800 LB round bales with pallet forks- how?

[RFB]

I bought a Bradco QA pallet fork, then fabricated backplates (similar to the uprights on the "forks"), burned holes into them, welded the sleeves in the back plate and made (a set of two) bale spears.

You can get the spears and sleeves here: Bale Spears

The rear of the spear is tapered and threaded, and fits into and protrudes out the rear of the sleeve. You insert the spear into the sleeve and tighten a lug nut onto the rear of the threaded spear and it locks it into the sleeve.

I move 1600lb and 800lb square bales, and this system works great.

 

[Dirtslinger2]

Thank you everybody. And that includes the safety tips!
While lifting a bale this evening I understood fully about it rolling back- it'd flatten you for sure.

I think my pallet forks are a bit short- once under it, any tipping up for balance or lifting even a bit tips it backwards and down it rolls.
If there is something solid behind the bale it works- otherwise I tip it or slide it along the ground- but I think some practice could be the answer...

 

[jgrreed]

Thank you everybody. And that includes the safety tips!
While lifting a bale this evening I understood fully about it rolling back- it'd flatten you for sure.

I think my pallet forks are a bit short- once under it, any tipping up for balance or lifting even a bit tips it backwards and down it rolls.
If there is something solid behind the bale it works- otherwise I tip it or slide it along the ground- but I think some practice could be the answer...

Buy a spear. All you need is your wife, kids, neighbor, etc. to try and move one on the forks and have an incident, one that likely won't be pretty.

-J.

 

[N80]

They make hay forks. A friend of mine uses them exclusively. They are longer than regular forks and they are round, which helps keep them from burrowing into the ground I guess, and probably can be used as a spear as well. It also has a back on it that prevents the bale from rolling backward. Also, his loader is the auto leveling type too.

 

[Eagleview]

Thank you everybody. And that includes the safety tips!
While lifting a bale this evening I understood fully about it rolling back- it'd flatten you for sure.

I think my pallet forks are a bit short- once under it, any tipping up for balance or lifting even a bit tips it backwards and down it rolls.
If there is something solid behind the bale it works- otherwise I tip it or slide it along the ground- but I think some practice could be the answer...

Which side are you trying to get under ? You must come at the bale from the rounded end with the forks like this _O_ as allready posted . The forks simply go under the rounded bottom of the bale .

 

[Kfbeal]

I would buy one of the spears with sleeve and permanently mount the sleeve in the pallet fork frame and then just remove the spear when not hauling hay. The spear will help prevent it from rolling back as well.

 

[flusher]

I just had my first experience trying to lift 2 round bales, separately. Please understand I now have a whopping 3 hours on the tractor (Kubota 50 HP)

I tried spearing them in all spots imaginable but the forks wouldn't poke through, just pushed the bales along the ground, or rolled em. Hay was tight.

Going directly under them worked in the end- but the strings snapped and I only ended picking up 2/3 of the bale. And it was VERY loose while driving, well of course without strings. Actually- one of them I actually had to roll onto the forks by hand, just couldn't get them on with tractor.

How do you generally lift them?

Thanks for any tips!!

Get yourself a bale hugger. There are many vendors who offer different designs.

165 Bale Hugger

The Major

Considering your inexperience, put your money in one of these instead of in medical bills.

 

[jgrreed]

Considering your inexperience, put your money in one of these instead of in medical bills.

or funeral bills........ just don't do it, too many things can go wrong.

Huggers can't be cheap..... my spear was 4 or 5 hundred bucks and works great. Mines a Horst, but I'm sure Markham, etc make nice ones too.

-Jer.