fields.

@PrattFamilyHomestead

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah. It can be a lot!

Interesting way to gather hay but it works. Better than pitch forking it. I’ve been there and done that. Hopefully one day a nice hay baler will come up. Do you have any custom haying companies in your area? Just wondering. I remember long ago when I was growing up we had a hay field that we had cut and raked. It was about seven acres worth of hay. For some reason this year my dad couldn’t afford to have it baled or the baler we had broke or something. I can’t remember what it was. We had been having some really hard times this year. But we had been our gathering the hay with pitch forks and putting it in the bed of the truck. I remember we had left to go to town and when we came home our neighbor had gone into our field and baled the hay for us. Talk about a blessing. But anyhow. Just a little story for you. I hope you all are doing well. Good luck with your school work Jenny. Thanks for sharing. Take care, see ya :)

@PrattFamilyHomestead

4 жыл бұрын

Nice story!! Our field is only about 2 acres .... if we cut it all lol. So all in all it isn't awful. But a baler would be nice!

So proud of you Jeni! Whatcha going back to school to study?

@PrattFamilyHomestead

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you!! Currently just general studies towards a associates.

Add a hydraulic top link to your 3-point hitch for tilt up and down

Mike what if you add a short piece of flat metal on the end of 2x4 to make it slide better. I have something that this would work great on. I have a scissor lift hay spear with hydraulic top link in the middle. Take the spear off add you contraption and you could actually stack the and tip it to get the hay off. I know I suck at explaining things but just Google scissor lift hay fork. You can stack rolls 2 high just using 3 point hitch.

@PrattFamilyHomestead

4 жыл бұрын

Oh I am so glad you introduced me to the 3 point scissor lift!! LOVE IT!! This would probably allow me to stack round bale 2 high with my 3 point!!!!

@Zeke-yv3nw

4 жыл бұрын

It does. I have done it for years.

Grace isn't going to be so cute if she jumps into the business end of a pitch fork! Ask Jeni and the kids for a tractor with a loader for Father's Day ;) Put a grapple on that and you can pick up the pile your rear attachment makes and carry it to the barn. What courses are you taking Jeni? Heading for a degree?

@PrattFamilyHomestead

4 жыл бұрын

LOL I can ask for a tractor .... but .... $$$$$$$$$. I have been looking into a front loader for this tractor. NOT CHEAP. But I keep looking. Would be great with dealing with the horse poo as well!

What if you were to add some fence wire between the forks? Wouldn't it pick up more hay? You could even let it extend outside of the forks.

@PrattFamilyHomestead

4 жыл бұрын

Maybe! Might be worth a shot!

Dear Santa; the Pratt family really needs a hay baler

@PrattFamilyHomestead

4 жыл бұрын

YES!

my friend and i have a farm with no hay fields in new jersey. people like yourself seek us out to make their hey for the cost of half of the hey.

@PrattFamilyHomestead

4 жыл бұрын

That's awesome. My problem with that is that this is a very small field (maybe 2 acres if we cut it all) and we use all that hay.

👍👍👍👌♥️

@PrattFamilyHomestead

4 жыл бұрын

:)

Could you turn your head when you woke up the next morning??

Couldn't you find a used baler, and bale you own hay ?

@3ormorecharacterstimes2

4 жыл бұрын

Those suckers ain't cheap. get a worn out old one maybe a couple three grand but for one to do the job and not have to constantly work on it would need to drop maybe 10 grand

@PrattFamilyHomestead

4 жыл бұрын

David, I did buy an old used baler. then 1 thing broke. Then another, and another .. then the first 2 things broke again ..... I gave up on it. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Too bad you don't have a front end loader on your tractor

@PrattFamilyHomestead

4 жыл бұрын

That is a dream. would also be nice with dealing with the horse poo ... and many other things :)

@jimmieburleigh9549

4 жыл бұрын

@@PrattFamilyHomestead 👍

get a wagon

@PrattFamilyHomestead

4 жыл бұрын

I have a hay wagon. that is what we usually pitch fork the hay onto. Or are you referring to a pick up wagon (or whatever they are called??). Either way .... $$$$$