Hay Rakes

Two types of hay rakes were used after a field had been mowed to gather hay into windrows for drying before collection: a dump rake and a side delivery rake. The older dump rake, pulled by one or two horses, made a pass across the field until it was full of hay, then was tripped to dump its load, with each dumped load placed beside the previous one to create a windrow. The side delivery rake automatically moved hay into a windrow with each pass across the field. People familiar with their operation said a team of horses could rake much faster with a dump rake, but the side delivery rake was considered to do a better job of raking. Estimates ranged from 25 acres per day for the dump rake to 15 acres per day for the side delivery rake.

Idaho · United States