Car hauler for round bales

[Duffster]

Each bale is subject to different weghts. I buy 5x5's and they run about 1200 lbs each.

Lee

What is the GVWR of your trailer and how many are you looking to haul?

Do you load with a loader? I would just stack them allowing you to haul 4 or 5with out width concerns.

 

[L_Nicholson]

Its a 7k lb trailer. Yes, I use a loader. I've stacked them in the past but had a situation where one rolled off. So I've been a little gun shy about stacking. My width issues are a non-issue. I'm not hauling too far.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Its a 7k lb trailer. Yes, I use a loader. I've stacked them in the past but had a situation where one rolled off. So I've been a little gun shy about stacking. My width issues are a non-issue. I'm not hauling too far.

A 7,000# GVWR trailer is going to weigh 2,000# or so. That leaves you 5,000# for the hay. I would say 4 to 5 bales is going to be you limit.

Chris

 

[Ken45101]

3 1600 pound bales is all you can haul on a typical 7k GVWR "car" hauler weight wise. 6 would be way over weight.

Around here typical bales are 800-1000# at best.

Anything short of a semi hauling hay 2 hours is a waste of time IMO.

Waste of time? What should I do, let the horses starve? Or feed them the rotten hay available closer?

I used to get round bales just across the road. It was fair to poor quality hay until the year it rained on Sunday, he cut Monday morning and baled that afternoon! That was the end of buying close to home.

Once I'm on the road, it doesn't really matter if it's a five mile trip or a 30 mile trip.

Actually now I've quit buying round bales and gone to buying square bales. But square bales are rare around here and I'm traveling a little over an hour to find quality hay. Again, a little extra travel time is immaterial compared to the overall loading/unloading/stacking time.

Ken

 

[Diamondpilot]

Around here typical bales are 800-1000# at best.



Waste of time? What should I do, let the horses starve? Or feed them the rotten hay available closer?

I used to get round bales just across the road. It was fair to poor quality hay until the year it rained on Sunday, he cut Monday morning and baled that afternoon! That was the end of buying close to home.

Once I'm on the road, it doesn't really matter if it's a five mile trip or a 30 mile trip.

Actually now I've quit buying round bales and gone to buying square bales. But square bales are rare around here and I'm traveling a little over an hour to find quality hay. Again, a little extra travel time is immaterial compared to the overall loading/unloading/stacking time.

Ken

I think what he is getting at is when you factor in the cost involved the cost per bale with anything less than a semi is outrageous. There are many things when you go to get them you have to get lots to make it worthwhile. For example, I was going and getting trailers from Southern MO and if I could not haul 8 at a time (double pulling 2 4 trailer stacks) it was not worth it.

If you plan a head and find a trucker doing a back haul I guarantee you he can do it cheaper per bale if going more than 50 miles than you could with your setup. Maybe you could break even with a Diesel 1 ton and a 30' GN capable of hauling 15 bales or more.

Chris

 

[Ken45101]

LOL. A semi couldn't get into most of these places and I'm sure their cost for a single trip would be higher than my cost making several trips. And a semi certainly couldn't get up my driveway. Heck semi's don't even like coming down our road, which is a county "highway".

Ken

 

[Diamondpilot]

LOL. A semi couldn't get into most of these places and I'm sure their cost for a single trip would be higher than my cost making several trips. And a semi certainly couldn't get up my driveway.

Ken

It may not get up your drive way but you would be surprised on the cost per load mile. We have boats brought up from Tennessee and Kentucky for about $2 per load mile. We pay a loading fee at one end.

Chris

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I think 5' bales would be fine going single file on that trailer. If you want to go two wide then set them down up to the fenders then set two on the fender edge so they tilt in. You can double your weight and still have the majority of each bale on the deck. Just don't skimp on strapping. I argued with my father quite often about adding more straps when hauling hay. He called me stupid but when your crawling to a stop and rolling bales off the road before someone hits them then I don't say a word. We use more straps after that and when I say use a couple more he doesn't argue.

The only concern would be weight as far as the trailer capacity and tow vehicle capacity. Also width may be an issue depending on where your at.

 

[Hoosier Hay Man]

I can haul upto 11 4x5 bales on my 20ft trailer. I normally haul 7 to 8 for myself since I have only a IH766 or JD4430 with a 3 point sprear to load at the farm. The 766 three point goes high enough to get them on my trailer. The one between the fenders I roll forward. I have double stacked with the
Kioti loader and it handled it fine. I am trying to keep the Kioti home for the winter to clear snow and feed the bales.
If I do eight I have to have the third row back bales set on the fenders and tilt into each other like Robert_in_NY stated earlier. The pics below show a load of seven bales.
I always tie them down just in case. I even tie down my hay wagons of small squares. Cargo straps are easy to use and you can get a load tied down tight in no time.
Makes towing hay a whole lot less stressful.

 

[Soundguy]

i feel your pain.

for years I had to deal with a 16' car hauler as my only hay moving source. with local hay either too poor quailty to feed to horses.. or none available, i found myself either pating ripoff prices and still making hour plus round trips, or going to 2 hour round trips and getting a slightly better deal. on my 16' hauling about the same bales as you state.. ie.. up to 1000# i found the best I could do on my 16' trailer was 4, and that was crowding the front a lil and rear a lil. I'd top strap, and angle strap the front and rear, and then side strap the 2 center ones for stability when loded 4 long. in a few cases I even dropped the trailer and had the farmer load a bale into my bed of my truck, then re hitched and got 4 .. thus hauling 5.. twas a PITA to do so.. and still nee dmore next month. Best thing I ever did was got my gooseneck trailer can get 10 large bales easilly into the first row, and double stack another 8 if needed. making a 2 hour trip plus another hour or so to laod and tie aint so bad when you can get that many at a haul.

I wish you luck... btd with the squares as well.. when hay was scarce i was driving 3 cities north anf getting 100 squares on that 16' hauler and paying out the nose.. I don't miss that for sure...

soundguy