Suggestion on tractor to lift big round bales

[ciaobb2]

Hey! new member looking to upgrade my old Kubota for one that can front lift and move around round bales (probably 1500 lbs) and hoping for suggestions from the group. thanks

[gwdixon]

Hey! new member looking to upgrade my old Kubota for one that can front lift and move around round bales (probably 1500 lbs) and hoping for suggestions from the group. thanks

Lots of folks on here really like the Kubota M7040 for that job. Bucket lift to the top is 2500 pounds. 3PH is 3300 pounds.

If you are used to, or want, a HST you'll have to go with a smaller tractor.

[boggen]

double check on "width of tractors" and see if you can turn the rims around to gain a couple more inches of width, or if you need wheel spacers. that extra width while overall it may completely count up. might make it a tad more safer in stack bales up high, and keep from rolling everything onto the side.

see about rear tires being filled with a fluid, to counter balance some of the weight placed on the front of the unit.

4wheel drive can be nice, if feeding bales at all times during year, and needing to drive through a muddy lot to feed the live stock.

maneuvering around to stack / load them = a lot of gear shift and clutch work. get something that is more of a auto transmission. much smoother ride, and more likely to drive right up into something, vs grinding gears and poping clutches and getting jerkyness in the tractor and risk a roll over, more so if you have bails up in the air on the FEL and trying to make for that nice final straight drive to place that bail.

manual gear transmissions have there places. but when ya got your feet busy (brakes/gas pedal), and your hands busy already (steering and FEL or 3pt hitch), there is nothing left, to grab a hold of a gear shifter and dis-engage a clutch.

while moving hay bails is one thing, what equipment besides moving will the tractor see? any row crop field usage, or bailing? those features may predict a larger tractor. example baler requiring a larger PTO HP rating.

[Egon]

How many bales are handled. What is the lift height and reach required. What kind of conditions will the work be done in. ( ground, hills, rain, snow, ice wind ) ?

[MHarryE]

In addition to number of bales and lift height, there are questions like is it for gathering your own bales or for unloading trucks that haul the bales to you, then using them for feeding. We use a JD6320 full size utility for gathering most of our bales and also feeding, but we also use our Kubota L5740 for some depending on location (farm stretches over 4 miles). The L5740 cannot really handle a bale on the front without a bale on the rear for ballast. Before we traded for the L5740 we had a L3710 that could handle a bale on the rear spear but couldn't lift a 4 x 5 round bale on the front.

[RPW]

For general bale moveing I like JD 5000 series. Haven't found a bale I can't lift and most without rear ballast. It's also economical to operate.

Good luck.

[texasjohn]

I had same question. Got a 50ish hp HST tractor, L5030. Does grand job IF AND ONLY IF there is sufficient rear ballast. I have a 3PH bale fork and FEL bale spear. Rear tires loaded and extra 150 lbs on hay fork.

Works this way...
Moving 1 bale, use rear bale fork when going a distance. Or, if 1000 lb implement on rear, I can use FEL spike safely with a bale.
repositioning 1 bale when I MUST use the FEL spike and no bale/weight on rear, it's tippy, go slow, keep bale low. short distance only.

Moving 2 bales, load 3PH bale first, then load bale on FEL spike. No problem when operated within reason.

Warning...all cases...keep front load low, no more than 2 feet off ground when moving at any speed at all. Also, DO NOT turn corners at speed with FEL spike loaded with a bale...things get very, very tippy fast if you do, even with good rear ballast.

Point is, you will need a 50+hp tractor, proper rear weight and proper handling/care to get the job done safely. I consider HST and 4WD mandatory for the chore. I can stack bales 2 high, but not 3 high

Hey! new member looking to upgrade my old Kubota for one that can front lift and move around round bales (probably 1500 lbs) and hoping for suggestions from the group. thanks

[KYDan]

You don't say what your budget is or what other tasks you want from this tractor. Do you want/need a cab, are you going to use it with an FEL for other chores, mowing, haying, plowing, etc.? If you want an economical, effective tractor the MX series are great for a lot of applications. I have the MX 5100 and love it. I have not moved any round bales with it yet, but I am sure it would handle 1500lb. ones effectively. I have moved large logs with it that are heavier than 1500 lbs. effectively, however, at the top of the lift the tractor is a little "tippy" I have R4's on it which gives it a wider stance, eco fluid in the rear tires and I usually have a 700+ lb. box blade on the 3 pt. hitch. I have moved heavy loads with the loader with nothing on the 3 pt. hitch and it will move them, but I limit how high I lift the load as I notice a significant difference in the sure-footedness of the tractor. If moving a lot of hay you would most likely be better off with the M 70 series or larger.

[moriboy]

I purchased an M7040 primarily for dealing with 4x5 round bales. Seems to be a good choice so far. It's big enough to feel stabile in most situations and small enough to maneuver well in tight spaces. I run with filled tires and wheel weights also.

[SPYDERLK]

I had same question. Got a 50ish hp HST tractor, L5030. Does grand job IF AND ONLY IF there is sufficient rear ballast. I have a 3PH bale fork and FEL bale spear. Rear tires loaded and extra 150 lbs on hay fork.

Works this way...
Moving 1 bale, use rear bale fork when going a distance. Or, if 1000 lb implement on rear, I can use FEL spike safely with a bale.
repositioning 1 bale when I MUST use the FEL spike and no bale/weight on rear, it's tippy, go slow, keep bale low. short distance only.

Moving 2 bales, load 3PH bale first, then load bale on FEL spike. No problem when operated within reason.

Warning...all cases...keep front load low, no more than 2 feet off ground when moving at any speed at all. Also, DO NOT turn corners at speed with FEL spike loaded with a bale...things get very, very tippy fast if you do, even with good rear ballast.

Point is, you will need a 50+hp tractor, proper rear weight and proper handling/care to get the job done safely. I consider HST and 4WD mandatory for the chore. I can stack bales 2 high, but not 3 high

All good. We started out using the Mahindra, but my wife likes to do it with Her Tractor - the L3450. We keep the 1300# Rears flail with sideshift on it mostly and this is an effective counterweight. The Kub has loaded AGs set medium width. She hasnt had any close calls, but I warn her occasionally carrying a feed bail on sidehill when I see her forget to keep the flail low and sidshifted uphill. Shes good with speed and keeping the bale low cuz shes looking right at it.
larry