Predicting The Effects Of Hay Swath Manipulation On Field Drying
ABSTRACT Empirical models were developed to predict the field drying rate of tedded and inverted hay windrows. Drying was largely influenced by solar radiation. The tuming and fluffing action of the tedder increased the drying rate by 31% on average with an additional increase due to spreading of the windrows. Inversion provided a 15% increase with an additional small increase when the windrow was widened. Simulation indicated that tedding under good weather reduced hay drying time by 2 to 8 h and inversion by 1 to 4 h depending on crop density. Occasionally, this would mean baling a day earlier and reducing the risk of rained-on hay..