Hay Grapple

   / Hay Grapple #1  

kthompson

Elite Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2008
Messages
3,497
Location
South Carolina
Tractor
Kubotas B2710, M6800, L6060 cab, Volvo EC excavator, 2 ZTRs and various implements.
I and going to be baling and handling small square bales. Need to be as labor free as possible and looking for ways to not manually load the bales for hauling or to stack in barn. Have only on line seen any hay accumulator or grapple but so far like the WR Long grapple/accumulator. Under stand there is issue with some with the spacing between the bales with the rails on the accumulator in the field and loaded to haul from the field to in the barn with spacers are removed for more stable stacking.

Looking for good or bad on these attachments and for recommendations for or not to buy a certain brand or model. Will be used on tractor with front end loader.


Thanks for your help
 
   / Hay Grapple #2  
I use a NH 1012 Stackliner. Normally holds 56 bales but I can add an extra 8 bales on the front table for transport. It turns out that I sell much of my hay to customers with pickups and the 56 bale stack is perfect for this. For that reason, I only do 60 or 140 bales per night (approx. set by my mowing time) . That gives me 1 or 2 loads and a few to toss upstairs. For a late or absent customer, I can keep the 64 on-board until they arrive. (In my machinery shed)

The stacker lets me pickup bales dropped from the baler on their side (cut edge up). These shovel straight into the stacker chute. I drive to an unload area and raise the pile up to unload. Several videos on Youtube showing it operation.

It will depend on how much hay is involved, where you will deliver it to, and what extra help you have on hand. My 1012 has an automatic bale unload feature. I finally got this feature working this year and its pretty handy when loading my hay delivery trailer.

For me, the accumulator/ collector system is too tractor intensive. I only have one machine and a truck. My Stackliner cost me $2500 20 years ago or so, This year I replaced most of the hydraulic lines because the outer protective coating had cracked and rotted off.
 
   / Hay Grapple #3  
+1 for the Stackliner. You can move a lot of bales in a little time. Someday I will convince my neighbour to sell me his as he barely uses it, but loves it too much to give it up. Fill it up, bring it back to your stack yard, tip up the stack and tarp it. With a little practice it makes a nice tight stack, no need to store indoors if you tarp the top. In our climate at least, once the snow flies just pull the tarp off and feed from the top down, bales will not take any water damage.

That accumulator grapple is pretty neat but still you are going to have to stack on your trailer and then unstack the trailer when you get back to the yard and re-stack in barn or stack yard. The big questions being, how high can you reach, how accurately can you stack and... how well does the device grab bales to unstack from the trailer. I feel you will need the removable rails or you will never line it up and end up pushing over your whole load!

I have a buncher but it's not a real accumulator as my bales get dragged across the ground and just end up well, in bunches. I don't use it much, because the messy bunches then keep me from borrowing the stackliner. I only put up a couple hundred for arctic cold emergencies and lambing time so it's not a big deal for me to hire a few boys to hand bomb them either. Been looking at a stooker, actually, as my biggest issue with squares is having to pick them ASAP before they get rained on.
 
   / Hay Grapple #4  
We used to have a Stackliner. Every time we used it I wanted to push it into the river or burn it. Ended up selling it.

I've looked multiple times as the WR Long grapple/accumulator. When my dad gets too old to run the bailing tractor, I'll need to come up with some other way to pick up hay. Right now its me and a helper on the trailer. We generally put up 4000 bales a year.

I wish they would delver to the farm and let me demo it for an afternoon. If it truly works like, it would be an easy decision.
I look forward to your opinion of the unit if you ever get one.
 
   / Hay Grapple #6  
Give these folks a call. Kuhns Mfg LLC | Innovation in small square bale handling. They have matching setups. I have one of their small grapples and love it. Search my user name for what I went through and pictures of my set up. I think I posted under the 17 hay season too. Check out http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/haying/379608-starting-hay-season-2017-a-2.html post #20 My unit has been excellent to work with and is well made. It was also the bet price I could find too and they were willing to work with me to get a good fit for my situation and make sure it would work with my tractor.
 
 
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