How do you straighten bent hay-rake tines?

[garyw...@thefarm.com]

I'm new to baling hay. I just have small acerage and used to just pay
someone to bale it for me in small square bales for my horses. The guy
who did it was old and he retired this year.

I contacted other people and most of them just do the large round bales,
or want way too much money for the job. So, I decided to buy some used
machinery and do it myself.

So far I have a baler for small squares and a hay rake, and two hay
wagons. I'm still looking for a mower/conditioner, so I paid one of the
guys who does round bales to just mow my field.

Today I was raking the hay and went over a stump that I was not aware
of. Three tines got bent. Out in the field I just removed them, and
replaced one of them (I only had one spare tine with me). It still
raked well.

Anyhow, I have the bent tines sitting next to me. They're not cracked
or worn, just bent. Sure, for around $10 I could just buy the three new
ones, but if I can save a buck, I will. So, I'm contemplating how to
straighten them. They are a spring steel, so I doubt that just clamping
them in a vice will do the job. I suspect that heating them with a
torch will remove their temper and they will become soft and bend all
the time.

Do you straighten them? How did the old guys do it? How do you do it?
Or do you just buy new ones and replace them?

[These are the ones that are just a coiled spring at the top and a
straight piece below].

Thanks 4 all help.

[Dean Hoffman]

I'd probably just try bending them cold in the vise with a piece of
pipe for leverage. They were bent cold. I don't remember my dad every
having that particular problem.

[boardirector]

"Dean Hoffman" wrote in message news:k6r17c$n83$1...@speranza.aioe.org...

We have a pipe bumper on the front of one of the tractors. We just slide
bent stuff in there and with a lot of umph straighten whatever.