By Jim Simpson

      Putting up good hay is important. Once it is mowed and on the ground the rush is on. A farmer must move fast to put his hay in the barn in order to beat potential wet weather than can ruin hay. This month we look at toy toys that are key to a successful hay crop and a barn full of quality hay. The International Hay rake and CaseIH big baler will be our focus.

     International Harvester promoted its hay rakes in a brochure featuring sickle bar mowers and hay rakes. IH stated, " you’ll be on time and hay ahead by putting International rakes to work in your field. They are designed to give you the kind of efficient, defendable performance you need to harvest better quality forge materials with less leaf loss." The International 86 rake measured 9.5 feet wide for top raking capacity. It’s cushioned baskets and wheels give the ultimate in clean raking performance. Gentle raking action comes from five tooth bars with 20 teeth each. IH used rubber flex-joint teeth that last up to four times as long as conventional steel coil teeth and provide gentle crop management. The IH 86 positive ground drive was provided by a round belt. The brochure featured with the Ertl made IH rake is International Mowers and Rakes literature (stock# AD-31307-M3) printed sometime between 1982 and 1983.

     Ertl released the "86" IH rake in 1978. This model replaced a 1/16 IH hay rake with a white basket and International decals. I place the 86 in quates because the new red and black rake over to IH dealers did not have an International decal or model number. The rake came in the red and black Blue Print Replica box used by Ertl from 1977-1982 for IH toys. The rake was a great IH toy offering plenty of action with its five moving raking bars powered by a friction drive gear assembly that turned as the rear wheels rolled along. This action is similar to the real IH rake. Looking back at the late 1970's and early 80's toys the IH rake would have been best suited for the International 544 narrow front model or 886 with ROPS tractor. The Hay Rake is the 19 Blue Print Replica box model stock # 466. This model also came in the post 1982 tan IH box.

     In 1997 CaseIH’s newest addition to its hay line was the 8575 big baler. This mid sized baler makes 6x3x3 bales, weighing in at around 1,000 pounds in dry conditions. The 8575 can also be equipped to bale high-moisture silage bales. The double knotter system and prepacker chamber make solid square-shouldered bales that store, transport and feed well. The brochure featured with the Ertl made CaseIH 8575 baler is the 1997 CaseIH Round and Rectangular Baler guide (stock # AE 102055R1)

       The 1/16 CaseIH 8575 big baler by Ertl was first offered in 1997. The 8575 is a sharp looking toy. It retailed for about $28-$32 depending where you looked. It came with one large plastic bale. It has nice detail from the pick up head to the rear bale chute. One feature that stood out while taking the cover shots for TTT is the big gear in the bale chute. Ertl took the time to mold the gear although it is not readily visible. While taking the cover shots the sun illuminated the gear. 1997 toy tractors best suited for the 8575 baler were the the new CaseIH MX 120 Maxxum and 7220 Magnum. ( The 8575 baler is featured on The Toy Tractor Times cover this month with the MX 120)

TTT May 2003 Page 3

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