“We had what was called a Jayhawk hay stacker. It was hitched to
the front of the tractor and pushed forward. It had two wheels, so
as you moved forward you had to steer in the opposite direction of
where you wanted to go. The sweep was mounted on the front of the
stacker, so you gathered a load as you drove up the windrow.
“You then drove to the stack site, and as you neared the stack,
you pulled a lever that raised the load over the stack. This was
done by a cable that wound onto a drum as you moved ahead, thus
raising the load. Later models were raised hydraulically. When the
load was over the stack, the head was tripped and the hay slid off.
The head was lowered as you backed away from the stack, and you
went for another load. One of the advantages of this type of
stacker was that it enabled you to approach the stack from all
directions and deposit the hay where it was needed. This made
easier work for the man on the stack. We had to load the hay onto
racks in winter and haul it to livestock. Some farmers had stack
movers that made it possible to move a whole stack at a time.”
done by a cable that wound onto a drum as you moved ahead, thus
raising the load. Later models were raised hydraulically. When the
load was over the stack, the head was tripped and the hay slid off.
The head was lowered as you backed away from the stack, and you
went for another load. One of the advantages of this type of
stacker was that it enabled you to approach the stack from all
directions and deposit the hay where it was needed. This made
easier work for the man on the stack. We had to load the hay onto
racks in winter and haul it to livestock. Some farmers had stack
movers that made it possible to move a whole stack at a time.”
From Farming Days, memoirs by Fred Marsh, Eldora,
Iowa
