Description:The hay kicker was used during the haymaking process. Compared to earlier haymaking machines it was light, making it easier to manoeuvre. As it was pulled along it would flick the cut grass ensuring it would dry evenly to make good quality hay. It was developed in the United States in the 1860s but did not become popular in England until the 1890s.
The manufacturer is unknown and it could be a British-made model, or possibly an 'Osborne' kicker made by the International Harvester Company. The donor remembered it being used by his father at Roewen, Conway, north Wales around 1905, and it was later used in the Stafford area. Originally horse-drawn, it has since had a tractor drawbar added.
Dimensions: length 2000mm, width 3000mm, wheel diameter 1270mm.
This object is now part of the Staffordshire County Museum collection, and was restored in 2007 with the assistance of MLA West Midlands' Supporting Stewardship grant.