Hay Baler

Depending on what you're cutting it with, what grasses/weeds it's composed of, how thick it is, how deep/thick the piles of cut hay are, & how green/wet the hay was when cut, will all factor into it. You also have to couple that with the weather during this time frame... rain? humidity? dampness of the ground... I believe in a distant previous post, Jan mentioned that for sugar content, it's better to cut late in the day after the grass has had all day in the sun to make sugars.

I believe tedding it doesn't simply "flip it over" but spreads it out some at the same time to let air through. I was reading that this also "breaks the stalks/stems" of the thicker part of the grass so it can dry faster as the leaves dry the fastest. Down here I watched several large hay fields get cut early in the day, tedded late that afternoon and baled/moved the next day, but it was HOT out, direct sun, low wind, thin stemmed grasses, and wasn't real high/dense/thick/wet to begin with. There's lots of stuff/info available on the web.

http://www.haytalk.com/forums/topic/49489-tedding-right-after-cutting/

@Pastor Dave; yes that is the very basic essence of what I was saying. As @Latestarter also said, there are many variables. We have seen some very light, thin stands cut one day, tedded later then raked the next morning then baled late afternoon. But again, it depends on the denseness of the hay, the amount of thicker stalked weedy stuff (that takes alot longer to dry) the weather ( hot cloudless sun with 0% humidity) and all that.
It also depends on whether the hay goes through a mower/conditioner or just a mower. The "bine" part of the haybine and the discbine....it is a set of solid rubber type drum rollers that the hay passes through as it exits the mower. They are set very close together and "crushes" the stems so that they will dry quicker. Technically, when hay is just cut, the way it loses much of it's moisture is by the leaves and stalks respiration of the moisture in it. So the moisture is lost through the sun drawing it up and out of the plant. By crushing the stems it is lost much quicker.
Ever watched a corn plant when the weather gets dry? It will "roll" the leaves up. It is a way to "save" the moisture in the plant by making the respiration surfaces smaller, through the action of rolling the wide leaves into smaller surfaces so the plant retains as much moisture as possible. Then in the evenings, the plant will "unfurl" to take advantage of the cooler temps AND to collect any moisture like dew and rain. Ever read about "foliar feeding" of garden plants? They do collect some moisture through their leaves as well as the roots. So it goes without saying that the stalk and leaf surface the respiration will allow the loss of moisture.
Tedding does flip the hay but it also fluffs it up and spreads it out over the whole area that was cut to get the hay off the ground. There is a little of breaking up of the stems but mostly it is a "rough" fluffing and tossing of the hay. There are inverters that are often used with alfalfa, because the leaves will come off the stems with roughness of tedding, that the windrow will go up a small conveyor and it flips it over and it is laid back down on the ground to dry the underside. One reason the nicest alfalfa is often grown in very dry climates and is irrigated. Stems of alfalfa are thicker and it nearly always HAS to be run through a conditioner to crush the stems so they will dry faster before the leaves dry too much and fall off. It is known as shattering when the leaves fall off before the stems are dry enough to bale.
They do make a hay conditioner that is separate from the mower. When they first understood that the stems dried slower, a conditioner was invented. Think 2 asphalt rollers a hairs width apart and the hay running through them. Smushed. These conditioners will run behind a mower, sometimes right behind, sometimes a couple of hours behind, to get the stems crushed to allow it to dry quicker. This was before they designed a mower/conditioner to do it all in one pass.

We can make hay in a 3 day window if there is little or no moisture in the forecast. We do most of our mowing in the evening, due to 2 things. My son's work schedule, as he gets off at 3:30 in the summer, and the higher sugar content of the hay after a day to make the sugars in the growing process. So, the next day it lays exposed to the sun. Often will tedd late that afternoon if the top is dry. (24 hours after mowing). The ground around the windrow is also dried out . Tedd, spreading the hay out and fluffing it up. Next day can rake mid-day or so, and bale late in the afternoon. Raking will also expose some of it to the sun that may have been on the ground. If you get it right, raking will actually turn the ground side of the windrow right up to the sun and the dry side will be down. You learn where and how to position the rake on the windrow so it will flip up without rolling it completely over. Speed also plays a BIG part in the positioning of the hay as it is being raked.
In good hay making weather, we often don't tedd but just let it dry in windrows, then rake so it is turned over onto the dry part of the ground, and let it just naturally dry. A nice breeze will facilitate drying even better. You have to think of how many trips over the field. It costs time and fuel and wear and tear on the tractors with every pass. If you can save one trip that is often several hours and several gallons of fuel. So you let nature do the work whenever possible.
But, if you are fighting a small window of time before the next round of moisture is coming through, then you tedd. We have tedded some twice to try to get it dry quicker. Our tedder does not do fresh mown hay that is green. There has to be a degree of dryness before it will properly fluff and throw it out. Otherwise it will just clog and then you can tear up the gears in the boxes that control each set of tedders. Ours will tedd 2 windrows at a time so less time and fuel spent going across the field.

So much to figure in. I don't have the devices to do all that. I thought I could simulate some of it if raking by hand and doing it in our good hot 90+degs weather.

Dave, you can do it on the small scale with just a hand rake......Really. We are talking ACRES at a time. Remember, we run between 150 and 200 momma cows..... so we are making MANY acres of hay. The basics are the same when I first moved here and had an old dump rake that I pulled behind the pickup after mowing the 2 acre field with an old horse drawn sickle mower, again pulled behind the pickup because there were no horses handy !!!!!
The mowing is the easiest part. I was trying to explain some of the variables. Get it mowed down --when there is a window of drying time of like 4-5 days if possible ---- then even a hand raking will work. it's the drying that will make the hay right and to not mold. You just didn't realize how much drying was required. The hay needs to feel DRY when you try to squeeze it in your hand. To the point of when you take a handful between your two hands, it will about snap in half. That's the trick to making hay, getting it dry so it will store and not mold. Not so brittle that it snaps when you touch it... but that is preferable to not dry enough.

Thanks

Well, I didn't ted, windrow or bale. BUT After bush hogging my little "front yard pasture", I just could NOT let it sit and rot. First, it was too thick -- think winter over cattle pasture -- and while a small amount, hey, I am buying hay!! So, raked it and put into FEL on tractor, then dumped into goat field that is 60' away...LOL...then horse pasture. They loved it. This is a small area but, I had enough cut grass to feed 11 goats & 14 minis for 3 days!! It dried some over the 2 days to use it all up but, green chop & fresh dry grass.

Pastor Dave said:

Ok, @farmerjan, still trying to get a good grasp on this process.
When hay is cut, let lay and dry abt a day. When you tedd it, it flips it over to lay other side up, right? Leave another day. Rake in windrows for a day, and bale following day? Sound right? Like I said, I have seen this occur, but haven't been hands on til called to actually help bale.
Thanks, Dave

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Well...all that and knowing 'when' to cut the hay to begin with, and hoping the weather gawds cooperate regarding that stage of growth...

I have a lot of respect for my main hay supplier
Seems like it would be easy since it's just grass but it sure isn't easy
I don't have to buy all of my hay for the winter because he stores it for me

Buying a month at a time vice 4 months is not only easier on the space available and your BACK -- also nicer to the wallet. I now buy for shorter term instead of 8-10 ton at once. NICE!