Tips for Choosing the Right Hay Rake for Your Farm

You need the right guide to choose the right Agri-equipment. Picking a hay rake isn’t something you do every other week. It’s one of those jobs where, if you get it right, you don’t think about it again for years. Get it wrong and you’ll regret it every hay season. 

A rake that looks flash in the brochure can give you headaches from day one. Too wide for smaller paddocks. Too fiddly to adjust. And leaves clumps behind. 

The point here is to get what your place needs, rather than getting something you will have to swap in the next season. 

Start with the tractor 

Here’s the thing: your rake has to get along with your tractor. If the two don’t match, you’re setting yourself up for trouble. You will forever be nursing it along, burning fuel, and wasting time. Not worth it. Always check the basics before you fall for shiny paint. 

Paddocks aren’t all the same 

Are you running in an open, flat country? Or do you have little paddocks with bends and awkward corners? Big rakes are brilliant if you’ve got the space. They make light work of large areas. But try squeezing one into a paddock with trees on every fence line, and you’ll be stuck reversing half the day. Smaller folding rakes often suit mixed farms better. 

Match the rake to the crop 

There’s always a difference in hay because of its thickness and weight. Anyone who’s raked both knows what I’m talking about. Some hay needs more control and less strength to maintain hay quality, whereas thick grass hay needs heavier machinery that won’t jam up. If you’re already running a hay cutter, make sure your rake works with the way it lays down the swath. Not all machines like each other.

Simple is good 

A rake should be simple. You hook it up, drop it in, and off you go. If you need to spend twenty minutes fiddling with knobs and adjustments every time you move paddocks, you’ll grow to hate the thing. Look for something that’s easy to set, easy to grease, and not too fancy. Because when something breaks, you need an instant fix. You don’t want to wait a week for parts from the other side of the world. 

Local support counts 

Having a dealer nearby is worth a lot. Local dealers do more than just supply equipment. The weather in Queensland doesn’t wait while you chase a spare part. Dealers like B&B Machinery not only supply Massey Ferguson hay rakes and other gear, but they also understand what it takes to keep them running in local conditions. That’s worth more than a fancy feature you’ll never use. 

Getting It Right on the Farm 

Choosing a rake isn’t about the fanciest option or the cheapest. It’s about what works for your tractor, your paddocks, and your hay. That’s it. Get those things lined up, and you’ll make better hay with less stress. 

So, if you’re on the hunt for a hay rake for sale, or even just weighing up a new hay cutter or hay rake for tractor, you need to connect with a good dealer. Call B&B Machinery to get a tractor that’s good and right for your farm.