August 2, 2007
Photo of the Day: August 2, 2007
Taken by Flickr user lifeinthedistrict out in rural Virginia (how about a geotag?), the composition that embraces the repetitiveness of the circular and slightly-creepy arms of this old farm equipment is key here. I admit it, I'm a city girl -- anyone know what this thing is? EXIF.
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I believe it's a plow, though I'm not sure.
It is an old hay baler or bailer depending on who you ask. Family had one on our farm in Woodbridge.
No, it is not a plow. It is a (very old) hay rake. It is used for what I've always heard called "haying". A mower cuts the long (2-3 or more foot) green grass in a field. You let it dry several days, then rake it into windrows (long lines). You can then either run a baler to create round or rectangular bales, or you can rake it further and then put it into haystacks.
This particular photo is of a rake that is not much more than a glorified hand rake that can be pulled by a horse or a tractor. You can see the points of the tines at about 11 o'clock. When the rack is lifted on the right, these are lowered to ground level. The entire implement is pulled to the right for a short distance, raking up grass. The tines are then lifted (via a hand lever) and then the rake is moved to take the next swath. In the foreground are the spokes of one of the wheels.
For the enjoyment of the city folks, see the section on spontaneous combustion in the haying link above!
Dennis, a Nebraska boy in the big city.
some sort of primeval ferret-shredder?
OK, so the links didn't work as planned.
Try:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hay
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windrow
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baler
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hay#Safety_issues
Dennis
Thanks, Dennis.
It might also be a harrow, depending on how it gets used.
I'm sure it is a rake. It could be used as a harrow in a pinch, but wouldn't be very good at it as the long tines are too flexible.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrow_(tool)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spike_harrow
www.parmiterharrow.com/
Dennis
So it sounds like I'm still in search of a primeval ferret-shredder. Alas.
Fear not that your search is in vain. Someday you too will find your Holy Grail!
very cool photo graph
I love the "photo of the day"