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Where the farm acquired the dump rake is uncertain. They were usually pulled by two good sized horses, but Barb recalls riding it behind the Cub tractor in about 1965. The 1902 Sears catalogue sold them for $11.90. One sees them as lawn ornaments now. The rake’s hand and foot levers helped to raise the well-balanced rear teeth to drop the roll of hay it had collected in a straight and sometimes not so straight windrow. A lot depended on the timing and lifting speed of the operator. The tractor just kept on going. The family then shocked or piled the hay for later collection via the Cub pulling the hay wagon. A two-wheeled cart was used for that for several years until we got our first real four-wheeled hay wagon. We learned to work in quiet determination on that old rake and with loose hay—low input, labor intensive farming back then. The old dump rake was rescued from the woods and now sits in a place of honor in the front paddock. |
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Grandma Perk and antique Dump Rake used circa 1965. It still rolls. |
