Hay Balers & Rakes in Normangee, TX

A round baler rolls hay into a tight cylinder instead of the square or rectangular bale you get from other balers. That round shape sheds rain better once a bale sits outside. A square bale stacks tighter in a barn, but a round bale usually stands up to weather with less trouble. If your hay stays on your own place for your own cattle, a round baler's often the simpler pick. It's also easy to move with a bale spear. Want to see one up close? Call our Normangee store and ask what's on the lot.

Shop before first cutting. It's worth doing early, while you still have time to get comfortable with the equipment. Waiting until hay is already down and drying puts you in a hurry. That's a bad time to learn a new machine. Look at Vermeer balers and rakes at our Normangee store ahead of the season. Walk around them, check belts and tires on a pre-owned unit, and get everything hooked up before the grass is ready to cut. The lot changes as units sell, so come by early if you want the widest look.

A rake gathers cut hay into a windrow so a baler can pick it up clean. It can't do that alone. After a mower cuts hay, it lies scattered across the field. A rake pulls that hay into rows sized right for your baler to run over. Big rows of dry raked hay bale up faster and leave less loss in the field. Skip the rake and a baler doesn't get clean hay to work with, which leaves a rougher bale. Vermeer rakes at our Normangee store are built to handle that windrowing step so your baler can do its job.

No, the brand match isn't the main thing to worry about. What matters is a windrow your baler's pickup can take in cleanly. Windrow width and density count for more than the badge on either machine. We carry Vermeer rakes and Krone rakes at our Normangee store, and either can feed a baler from another maker. If you already own a baler and just need a rake, bring its make, model and pickup width with you. Leon County fields run from open pasture to tighter, timbered edges. So the right rake depends some on your land, too.

Your hay field should be cut and dried down before you rake it, not still green and wet. Timing matters here. Raking too early just piles up wet hay that won't cure right in the windrow. Most hay needs a day or more of curing after cutting before raking makes sense, depending on the weather. Once it's raked into rows, a baler should follow while the hay is still dry, before dew or rain gets to it. Watch the forecast close during first cutting for that reason. A good rake and baler let you move when the window opens.