Ride Along: Raking Hay with Rick's Custom Baling 

My Dad was a Marine, I also joke he was undiagnosed OCD. Raking hay was the only thing he complimented me on (never to me, other people only). I learned to rake hay on a ‘48 8N Ford tractor with no brakes pulling a NH bar rake when I was 10. 30 years later, I thought I something pulling a V-rake with my 3600 Ford. We still use a bar rake and V-rake. The land in our area is too hilly and rocky for one of those newfangled rotary rakes. To this day, I love raking with the same 8N and bar rake. The tractor sounds like a sewing machine and hearing the rake chatter relaxes my soul. I can’t say I’ve ever seen a tractor outside a therapist’s office. I know you don’t do old tractor videos, but you have a great ability for telling stories. It would be fun to watch your reaction!

5:38 Seeing that bale fly made me laugh. 😂😂

Like the hands on content!

I'm fascinated by this kind of thing. I have no idea what's going on, but it's darn cool.

I remember when starting raking when I was 7 or 8. A few yrs had gone by and I really thought I was doing a good job.... til the day I started baling at 11y-o. Lets just say my raking skills when up many notches after that. LOL

Raking is tough for me and Rich is clearly good at it. It would have been great if you let him talk about his strategy for opening up the field and the actual pattern to do so (how he doubles back, how he exits and transitions and how he does this when raking first cut, and then the pattern that he rakes once the field gets opened up as the pattern is everything and most videos don't do a great job explaining this. All of us who have to rake really appreciate hearing the details from someone who is really good at it

I always enjoy videos like this

Very Nice video Neil Thanks

Love this video.

Great video!!

That bailer really spits out a bail. Enjoyed your RU-vid

Enjoyable to see. Brings back memories of stacking bales on wagon and then in the loft. Not fond memories.

Starting at longest straight line in field then working out both ways in straight lines....then clean up headlands....this is how its dine....you never just follow the field. Straight lines...except headlands

Did great...but headlands done last unless baler right behind you....makes for much cleaner field. And no driving over windrows

entertaining and educational to a non farmer

We rake our hay the same exact way using our Krone single rotary rake

Hay/silage crops are waaaay heavier in Ireland.

I think you need a bigger tractor maybe one with tracks

Still haven’t figured out why anyone would want a hay rake like this. A V rake with the wheels is way faster less moving parts way less money and does a good job.my H and S is super old does the job with no maintenance other than replacing a wheel if to many teeth brake off over the last 20 years? since it was new. Goes over the hills and ruff feilds I would think better as well.

Y’all need to do something about the Liberty Mutual ads, I can’t stand their bullshit and every Messicks video I watch makes me watch their bullshit. Ready to block Messicks.