Rotary Rakes - Help Me Understand.....

I've got a nimble 7ft 3-pt mounted John Deere 350 rollabar rptype rake - so far, it's been great!

As we move forward, we are eyeing 9ft equipment to shave off some time around the fields, especially after working the day job.

I've kind of had my eyes set on a 9 ft New Holland 258 - if/when a deal comes along, but have been reading much about rotary rakes.

I see several single wheel rotary rakes that make from 9 ft to 11 ft, like the Pequea HR930 and HR1140 models, windrows.

Those of you that use a rotary rake or are familiar with them - if you don't mind, a few questions.

1. Are you I using the rotary rake for drying - vs rake and bale immediately after raking? If for drying, are you letting the windrows set more than one day - rake one day, bale the next to take advantage of the drying?

2. I've read that's it's easier to bale a windrow from a rotary rake than a rollabar rake. I would have thought the opposite in that the rope the rollabar rake makes helps pull hay into the pickup?

3. How are the rotary rakes when it comes to flipping/turning hay that's had some rain or heavy dew? With my rollabar rake, I can let the top of the windrow dry, if it get a sprinkle, hit it with the outer edge of the rake and roll the windrow over, exposing the bottom for more drying.

4. How are the single rotary rakes when it comes to combining multiple windrows? I had one field last year that on the last cutting, the hay was so thin, we probably raked 4 or 5 tiny windrows together. We kept pushing them to the side, picking up the hay next to the rake until we hade a good sized windrow to bale. Is this possible with a rotary?

5. Uneven ground, how do the rotary rakes perform on lumpy, uneven ground with the large diameter of sweep.

6. Longevity - my old JD rollabar rake is at least 50 years old and still going strong. I'd like to get 10 years minimum out of a piece of equipment. I'm pretty confident if I bought a new - New Holland Rollabar 258 rake, my kids would be using it long after I take up the porch and rocking chair. How durable are these rotary rakes?

I appreciate the info - just looking for every drying advantage I can get, it all adds up.

Thanks!
Bill

Rotary Rakes - Help Me Understand.....