A hay merger is a farm machine that gathers cut forage from several windrows and combines it into one larger, uniform row for pickup by a forage harvester or baler. It matters because the shape and cleanliness of the windrow affect drying, harvest speed, feed quality, and machine efficiency. By moving hay gently on a conveyor rather than rolling it along the ground, a merger can reduce leaf loss and soil contamination.
This is especially important for high-value forage crops such as alfalfa, where leaves contain much of the protein.
Key Facts
- Field capacity = field speed x working width / 10, where speed is in km/h, width is in m, and capacity is in ha/h.
- A merger uses pickup teeth to lift hay, a conveyor belt to move it sideways, and a discharge end to place it into a new windrow.
- Merged windrow width should match the pickup width and feeding capacity of the harvester or baler.
- Higher ground speed increases acres covered per hour, but too much speed can cause uneven windrows and crop loss.
- Gentle crop handling reduces leaf shatter, which helps preserve forage quality in crops such as alfalfa.
- Merging before chopping can reduce harvester travel distance and improve throughput by feeding more crop per pass.
Vocabulary
- Hay merger
- A machine that lifts cut forage from one or more windrows and transfers it sideways into a single combined windrow.
- Windrow
- A long row of cut hay or forage arranged in the field for drying, baling, or chopping.
- Pickup head
- The front part of the merger with rotating teeth or tines that lift forage from the ground onto the machine.
- Conveyor belt
- A moving belt that carries lifted forage sideways and drops it into the desired windrow position.
- Field capacity
- The area a machine can cover per unit time, often measured in hectares per hour or acres per hour.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Setting the pickup too low, which is wrong because the teeth can scrape soil and stones into the forage and increase ash content in the feed.
- Driving too fast, which is wrong because the pickup and conveyor may not move crop evenly, causing bunches, gaps, and harvest losses.
- Making the merged windrow too large for the next machine, which is wrong because a baler or forage harvester can plug or feed unevenly when overloaded.
- Ignoring crop moisture, which is wrong because hay that is too wet may pack tightly and dry slowly, while very dry alfalfa can lose leaves during handling.
Practice Questions
- 1 A hay merger has a working width of 9.0 m and travels at 8.0 km/h. Using field capacity = speed x width / 10, what is its theoretical field capacity in ha/h?
- 2 A farmer merges three windrows, each containing about 1.2 kg of dry matter per meter of row, into one row. What is the dry matter per meter in the merged windrow?
- 3 A farmer notices soil in the silage after merging hay. Explain two machine settings or operating choices that could reduce soil contamination.