Horse Drawn Hay Rake - Warrenton, MO - Old Agricultural Equipment on Waymarking.com

County of rake: Warren County
Location of rake: Robin Ave., private lawn, Warrenton

"Hay is a mixture of many grasses and other plants. To the farmer, hay is a very important plant. For the most part hay is used for livestock feed. Horses, cattle, hogs and sheep use hay for food. It was, therefore, an important crop on the early farms of Iowa. For many years hay had been cut by a scythe, or sharp knife.

"Around the time of the Civil War, workable sickle mowers were invented. The earliest mower was the horse-rake. It was a toothed sickle, which moved rapidly back and forth on a frame and was pulled by a horse. The revolving horse-rake replaced about six people with hand rakes.

"During the late 1860's a seat for a driver was added to the horse rake. This "sulky" had a lever from the rake to the drive, enabling the operator to trip the load when the rake was full." ~ Explorations in Iowa History Project, Price Laboratory School, University of Northern Iowa

"This rake is so effective that very few design changes were made from its beginning until it was replaced by a side-delivered model in the 1930s. It came in 8, 10 and 12 feet widths and could be pulled by a team, or adapted for one-horse use. The steel tines had enough play to adjust themselves to irregularities of the surface. This later model was designed to combine hand and foot dumping. The hay was raked into rows so it could be easily forked into a wagon. Various types of hay loaders could be used in combination with this rake. It was still in used to some extent with pick-up balers in the 1940s. Except for the shaft, or tongue, these rakes were all steel and weighed between 350 and 3450 pounds. They required little maintenance and operating them was referred to as "windrowing." ~ Doniphan Neighborhood Heritage Commission