Our Story
When Freeman Rowse of Burwell, NE, built his first hydraulic dump rake in 1959, he had no idea it would turn into a nation-wide business.

Freeman (Fee) made the first two hydraulic rakes from used dump rakes for his own use. The first took about six weeks to build; the second about a week. While the Rowse family was putting up hay the first summer after building the rakes, people from South Dakota came to see the rakes. How they heard about the rakes, no one knew.

Over the next few years, Fee and his wife Betty built rakes for neighbors using their old dump rakes. At the time, Betty painted the rakes with a paint brush. Dale Mitchell of Amelia, NE was the first customer and Sandhill Equipment of Bassett, NE became the first dealer.

Rowse Hydraulic Rakes Co., Inc. was incorporated Jan. 2, 1969.

Rowse started manufacturing double sickle-bar mowers around 1967. Fee mounted an IH Number 24 pitman type mower on the drawbar of an H Farmall tractor and another 24 mower on the front axle of a car. Both mowers ran from the PTO of the tractor. A trailing mower was designed and patented in 1976.

As Fee and Betty began building a new brick home in 1968, Fee designed a three-yard scraper to fill dirt around the foundation. Rowse scrapers were born. A seven-yard model was added in1974 and a five-yard model shortly after.

In 1984, the windrow fluffer, a line of wheel rakes and the V-rakes were added. Throughout the years, calf cradles and bale movers were added, and most recently the Ultimate V-Rake was added in 2004.

Rowse Rakes markets it`s products directly through dealers and independent sales representatives. Rowse equipment is sold in 32 states and Canada. Rowse has also sold equipment as far away as Mongolia.

Today, Rowse has two plants: one in O`Neill, NE, and the original plant north of Burwell. They operate with a total of 40+ employees, with Freeman`s son Dan Rowse, still in a Secretary/Treasurer position, and grandsons, Randy Worden and Rod Rowse, as President and CEO, respectively, heading up the corporation. Betty still lives on the home place and is still an active consultant regarding the business. Great-grandsons Ty Rowse and Cameron Worden are involved in production at the Burwell plant with Ty also being Vice President.

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