Bale Handling

[DelawareDale]

I would like some thoughts on new holland stack wagons. I checked into the bale bandit and thought the price was a misprint. Checked into the netherex system the lowest priced and simplest of the accumulator grab system. I like the idea of the bale wagon but it won't fit into my barn and unload. Do they make grabs that work for these? I would be storing in a retired poultry house thats only 11 feet high, the door is 12 feet wide. I was thinking about using a stack wagon and a set of grabs to carry it in. The only thing I don't like about the netherex system is the amount of traffic on the field. I'd need a loader in the field some thing to pull the wagon and I'd need another loader at the barn to put it in with. We are about 9 miles from the Delaware bay and an East wind can be almost as bad as a rain. Speed is everything here. I have to do some thing to get the hand labor out of small square bales I find I just can't hire any one at any price to do this kind of work . I can't run the tractor and be on the wagon at the same time.

 

[5030]

Dale:

I too have the labor problem except I borrow the migrants when I can. I have never seen any system that will do under 11 foot. Either you have to raise the roof or wing it.

Like I said before, Haying isn't easy, if it was, everyone would do it.

The only feasible system for me is to roll rounds, then un-roll them in the barn and feed the square bailer and make squares in the barn itself. There is an un-roller on the market, but it's pricey too. I considered using a manure spreader to unroll bales with a drop sheet to feed the bailer. 11 foot and rounds work pretty well together.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

He could also go to large squares. There are some guys up here who sell large square bales to dairy farmers. Go with a mixture of large squares and small to take advantage of the weather. Do large for first cutting since it is faster and smalls for second and third.

Or just build a bigger building for the NH bale wagon. Depending on your storage needed you will be looking at around 15-20k.

 

[HayDR]

Unless you have a large amount of custom work and or your own hay the large square baler are too cost prohibitive. The baler alone will be $60,000 - 80,000 and you will need a 100 HP tractor to pull it and new bale handling equipment to load the bales on a tractor trailer. Remember only a few customers can handle the large square bales. You can purchase a good used New Holland bale stacker from $2,500- $10,000 depending on the size you need. You can harvest small square bales and sell much easier to the horse customers that will pay more per ton than the dairy farmers.

 

[Old_Hickory]

<font color="blueclass=small">( <font color="blue"> The only feasible system for me is to roll rounds, then un-roll them in the barn and feed the square bailer and make squares in the barn itself. </font>

That is a good idea!! Not that I have any balers at present,but an interesting thought on your part.
Where there is a will there is a way !!

How many square bales do you do a day ?

 

[art]

We have a customer that has his dad do rounds because he can get them picked up and store them while he is on the road. When he sells it he uses an self loading bale grinder that feeds onto a hydraulic drive conveyor into the front of his square baler that throw's the into the van trailer to be stacked for delivery.

 

[cowboydoc]

I agree with CCI. Your only low cost way to do this is with a bale stacker. You would have to put the stack outside the barn and then use a conveyor to move the bales inside to be stacked. That is what we do on the bales we stack inside. Almost all of our stacks in Idaho are outside and that's where hay stackers are really prevalent. But there's very little rain out there.

5030 has a good idea as well with those bale unrollers but they are in the $30-50k range as well so you are going to have to do alot of small squares to pay for one.

 

[Old_Hickory]

You guys out west operate on a </font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="red"> </font> LOT )</font> bigger scale then this hillside farm boy.
I have unrolled a few round bales on the barn floor with a 2"x6" for leverage and used a pitchfork to put the hay in a manger, but not near the quanity you guys are dealing with.Like I say,where there is a will there is a way.

 

[40Kchicks]

I’m no expert on hay but I have seen hay squeezes used in our area. There is a company that sells a small squeeze called a hay buddy. They also make some other simple bale gathering tools. They may work for moving bale piles into the barn for you. It can be found at haybuddy .

As far as not being able to drive and handle bales at the same time that’s what a good wife and kids are for.

 

[rockinmywaypa]

I have seen a few trailing wagons here that are like a giant 'V' shape. The bales slide out of the baler up a chute to the top and fall in, pushed by the baler plunger. When full you drive to the storage area and the back side opens to dump the load then back to the field for more or if you have extra tractors and drivers you could have two and trade off in the field to keep the baler going. Right now I can't think of the company's name.