Silage and hay making: mowers, tedders, rakes and balers

Why the whole chain matters

Making good silage or hay is not about one machine. It is a chain of jobs done in the right order, often against the clock. You mow the grass, spread it to dry, gather it into rows, then bale or chop it. If one link in that chain is too slow, the whole job backs up and quality drops. So buyers should think about the system, not just the shiny baler.

The weather window is the real boss. In a dry US plains summer you may have days to play with. In a wet British June you might get one good afternoon. That single fact shapes what kit suits each farm. Bigger, faster machines cost more but they buy you speed when the sun finally appears. Smaller kit costs less and is easier to store, but you must be patient and well timed.

Before you spend, it helps to read up on how machinery decisions link to wider farm input costs and timing. You can also line up specs and photos for several grass machines side by side on the FarmFleets search page so you compare like with like rather than by gut feel.

Mowers: the first cut

The mower starts the chain. Disc mowers are the common choice today because they cut fast and cope with lumpy ground better than older drum types. You will see them mounted on the front, the rear, or as a pair working together to cover a wide swath in one pass. Conditioner rollers or flails can be added to crimp the stems so the grass dries quicker, which matters a lot in damp climates.

On big US operations a triple-mower combination, one on the front and two on the back, can clear huge areas an hour. That width needs a high-horsepower tractor and careful headland turning. On a UK mixed farm a single rear-mounted disc mower of two to three metres is often plenty, and it pairs with the same tractor used for other jobs.

Check cutting width against the tractor power you actually own, not the one you wish you had. An over-wide mower will lug a small tractor and chew fuel. Look at blade and skid wear-part prices too, because these are bolt-on items you will replace often.

Tedders: spreading to dry

A tedder uses spinning rotors with tines to flick the cut grass into the air and spread it across the field. This lets air and sun reach more of the crop so it dries faster and more evenly. For hay especially, good tedding is the difference between bright, sweet bales and dark, musty ones. For wilted silage it shortens the time grass lies on the ground.

Tedders are sized by the number of rotors and the working width. A four-rotor machine suits many UK fields, while wide six or eight-rotor units suit the long runs of larger US farms. Folding for transport matters on narrow British lanes, so check the closed width fits your gateways and roads.

Damp-climate buyers lean on tedders more than dry-climate buyers do. If you farm where rain interrupts often, a tedder is not a luxury. It is the tool that rescues a crop between showers. Look at tine quality and how easily bent tines can be swapped.

Rakes and mergers: building the row

Once the grass is dry enough you gather it into a neat windrow for the baler or forage harvester to pick up. Rotary rakes sweep the crop sideways into a row. Mergers lift and belt the crop across, which keeps it cleaner by stirring up less soil and stone. Cleaner forage means less grit in the feed and less wear on later machines.

Single-rotor rakes are simple and cheap and suit smaller fields. Twin and four-rotor rakes build bigger rows for high-output balers and choppers, which is why large US dairies favour them. The row size you build should match what the next machine wants to swallow. Too big a row chokes a small baler; too small a row wastes a big one.

Buyers should watch row placement accuracy and how well the rake follows uneven ground. A rake that drops crop or scoops dirt will cost you in feed quality. Mergers cost more but pay back where ash content in silage matters, such as on dairy farms chasing milk from forage.

Balers: round and square

The baler turns loose grass into dense, storable packages. Round balers make cylindrical bales that shed rain well and suit on-farm feeding. Large square balers make dense rectangular bales that stack tightly and travel well, which is why they dominate where hay is sold and hauled long distances, as on many US farms. Small square balers still earn their keep for horse hay and small lots.

Round balers come with fixed or variable chambers. Variable chambers let you change bale size and density, which is handy across mixed jobs. Combination baler-wrappers wrap the bale right behind the chamber, saving a pass and locking in silage quality fast. These cost more and have more to go wrong, so weigh the time saved against the upkeep.

For most UK livestock farms a round baler, often a baler-wrapper, is the practical heart of the grass kit. You can compare chamber types, bale sizes and net or twine systems by lining up models on FarmFleets search before you visit a dealer.

Forage harvesters: the chopped route

Where silage is fed in large amounts, many farms skip baling and chop the grass instead. A forage harvester picks up the windrow, chops it short, and blows it into a trailer running alongside. The chopped crop is then carted to a clamp, rolled and sheeted to ferment. This route handles huge volumes fast, which is why big US dairies and contractors use self-propelled choppers.

Smaller UK farms often hire a contractor with a self-propelled harvester for a few days rather than own one, because the machine is expensive and sits idle most of the year. Trailed forage harvesters pulled behind a tractor are a cheaper middle ground for modest acreages. The chopping length and roller condition affect how well the clamp packs and keeps.

If you are weighing buy versus hire, the same logic applies as in our look at machinery sharing and rental for small farms. Owning suits high annual use; sharing or hiring suits a short, sharp season.

US and UK setups compared

American grass and forage work tends to favour width, horsepower and self-propelled machines that cover long fields in few passes. Labour is spread thin over big acreages, so one operator covering more ground per hour is the goal. Large square bales and self-propelled choppers fit that pattern. Storage is often outdoors in dry regions, which favours weather-shedding round bales or covered stacks.

British grass making is shaped by smaller, wetter, more broken fields and tighter weather windows. Tractor-mounted mowers, four-rotor tedders, twin rakes and baler-wrappers are the typical kit. Many farms lean on contractors for the big-output jobs. The aim is to grab quality forage in short dry spells rather than to clear vast acres at once.

Neither approach is better; they answer different problems. The mistake is copying a system that does not fit your fields. Match the kit to your acres, ground, climate and labour, then compare real specs rather than marketing claims.

What buyers should check

Grass kit lives a hard life in dust, grit and damp, so the details matter more than the badge. Walk round any used machine and look at wear parts, bearings and the bits that flex or fold. Ask for the running record and any recall history. On FarmFleets you can check specs, photos, recalls and source confidence together before you commit.

Below are the practical points worth ticking off before money changes hands. Take them to the viewing and do not be rushed by a dealer or a private seller working to their own clock.

• Match working width to the tractor power you own, not a borrowed one.
• Price the wear parts: blades, tines, belts, knives and net or twine.
• Check bale chamber type and whether a wrapper is fitted or fits later.
• Inspect bearings, rotors and folding joints for play and damage.
• Confirm transport width fits your gates, yards and local roads.
• Review recall history and source confidence on the spec sheet.

Buying smart and planning ahead

Grass kit is seasonal, so prices and availability swing through the year. Buying in the off season can save money but means storing kit you cannot test in work. Buying in spring lets you see machines run but you pay peak prices and compete with everyone else. Plan a year ahead where you can, and keep a shortlist ready.

Think about how the grass chain connects to the rest of your year. Good forage supports livestock health and cuts bought-in feed, which ties into wider goals like those in our regenerative farming machinery guide. A tidy clamp and dry bales also reduce waste, which is real money saved every winter.

Whatever you buy, compare several options on like-for-like specs before you decide. Photos and dealer records on FarmFleets help you spot tidy machines from tired ones, and source confidence flags tell you how solid each figure is.

Sources and method

This guide is written for 2026 from manufacturer sheets and dealer records gathered on FarmFleets, plus plain practical experience of how grass and forage kit is used on farms. We do not name any single data provider. Where numbers vary between sources, we say so rather than pick one figure and present it as fact.

Treat every spec as a starting point, not gospel. Working widths, bale sizes and power needs change with conditions and operator skill. Always check the specific machine, its recall history and the confidence flag on its spec sheet, then confirm the important figures with the seller before you buy.