Switching to a MergePro hay merger saves $14,239 per season versus rotary rakes — about 38% less operating cost over 2,250 acres.
38%
Total Saving
Rotary Rakes
Conventional setup
$37,682
Operating cost / season
335 hr
Total hours
$25.12
$ / ton DM
MergePro Hay Merger
Anderson advantage
$23,443
Operating cost / season
204 hr
Total hours
$15.62
$ / ton DM
1 · Raking / Merging
Rotary rakes$7,037 · 133 hr
Hay merger$5,930 · 89 hr
Saving−$1,107 (16%)
2 · Chopping
After rake$21,005 · 102 hr
After merger$12,004 · 58 hr
Saving−$9,002 (43%)
3 · Silage Box Hauling
After rake$9,640 · 102 hr
After merger$5,509 · 58 hr
Saving−$4,131 (43%)
Why the savings grow with every cutting. A rotary rake handles one swath at a time — so the chopper has to drive every windrow in the field, no matter how light the cut. The MergePro hay merger picks up swaths on a belt and drops them aside, combining 2 or 3 light swaths into one bigger windrow. The chopper drives less, faster, with a more uniform feed. The lighter the cutting, the bigger the win.
Chopper and silage trailer
Operating Cost Breakdown ($ / season)
Hours in the Field (hr / season)
Chopper Travel Distance per Cutting
Total chopper distance per season: 1,195 km with rakes vs 837 km with the merger — a 30% reduction without cutting any acres from the operation.
Why this matters in a single graph
Because yield falls from 1st (≈55%) to 2nd (≈30%) to 3rd cutting (≈15%), the merger's swath-combining ability pays back more and more as the season progresses. The 3rd cutting alone delivers 60% less chopper travel — the single biggest line in the savings model.
Additional Savings & Hidden Income
Chopper knives life — saving / season
$1,733
Hours saved (more contracts possible)
131 hr
Total saving + knives
$15,973
Saving per acre
$7.10
For dairy farms: Cleaner forage from the merger reduces ash content by 1–2%, which has been measured to increase milk production by 1–2 kg/cow/day. On a 250-cow herd producing 11,000 L/year, that translates to roughly $41,000 of extra milk revenue per year — money the contractor can capture as a premium service fee.
Detailed Cost & Time Breakdown
Operation 1st cutting 2nd cutting 3rd+ cutting Season
Calculations follow the original Excel ROI model. The chopper and silage box benefit most because the merger combines lighter 2nd and 3rd cutting swaths into one bigger windrow, reducing chopper travel by 30% on the 2nd cut and 60% on the 3rd. Speed inside the windrow also rises (+35% / +25% / +15% at 1st / 2nd / 3rd cut respectively) because the chopper handles a more uniform feed.