cheap DIY way to move round bales with sub compact tractor

   / cheap DIY way to move round bales with sub compact tractor #1  

wguisbert54

New member
Joined
Mar 2, 2012
Messages
1
Location
Mifflintown, Pa
Tractor
Massey Fergusson GC2600
Looking around on the internet youtube the cheapest thing out there for moving rond bales is a roll behind device at Tractor Supply Company for $999.00.



I have a sub-compact diesel Massey Ferguson, the specs say the 3 point hitch can lift 1190 lbs. I read that the biggest round bales weigh about 1500lbs, so that ain't gonna work! Plus I'm afraid the front end would just lift off the ground.



You tube shows a "round bale dolly" that looks cool, but can't find where to buy!



I was thinking of maybe trying to get a hood from a car at a junk yard, and seeing if I could roll a bale on it and just drag it.



Any ideas?
 
   / cheap DIY way to move round bales with sub compact tractor #2  
Well, there are different sizes for round bales and many around here are well under 1000#. However, you may not have enough machine to handle even the 700# bales. I have used the loader on a Kubota B21 TLB to move and stack 800-900# bales, but it was very marginal with some of them. The loader on the B21 is rated for a little under 900# IIRC.

As for the dolly, a couple of things come to mind: 1) How are you going to get the bale up on the dolly? 2) those probably work only on smooth, hard surfaces, e.g. concrete or level, solid gravel, not rough dirt and mud. 3) will you have enough traction to move the dolly? (Again, probably works on concrete or gravel.)

I don't know the details of what you have or can have, but it sounds to me like you had better stick to square bales or be looking for a bigger tractor.

Ken
 
   / cheap DIY way to move round bales with sub compact tractor #4  
Yeah, that $1760 plus your MF will probably buy a tractor that's actually capable of moving round bales safely.

//greg//
 
   / cheap DIY way to move round bales with sub compact tractor #5  
Looking around on the internet youtube the cheapest thing out there for moving rond bales is a roll behind device at Tractor Supply Company for $999.00.



I have a sub-compact diesel Massey Ferguson, the specs say the 3 point hitch can lift 1190 lbs. I read that the biggest round bales weigh about 1500lbs, so that ain't gonna work! Plus I'm afraid the front end would just lift off the ground.



You tube shows a "round bale dolly" that looks cool, but can't find where to buy!



I was thinking of maybe trying to get a hood from a car at a junk yard, and seeing if I could roll a bale on it and just drag it.



Any ideas?
What are you doing with the bales? Why don't you unload them where you need them? I buy 4'x5' rounds which are about 800-1000lbs and before I got my tractor I'd move them by hand and with the ATV.
A simple hay hook or a hay fork lets you spin them around in place and I used the hay hook and a chain on the atv to stand them up off of their flat side. I also used the ATV to roll the bales downhill to our feeding area just by keeping the atv in front of the bale and letting it rub on the rear rack to control speed. I could get my trailer within 60' of where I wanted the bales so it wasn't a big deal to manually move them.
Anyways, if you're not going far with the bales. Buy 4x5's or 4x4's if you can find them, and get a 3pth spear. Even if you can't get the bale all the way off the ground, you can drive a small distance with the bottom sliding on the ground. Or you can even just roll them around with the bucket on the FEL. Hay is heavy but its not like trying to move a 1000lb concrete block, it rolls and slides and rotates pretty easily on flat ground.
 
   / cheap DIY way to move round bales with sub compact tractor #6  
Hay is heavy but its not like trying to move a 1000lb concrete block, it rolls and slides and rotates pretty easily on flat ground.
Once it's sat exposed on open ground for a few months, it's not round anymore. Some I moved yesterday was a foot shorter than when rolled, the bottom having spread into a 2' wide flat spot. Ain't no rollin' or slidin' that stuff. In fact, I venture that they'd be difficult to get on that tumblebug as well. When they get like that, you're talkin' lift & carry.

//greg//
 
   / cheap DIY way to move round bales with sub compact tractor #7  
Once it's sat exposed on open ground for a few months, it's not round anymore. Some I moved yesterday was a foot shorter than when rolled, the bottom having spread into a 2' wide flat spot. Ain't no rollin' or slidin' that stuff. In fact, I venture that they'd be difficult to get on that tumblebug as well. When they get like that, you're talkin' lift & carry.

//greg//
Yep and that would be a heavy bale too! I don't buy outdoor hay and all the indoor stored hay seems to stacked on their sides. So they are round and dry, then I move it to just over the fence from where I feed. It might sit there for a month or two but I'm cutting them open and forking the hay into the feeders. We've got goats so its only 100lbs a day and you can walk around with a forkful of hay without getting trampled! If we were feeding cattle I'd do something different!
 
   / cheap DIY way to move round bales with sub compact tractor #9  
I have a B3200. I feed 40, 700# round bales per year. No problem with spear attached to the bucket. Self made bracket.

I had to buy more hay but I could only get 1100 to 1200# round bales. This was a problem. Fortunately I have two spears mounted side by side. I couldn't lift much but I could lift and push. Not much of a problem.
 
 
 
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