Fodder production is one of the most important sectors of the agro-industrial complex of Ukraine, the pace and scientific and technical level of development of which largely determines the solution of the country's food problem, full satisfaction of the population's food needs. A limiting factor for the development of this industry is the lack of efficient, easy-to-use and cheap equipment for collecting, raking, stirring, and pressing domestically produced hay, which would be able to compete with foreign analogues. The publication is devoted to the development of a hydraulic drive of the working bodies of the rake of a thief. The analysis of the designs of the existing machines for raking hay into rolls is carried out. A characteristic feature of these machines is the presence of specialized working bodies and the need to ensure a given frequency of their rotation. The proposed hydraulic scheme for the drive of the working bodies. The hydraulic drive consists of a variable displacement pumping station, a hydraulic flow divider and two hydraulic motors. The use of this drive allows to simplify the layout of the machine and provide an efficient drive in compliance with all process requirements. In addition, the use of a hydraulic drive allows you to increase the number of working bodies, thereby increasing the width of the rake - hackers. The introduction of these changes in the design of this unit will allow to reduce the number of passes of the rake-hacker and pick-up press across the field, thereby ensuring fuel economy. As the review of literary sources shows, the issues of collecting and storing hay are relevant not only for our country, but also for other European countries. The designs of domestic rakes - hackers are morally obsolete, do not meet modern agrotechnical requirements, have a small working width and require frequent repair and maintenance. Based on the results of the analysis of the designs of the drives of the working bodies of the rake - hackers, a hydraulic scheme for the drive of the working bodies was proposed. A feature of this hydraulic drive is the presence of a throttle flow distributor with the possibility of smooth flow control.