Lely

Lely Hibiscus Master 725 - John O' Donovan - Ireland

Raking it In by Reducing Diesel Costs

John O’ Donovan from Madamshill near Killarney in Co. Kerry decided in order to speed up the baling process of his contracting business he needed to invest in a rake. He considered many rakes and in the end choose the rugged build of the Lely Hibiscus Master 725.

 The Hibiscus is a great rake; “built like a tank!” comments John. “It has the adjustable cam track so you can alter the swath width via the tine.” The cam track is easily adjustable so you can make a narrower swath for the baler depending on crop conditions. “The Hibiscus is a good quality rake that leaves a nice even wide swath for a forage harvester.” adds John. To ensure you get the best overall productivity out of the machine you can set the overall working width of the rake in conjunction with the swath width for light and heavy crops. The rotor height can be easily adjusted by means of a wind handle for each rotor which ensures clean raking in all field conditions.

 “From the rakes I’ve seen working; it is the best rake as it leaves a lovely clean even swath.” he adds. The pivoting bogey axles under the rotors allow them to glide over the ground evenly when you’re travelling at high speeds. The large rotors with their large number of tine arms ensure that the crop is raked together consistently and laid down in even swaths. Its robust build and sturdy A-frame offers a great benefit of a much more stable rotor throughout the raking operation. The wheel axles are very sturdy, they are built to last and the steering system works very well which allows the rake to follow the tractors path perfectly without trampling the swath.

Reduced costs

One of the biggest changes John noticed when baling after the rake was reduced diesel costs.

“Diesel costs per bale have been halved since we started using the rake, which was a welcome addition with the prices being so high last season.” states John.
Now with one season over him John has had no problems with the machine, he finds the Hibiscus can easily do 100 acres a day.  Other than the routine greasing he has had to do no repair work to the rake. The cam track on the Hibiscus requires very little maintenance as it only needs to be greased twice in the season depending on acreage with a special grease that Lely recommends.

The rotine is a good idea as it will glide over an obstacle without tine breakages occurring. The tine arms are easily removed along with the safety frames being simply moved to the transport position. John is looking forward to another busy season of raking silage for his customers with the 725 Master.