doodlebug hay trailer

[Soundguy]

I was at TSC yesterday, and noticed they had a doodlebug single bale carry trailer. Had e-brakes.. but no lamps. The wireing for the brakes was just a 2-pin connector ( brakes full on/off? ) I was in a rush and did not ask for more info.. but was wondering if anyone else has any info.

It looks nice.. though can't imagine why no lamps. I mean.. you could buy a prewired lamp kit for 20$ hang them on, then cut the 4 pin plug off, and add a 6pin plug and incorporate the brake wires and wire to a controller.. but... I guess maybee this was just an 'off road' unit?

Anyone with any info?

Soundguy

 

[burnetma]

OK, I give... I need to see a picture to even know what you are talking about.

 

[Soundguy]

OK, I give... I need to see a picture to even know what you are talking about.

Ok..I found a link to a -similar- trailer.. though this is not the one I saw. The link is to a spear that you stab the hay, then winch it up on the trailer with.

The one i saw clamps onto the hay, and then rolls over.. but both work to carry a single round bale of hay on a truck or tractor with a ball hitch. This is good for tractors that are not setup with a rear bale carrier, or a fel. Or if you need to haul a bale home from the feed store.. etc.

Soundguy

Round Hay bale Carring Trailer.

 

[Soundguy]

Here is another.. again.. similar concept.. different design.

Untitled Document

Soundguy

 

[JerryG]

I haven't look close at the TSC TB, but would also guess that is for off road use only. To many would be letting hay go everywhere going down the road.

 

[JESSE1]

I've never seen any with lights on them. Just something to get knocked off by the cows. Tumblebug is another name for them.

 

[Willl]

brakes full on/off ?

Probably proportional, like regular electric trailer brakes.

 

[Soundguy]

I was thinking that after posting.. probably relies on the magnet field strength from the controller... Guess you'd have to butcher up a connector to get it all connected... etc.

Soundguy

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Probably proportional, like regular electric trailer brakes.

I've only been around one "tumblebug". It didn't have hydraulics to raise the bale. It required locking up the wheels and backing up to lift the bale. It had electric brakes, but they were wired "full on" or "full off". Brake was controlled via a toggle switch on a magnetic mounted controller that you could extend into a pick-up cab or place on a tractor fender. (Plugged into cig. lighter/power outlet) It wasn't DOT approved for hyway use so it was treated as a farm implement. I saw it used to move a 4'X4' round bale with a Volkswagon Jetta.

 

[HayDR]

A tumble bug is the best way to move hay. In 1975 we purchased one and start selling them the next week after the other farmers in the area saw one work. Since we started in 1972 with Vermeer round balers and were custom baling for everyone we sold all the Tumble bugs we could get our hands on. People could use a Tumble bug on a small 25 HP tractor and move 2000 LBS bales. But what sold many a tumble bug was cold weather and a open tractor. You could feed a bale with a 4 wd pickup on the way to church and never get out of the cab. New tumble bugs sell new for less than $1000. There are some copies but they will not last 25 years like the original Tumble Bug.

 

[Willl]

Interesting, I've never seen a doodle/tumble bug in action.
Although, I would almost bet it's a standard electric brake hub on the axle.

That said, if using a tow vehicle that already had an electronic brake controller one could wire it up the same way and use the lever on the controller to 'lock-n-load'.

Which brings up a question, has anybody used a electric brake controller on a tractor for a 'heavy' trailer ?

 

[Soundguy]

I've been itching to. I may get a cheapy 34 $ unit from tsc and put on my ford 5000 as i tow a 16' trailer with it. I could adjust the breaks for 'medium', and then use the panic switch if I needed to, or install some sort of feeler switch down at the break pedals in order to activate the controller automagically..

So far the idea hasn't made it from paper to metal.. but... I may have time over the holidays.

( hmm.. doesn't NH make a brake controller 'kit' for the newer units? I'll have to check this out inthe NH section )

Soundguy

 

[Willl]

Ya, I guess you would have to wire in a switch activated by the peddle.

Awhile back there was a TBN thread on tractor roll-overs that contained a link that pointed to a site that listed lots of tractor accidents.
Reading some of those listed there, I couldn't help wondering if most of those could of been prevented with controller/brake set up.

 

[Soundguy]

Probably wouldn't have hurt.. anyway.. Lots of guys have more hp than braking power.. thus some pretty big trailer loads get going. then can't stop..

Soundguy

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I've been itching to. I may get a cheapy 34 $ unit from tsc and put on my ford 5000 as i tow a 16' trailer with it. I could adjust the breaks for 'medium', and then use the panic switch if I needed to, or install some sort of feeler switch down at the break pedals in order to activate the controller automagically..

So far the idea hasn't made it from paper to metal.. but... I may have time over the holidays.

( hmm.. doesn't NH make a brake controller 'kit' for the newer units? I'll have to check this out inthe NH section )

Soundguy

I've used a brake light switch from an old Yamaha motorcycle to activate brake lights on my hay wagons. Up until this year, I had a switch on 2 tractors. All my hay racks had tail lights, brake lights, and a couple side marker lights. Just seemed like the thing to do considering the traffic on the road past the farm. Simple angle iron bracket and very basic wiring would send 12V "signal" to a brake controller instead of powering brake lights like I've done. . Many bigger gravity wagons and grain carts already come with electric brakes.

 

[Soundguy]

I may have to investigate this further.

I already have a 'special' wire harness I hook up to my tractor to an aux power plug on the fender that gives me running lamps and hazard lamps on my trailers.. but brakes would be nice, I might have to check out the specs for that controller I was looking at and see if it needed a powered line.. or just a switched line.. then look at some feeler switches at radio shack this weekend.

Wouldn't take mucg more than a small angle iron bracket, and a flexible switch couplink.. like a short piece of rubber hose, to activate a trip switch... hmm... ( like I need another project! )

Soundguy

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I may have to investigate this further.

I already have a 'special' wire harness I hook up to my tractor to an aux power plug on the fender that gives me running lamps and hazard lamps on my trailers.. but brakes would be nice, I might have to check out the specs for that controller I was looking at and see if it needed a powered line.. or just a switched line.. then look at some feeler switches at radio shack this weekend.

Wouldn't take mucg more than a small angle iron bracket, and a flexible switch couplink.. like a short piece of rubber hose, to activate a trip switch... hmm... ( like I need another project! )

Soundguy

Most of the brake controllers I'm familiar with need constant hot and switched line both. Still shouldn't be like building a rocket.

 

[Willl]

And a switch like FWJ used from a motorcycle would be an excellent choice, it's already weather proofed !

 

[Farmwithjunk]

And a switch like FWJ used from a motorcycle would be an excellent choice, it's already weather proofed !

MAN.....! Don't give away ALL my secrets! That's why I used them. That, and I had 2 of them laying around.

 

[Terry52]

Interesting, I've never seen a doodle/tumble bug in action.
Although, I would almost bet it's a standard electric brake hub on the axle.

That said, if using a tow vehicle that already had an electronic brake controller one could wire it up the same way and use the lever on the controller to 'lock-n-load'.

Which brings up a question, has anybody used a electric brake controller on a tractor for a 'heavy' trailer ?

Hi Guy's

Does anybody have a drawing of these hay Buggy's or Tumble buggs