Abatis, What were you using on the FEL to handle the bale? QA with bale fork or forks attached to bucket or pallet fork? I'm curious because due to late second crop the availabilty of 4X4 bales in my area is scarce, but I can find some 4X5 & more 5X5s and wondering what the max. I could use/handle on same loader. Mine picks and handles 4X4 with no trouble, so thinking I could go with 4X5. Not sure if I could think of going any larger. Note: these are all mixed grass bales & I have loaded tires, 600 lb. ballast, use QA bale fork.
I was using the chain-on type tubular fork lift bars to (try) lift the 1000lb round bales off the hay delivery flat bed. I got them off more my dragging them off than lifting. I think those long tubes put the lift point way out there and thus the poor performance. I am now thinking to try taking my bucket off (Bob-tach) and chaining my 3PT bale spike to the FEL bracket and that will move my lift point way in compared to the fork lift tubes. By the way those chain on forklift tubes work pretty slick for most lifting needs without having to remove the bucket and are pretty strong. I may try this tonight when I get home. I only need to lift the round bales to put a feed net around them and than move them to a covered feed station I built that is 50 feet from my hay storage barn.