swath rollers

[rook]

No one in our area uses swath rollers but last night we had a wind storm and it made a mess in one field, especially on the hill tops where the crop was light.

I understand these are regular practice in most areas. Where do you get them, are thay a pain or do you hardly notice them, and are they easily adjustable for big crops, small crops, tall varieties, short varieties, etc

thanks for any comments

[bluefargo]

Just about everybody here uses a roller. They can be a pain at times but generally they don't cause much trouble. Most have some adjustment for height which I think is a must.

A bigger question in my mind is how much good they do. In my opinion the most likely time swaths will blow around is when they dry out. Lighter swaths are more susceptable to wind damage and rolling may not always make that much difference.

A few years ago we had a nasty wind and all the swaths blew to some degree.
My 20 ft Versatile was worse than my 26 ft pull type. Everything was rolled.
I now use a 30' SP.

I would be very interested in others experience with rolling. I feel better having rolled but sometimes wonder how much it helps.

I also roll my green peas and lentils.

Flamans sells rollers. I like ones with bearings. I'm not sure theirs has them.

[KeephillsCowMan]

I dont use a roller however i have a 20 ft header on a Vers 276. It has about 2 ft of clearance which presses down in the heavy spots and does little in the light spots. This was first year with a problem in really light spots with blowing. Had 2 days 50 mph winds. Was only an issue where there was really light crop. I think a roller would be needed on a swather with more clearance.