The 1800's Horse Hayrake

An early farm Hayrake.

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Here is an artist drawing of a very early one horse drawn hayrake. Most likely to be one of the first pieces of mechanical farm haymaking machinery together with the two horse mower of that period. Most farms still cut their hay with a scythe, as they did with their cereal crops, using some stalks to bind the sheaves together.

Note also the horse is a carridge horse, which appears to be at the trot. Later the shire draft horse became more popular, and the lighter horses were retired to smaller carts and traps.