How To Build A Traditional Hay Stack?

[stuckmotor]

Egon,
Was mojoinco's hay cutter the same as what you used? Do you think either would work to split today's large round bales?

[stuckmotor]

The old hay knives I have seen are different from that shown. They are curved blade about two and a half feet long and taper from six inches wide to three inches in about four steps evenly spaced along the blade, thick at the heel narrow at the tip. There is a foot peg at the heel and a three foot handle that comes up and Ts like a garden spade. You would look like you were trying to ride a pogo stick using it.

Is this it and the same question as I asked egon. I occasionly need a way to split large round bales. Do you think one of those knives would work? hay knife - Dogpile Images Search

[Egon]

Egon,
Was mojoinco's hay cutter the same as what you used? Do you think either would work to split today's large round bales?

That one shown is essential the same. The one we had used three serrated sickle bar teeth as the cutters. Pretty sure it was made by a local blacksmith.

Don't know if it would cut round bales but suspect it might???



One of Today's Round Bale Cutters.

[vtsnowedin]

I've never used one but I imagine it would depend on how sharp it was and how strong you are. Wouldn't a chain saw with food grade bar oil work just fine?

[3v0]

This is a good and inexpensive system if you do not have to move the haystacks. A special truck was employed to do the moving.

We used a sweep (hay basket) on an F1 loader which was old 40 years ago. The F1 had the bucket tilt cylinder mounted behind the driver which connected to the basket with a cable. This let the sweep teeth float over the ground which broke a lot fewer teeth. We used this to buck the hay into small piles.

My father used a modern loader with a grapple fork to pickup the piles and dump them into to stack frame. The stack frame was a form for the stack, a simple metal frame with one side that opened and skids on the bottom. When available kids too young to run a tractor were used to pack the hay down.

A dump rake was used to clean up any bits left behind.

Using the stack frame made for more uniform stacks, it and a loader with a sweep are all you really need to make nice stacks If you take care when topping then they do ok without tarping. We never did but then we made a lot of hay. You may want to.

[Egon]

That is the way my Dad worked his hay towards the end. Got a neighbour with a stack mover to place the stacks in the feedlot. Then there was a movable Stantioned type fence that allowed the cattle to feed. Pretty simple machinery and low manpower

[stuckmotor]

Egon and Vtsnowedin,
Thanks. I might try to make a hay knife for round bales. A chainsaw might work but, I don't like the idea of having a hot exaust so close to a bale of hay.

[stuckmotor]

Could a haysweep on a modern loader be used to take a layer off of a stack at a time and feed it?

[3v0]

Could a haysweep on a modern loader be used to take a layer off of a stack at a time and feed it?

I doubt the teeth on a hay sweep are strong enough after the hay has settled.

[vtsnowedin]

Egon and Vtsnowedin,
Thanks. I might try to make a hay knife for round bales. A chainsaw might work but, I don't like the idea of having a hot exaust so close to a bale of hay.

Today I'd make it pretty big and mount it to the side of my loader bucket and let the loaders hydraulics do the work.