Stacking Hay Around here the harvest season is in full swing. And as I have watched some of the modern equipment moving through the fields I've been reminded of the huge advances that have been made in farming and farm equipment. When I was growing up in Oklahoma during the 1930s putting up hay in a field or meadow was quite an operation. Most of the smaller farms still gathered their hay using pitchforks to load the hay onto wagons to be transported to a stack, the barn, or a hay baler. And although many of the larger farms had moved beyond using wagons and pitchforks it was still labor intensive. After it was mowed, the hay was put into windrows, gathered up, and stacked. The equipment used was powered by horses or mules. Where we lived gasoline powered tractors were making their appearance in the fields of farmers who could afford to buy them. But most of the farms and ranches my Dad worked for did not have the "new fangled machines." The hay was mowed with a mower with a 5 to 6 foot sickle bar and then raked into windrows with a dump rake ( see picture at URL below) which would gather hay until it was full and then the operator would activate the trip lever which would cause the tines to swing back and up to dump the hay. By going back and forth across the field and dumping the hay at the end of a previous dump, windrows would be created. The windrows gathered up with a buck rake which would transport the loose hay to either a stacker to be put into stacks, or a bailer where it was compressed into bales. The main part of a buck rake was in front of the team which powered it. It consisted of a wide frame with prongs, or forks pointing forward. These were several feet long and about six inches apart and came to a sharp point on the leading end. These forks would glide along with the points just above the ground and gather up the hay from the wind rows. When the forks were loaded the hay would be transported to the baler, or stacker. One of my early experiences in this haying process was when I was 5 years old. We were living in a house on the west edge of Love Valley. To the west of the house there was a hay meadow. After the hay had been cut, cured, and raked into windrows they began the process of stacking the loose hay into stacks. My Dad was the one working on top of the stack using a pitchfork to distribute the hay on the stack so that it would be a uniform stack. As the hay was put into place he would walk around over it to pack the hay so that the stack would be firm and not fall apart. I was near the stack watching the activity. As buck rakes were coming in to the stack I could barely see the rider on the seat of the rake as he drove the horses that were pushing the buck rake with its load of hay on the forks in front of it. As the load of hay came in the man driving the horses of the stacker would position the rack of the stacker so that the stacker and the buck rake met head on. The load of hay was transferred to the stacker by backing the buck rake from under the load leaving it on the forks of the stacker. Then, as the stacker moved forward, the mechanism on the stacker would elevate the rack with the hay so that it could be dumped on top of the stack. (see picture of a staker at URL below) Watching that was fasinating enough but after the stack had been built up to where it was several feet high, my Dad helped me up on top of the stack to "work" with him. Of course, I was to stay away from the sides of the stack. I was having "the time of my life" running around on top of the hay stack "helping" Daddy pack down the hay ... Suddenly everything got dark! I was totally covered with hay! Frantically I fought my way out of the hay expecting Dad to come to my rescue!! Finally I fought my way out of the hay and to my surprise ... Instead of showing concern; Dad was standing there laughing at me. It was some time later when I figured it out ... Dad had "set me up" by distracting me while the operator of the hay stacker dropped a load of the loose hay on top of me. Thurmon -------------------- Dump rake: http//:freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~teking/sackett_docs/sackett_pics /rake.jpg Hay staker: http//:freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~teking/sackett_docs/sackett_pics /stacker.jpg