Abstract: A hay raking machine of the present invention for attachment to a tractor with a single point hitch has a lifting mechanism for lifting the hay raking machine above cut hay laying on the ground while keeping the rake arms substantially level to the ground. The lifting mechanism employs two hydraulic cylinders working in tandem, with one cylinder located at the rear of the machine below the cam assembly for the rake arms, and the other cylinder located at the front of the machine which attaches to the single point hitch. The front cylinder cooperates with an assembly of four hitch arms in a parallelogram configuration for raising and lowering the front of the machine in unison with the rear of the machine. A farmer therefore has control over the height of the hay raking machine and its raking arms both during raking operations and during transport over roads or other potentially damaging surfaces.