I need to automate my bale handling

[Robert_in_NY]

It is good to hear these buildings are holding up well. I know our county has started putting more of them up but they are all only a few years old. The oldest one that I know of is only about 8 years old here.

 

[slowzuki]

As with the trailers, the resale potential is appealing to me too. I hate to put my family at risk with my hair brained ideas so anything I can get out of fairly easily is nice.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

As with the trailers, the resale potential is appealing to me too. I hate to put my family at risk with my hair brained ideas so anything I can get out of fairly easily is nice.

I am lucky where I am as I always need storage room even if I get out of haying. And if I have spare room I can rent storage space. My friend stores campers, planters and other items for people for $10 a foot so a 30' camper is $300 to store over winter. Not too bad if you get a few people wanting to store items inside overwinter.

But I need room to store more of my equipment inside so I hope to build the barn bigger then needed so I can store some equipment inside and after season if the trailers are empty I can store implements on the trailers so everything is stored under roof. Darn it, now I want to build a barn

 

[Hoosier Hay Man]

Kuhns Mfg makes a great small bale accumilator. Built in NE Ohio. Simple and reliable. I have had a chance to be around one quite a bit last summer and loved it.


Kuhns Mfg Home Page

 

[Renze]

This bale band it is the nicest bale accumulator i've seen... I know this is an old thread, but when i stumbled upon this on YouTube, i thought of this thread. Anyways, here it is:

YouTube - bale band it

 

[ScottAR]

My newest favorite is the Krone 1270 multi bale baler. Makes little bales inside the big bales. Problem is, one could buy a new regular square baler and a bale bandit and something else to use when the bandit is broke down for about the same money.

But that Krone is REAL slick...

 

[Robert_in_NY]

This bale band it is the nicest bale accumulator i've seen... I know this is an old thread, but when i stumbled upon this on YouTube, i thought of this thread. Anyways, here it is:

YouTube - bale band it

I know the Bale Bandit is getting more popular but the gamble is support still. If it breaks down you better have a good shop of your own to repair it or else you are stuck waiting for the Bale Bandit people to come out. If they had local dealers then I know they would sell more of them but you need something reliable and easy to fix during haying around here or else it will cost you a lot more then the $50k+ they want for the Bale Bandit.

If I recall they put 21 bales per bundle with the bale bandit. Kuhns has an accumulator that puts 18 bales per grab. Both systems need a loader and trailers to load the hay out of the field. The Bale Bandit is over $50k where as the Kuhns is around $11k. You could buy a second loader tractor with what you save by buying a Kuhns.

 

[Renze]

If I recall they put 21 bales per bundle with the bale bandit. Kuhns has an accumulator that puts 18 bales per grab. Both systems need a loader and trailers to load the hay out of the field. The Bale Bandit is over $50k where as the Kuhns is around $11k. You could buy a second loader tractor with what you save by buying a Kuhns.

You're right, in that case i'd opt for the Kuhns, and a FEL grab, as well.

My newest favorite is the Krone 1270 multi bale baler. Makes little bales inside the big bales. Problem is, one could buy a new regular square baler and a bale bandit and something else to use when the bandit is broke down for about the same money.

We stopped using all small bales since i built a front loader 4 years ago. All straw is stacked outside under an old truck tarp, and hay(lage) is wrapped.
We might stack hay in the pig barn as well next season. I'd just have to fill the 4 ft muck pit underneath, because the rotten concrete V-slot floors wont carry a 4 ton tractor.

Flakes of a cropcutter BB940 baler are just as easy to feed as flakes off a small bale. No need for small bales whatsoever.

 

[ScottAR]

If I had animals and wanted hay, big rounds or big squares would be my choice as well.

Since Robert is selling hay, most of it anyway. He must produce what will sell.

I have neither animals or hay or even land over 20 acres in one place so I really don't have
a dog in this hunt. I just like the idea of hay and farming.

I saw a farmer loading an 18 wheeler with straw bales while on a road trip last week.
He had a JD tele-lift with a kuhns grab I think. Looked really slick.

 

[Easterner]

Has anyone ever seen a hay grapple attached to the loader on a truck (Such as a hiab crane or similar)? If that works you could both pick up the stacks fairly quickly, drive to where you wanted, and use the same grapple to unload.