Grimm Tedder VS Rotary Kuhn Style

[Ed Thayer]

I am in the market for a tedder for our 4 acre hay operation. I will only have money for one type and would like some input as to benifits of both. I see alot of people start with a ground drive Grimm style then move to the pto Kuhn style.

I have been told the Grimm does a good job on stemmy, 1st cut but not well on shorter lighter 2nd cut.

 

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

Ed

 

[Does’ Leap]

Hey Ed:

I started with a Grimm (still have it) and then purchased a Fahr (similar to Kuhn).  There is no comparison in the performance of these two tedders.  A decent pto tedder will generally cut a day off your drying time compared with a Grimm.  Moreover, if your windrows get rained on you are out of luck with a Grimm as there is no way to spread them back out to dry.  If you have a light second crop and decent weather, the Grimm will do a good job.  I have not had good luck with first cut hay.  We try to put down our first cut early as possible for dairy quality hay and the moisture in the stems is a challenge.

Your choice in tedders might also be a function of how much hay you are producing.  On a small scale (<500 bales), the investment in a pto tedder might not make a lot of sense. I bought mine for $500 which included a parts tedder.  Prior to that, the cheapest I could find was around $2000 for anything decent (i.e. somewhat field ready).

Good luck.

George

[Livewater Farm]

Ed  I use both types of tedder in my dairy operation by far the rotary tedder does a better job

I use the grimm onsmaller fields when I know weather will last otherwise  the kuhn

grimm needs just a forecart  kuhn a pto cart and my 17ft can be some work for a team on hilly ground 3 would be easier

call me may have equipment you can try before you spend money

Bill

[Ed Thayer]

Thank you for the info, The rotary Kuhn style are quit expensive but may be worth the extra investment for us. I liked the Grimm style because it was ground drive and could be pulled with the horses. But I guess I will rake with them instead.

I just picked up a nice IH model 46 square baler with a Wisconsin engine drive on it. A little tinkering and it should be good to go. It baled last year and is good shape for it’s age. Anyone ever use one of these?

 

 

[carl ny]

My son has a Grimm ground drive and it works fine.Most of the ones you see the amish around here use are Grimm.PTO driven is ok if you have a ground drive forecart.If you use a power forecart you might as well use a tractor..Defeats the purpose..JMHO

carl ny

[Carl Russell]

I have used a Nicholson, which was an European model similar to the Grimm. I have long wished I had a rotary tedder, but have made hay successfully for over 20 years with it. I never have more than 100 bales on the ground at a time, and have figured out ways to criss-cross the swaths, etc. to make it more effective. I can usually get good hay in 2.5-3 days. The trick usually comes down to having time to roll your windrows over a second time before baling, or picking up the hay.

Carl

 

[Ed Thayer]

So Carl, you rake twice? Once after tedding then again to flip the windrow and just before baling? When you flip the windrow do you go the opposite direction?

Sorry for the newbie questions 🙁

Ed

 

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[Carl Russell]

So Carl, you rake twice? Once after tedding then again to flip the windrow and just before baling? When you flip the windrow do you go the opposite direction?

Sometimes, especially in heavy hay. When the hay is raked it is often a bit green, especially with the straight-bar tedders. The windrow has a lot of air in it and the hay can dry fast, and rolling it over again about an hour before baling can get the moist sections up off the ground. I find it is less time to run the rake around with better coverage than the tedder, but the hay cannot be too green.

This is another place where the art creeps in. Some fields have to be managed differently, each crop can be different, as well as the weather. I don’t think you can get stuck in a set pattern. I just have a bunch of tools that I use to my best advantage given the situation at the time.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Good looking baler.

I rake it in which ever direction I have room without making huge windrows.

Carl

[Does’ Leap]

Unrelated question:

Carl, how to you reply with a quote in this new system (besides copying and pasting)?

Thanks.

George

 

[near horse]

Ed,

In my experience the art of good bales is in the windrow.  Balers seem to like “same-sized bites” each push of the plunger.

Like any cutting operation sharpen the (baler) knives.

[Carl Russell]

Carl, how to you reply with a quote in this new system (besides copying and pasting)?

George, I copy the quoted text, then click the ” in the menu above the text box, paste the text, hit return, click the ” again, then type my own reply.

You can also copy, paste, then highlight the text, then click the “.

Carl

 

[Carl Russell]

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[Does’ Leap]

George, I copy the quoted text, then click the ” in the menu above the text box, paste the text, hit return, click the ” again, then type my own reply.

 

Thanks.

 

[Ed Thayer]

Bill,

 

PM me your phone number please.

 

Ed

 

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