Must-Have Hay and Forage Equipment

An essential resource on a farm is hay and forage equipment. These pieces of machinery help prepare hay much faster, much easier, and much more efficiently. Keep reading to discover the essential hay and forage equipment to consider investing in. When you are ready to shop hay and forage equipment for sale, check out the selection at Arnold's Inc.

Cut the Hay

The first piece of hay and forage equipment to consider is a rotary disc mower, which is used to cut the hay. It's designed with rotary discs containing knives that are mounted parallel along the mower. As the knives spin, they cut the hay. Rotary disc mowers cut swatches anywhere from 6 feet to over 10 feet.

Dry the Hay

After the hay is cut, the next step is to dry it. This helps prevent molding and spoiling. However, if the hay gets too dry the leaves can get damaged. It's important to get the right hay and forage equipment that can strike the right balance when drying the hay.

The applicable hay and forage equipment options for this step are tedders. These models use wheels to lift and turn the hay, which helps optimize air circulation and properly dry the hay. Some tedders also utilize a long horizontal bar that rotates.

Get the Hay Ready for Baling

Once the hay is dried, the next step is getting the material prepared for bailing. Another term for this process is called raking.

For this step, there are two common pieces of hay and forage equipment. First, a wheel rake. It's lower in cost, it's built with speed as the priority, and it does not need hydraulics or PTO power to operate. The downside is that an improperly set tension on the wheel rake can pull soil in and reduce the hay's quality.

The second popular piece of hay and forage equipment is a rotary rake. It's able to handle difficult material, including wet hay or heavy material. It offers the least amount of soil contamination, which leads to high quality feed. Some rotary rakes can cover 60 feet in one pass. The downside is that these models are much more costly.

Bale the Hay

The various hay and forage equipment can either make round hay bales or square hay bales. Each shape offers unique benefits and the right fit for your farm depends on your needs and priorities.

Transport the Hay

There are plenty of hay and forage equipment options for moving the hay. Popular models include a bale spear, bale fork, and bale hugger.

Ready to shop hay and forage equipment for sale? Explore the available models at Arnold's Inc. We proudly serve those throughout Minnesota.