I need to automate my bale handling

[Robert_in_NY]

Well, if you lived closer we could almost go partners in one of those Krone big balers that make individual bales within the big bale but for the cost I doubt either of us can justify it. We can buy a lot of wagons and put up a huge building to store hay in for just the cost of that baler.

This is how I look at it. How much work can I physically do by myself anymore and how many people can I count on to be reliable. So far the only reliable workers I have are my father and one friend and both of them can only help when they are not working their own jobs.

I like the accumulator system because it is basically a simple system with very little to go wrong and if something did it should be an easy fix. But the down side is you have to have a lot of wagons or semi trailers handy and a loader tractor free to load the bales on the wagon. The bright side is if you only have help in the afternoon they can show up and start loading wagons while you finish baling. Then one can run wagons to the barn while the other finishes loading them. The downside is you can't unload the wagons unless you have a second loader tractor or hand labor so you are limited by wagons as to how much you can bale.

I really like the NH self propelled wagon because you can haul 160 bales at a time and unload them all at once. Then with the grabs on the loader you can stack the hay in pole barns that are not tall enough for the stack wagon to unload in. This way it is all machine work unless the stack tips over. I think cost wise both systems are a wash for a good used NH stack wagon vs any accumulator system.

What I would love to see is an accumulator with an accumulator so when you get a full stack in the main accumulator it will dump on the second rack and you can carry it to the end of the field to keep all the hay in one or two locations making pickup a lot faster and easier. Occasionally it will work out where you will need to drop in the middle of the field but the less trips thru the field the better.

I am thinking if you had a spare flatbed trailer where you can stack 600 bales you could almost get by laying pallets on top of the hay on the trailer then tarp the entire load with a good tarp. The pallets will allow air flow (I am not sure if it would be enough but is an idea) so the hay should be ok and if you have to deliver it it is already loaded. Depending on how much hay you put up each year you can get by with a few trailers. I usually put all my hay in customers barns so 3 trailers would be great as it would allow me to load up to 1800 bales out of the field and deliver to my customers. I would also have a few flat racks for customers who can't accept a tractor trailer and give me more room to load out hay from the field (up to 2400 bales). Park them back to back and you can tarp them like any tractor trailer.

Then one decent sized barn with doors on both ends and you can pull each trailer in side by side and park them under cover eliminating the need to tarp or the need to unload. Now I am thinking about going the accumulator route

 

[redneckford]

Robert

One of my customers had a bale wagon and he made pallets to fit on the table rack fork---he removed the forks that hit the ground when the load was stood up. He used plastic strapping to tie the bales to the pallet then stood the pallet up at the end of the field (103 bale model i believe),used his rough terrain fork lift to load them on a dual tandem trailer, hauled them to the barn,unloaded the pallet and all into the barn with fork lift----would load the pallet of hay back on the trailer and deliver the hay to the customer. Sometime he would unload bale by bale by hand but mostly he unloaded the whole pallet and picked it up after the next load. I think he handled about 50,000 bales of coastal Bermuda. This would also work on the self proppelled models also. He started with wood pallets but I saw he had changed some out to light metal---He built all the pallets himself.

 

[slowzuki]

If you could bundle each load like that from a bale wagon, it would be a fantastic option!

How much loader? Hmm, that little 1030 I think holds 60 bales, 60x40 lbs (I make smallish bales) is 2400 lbs. To get that up to a flatbed... hmm a decent loader on a 100 hp tractor could do that all day long.

Banding is a few bucks... With some planing you could band on the 2nd rack...

Gears spinning.

Also Robert, I think I have seen an accumulator, with an accumulator. I think it was one of the hydraulic or ground powered ones.

 

[deereguy]

The other day I Googled Custom Hay Harvesters- just to see if they had any pictures and could make our operation more efficient. One operator used a New Holland Auto Stack Wagon and stacked the bales on the side of the field for the customers, then it was up to the customer to use a hay grapple on a loader or hand load whichever they prefered. Or there was another service with a guy on a hay grapple on a truck (like a drywall delivery truck) that would pick up 12 or so bales off the stack in the field and deliver it to the customer. I thought the later idea would be a great benefit if you had to travel much distance between field and customer.

 

[redneckford]

If you could bundle each load like that from a bale wagon, it would be a fantastic option!

How much loader? Hmm, that little 1030 I think holds 60 bales, 60x40 lbs (I make smallish bales) is 2400 lbs. To get that up to a flatbed... hmm a decent loader on a 100 hp tractor could do that all day long.

Banding is a few bucks... With some planing you could band on the 2nd rack...

Gears spinning.

Also Robert, I think I have seen an accumulator, with an accumulator. I think it was one of the hydraulic or ground powered ones.

Slowzuki

The reason it worked so well for his operation is that many of his small fields were several miles from his hay sheds---He changed his barn (used it to park his equipment in)and went to using lean-to hay sheds because it was easier to set the pallets under them with the forklift---the reason he used a rough terrain fork lift is that it was cheaper than another tractor(used forklift from the oil fields) and he could pick up the pallet from the end and set it accross the trailer---this bale wagon stacked the bales 3 bales wide where as yours just does it two bales wide----took a little time to band the bales on the third table ---but he had the banding on a spool under the third table and used a cable to pull the banding around the bales on the table----he tried metal banding but plastic worked better for less ---sorry to say he got a job working for the government (state Forestry??)and quit the hay business---sold all the equipment and pallets to someone out of state! I have a 1030 and a 1012 and we are going to build a few pallets this winter and see how it works for us on Horse hay!
Also thinking of finding an old lumber yard truck with a mobile forklift attached to the rear----talk about able to deliver hay and never touch it!!!

 

[slowzuki]

Its not pictured but the "windrower" option on this accumulator lets you hold a pack to drop on command.

Super Bale Accumulators High Capacity | David Ritchie (Implements) Ltd

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Its not pictured but the "windrower" option on this accumulator lets you hold a pack to drop on command.

Super Bale Accumulators High Capacity | David Ritchie (Implements) Ltd

Thanks for the link. I have e-mailed Kuhns asking if they might be able to build a second table for their accumlator as they are not too far away from me and they have a reputation of working with farmers to meet their requirements. But if someone already does make this type of accumulator I know it is possible and gives me options to consider.

As of now I am leaning towards the accumlator and 3 semi trailers. I know if I need more trailers I can borrow my friends as they only use theirs for grape harvest. A 40' wide barn would allow me to park 3 trailers in there easily and if I make it 80' long I could park 4 wagons in there also with plenty of room. I would want to put a bi-fold door on the one end and just back the trailers in for storage. The Bi-fold door will allow the entire end to open and close making access to the barn simple.

 

[slowzuki]

I like the trailers idea Robert, for a couple of reasons. I prefer owning equipment useful in multiple industries. If I need to sell you can liquidate that stuff better than special equipment.

I'm currently looking at an open ended tarp building as a solution. We need a new equipment shed and my sisters farm has a 80x120 pad already gravelled from a previous owners riding area. I'm thinking about it pretty hard.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I know a few people who have went with those hoop buildings with tarps and I have thought about them. I just keep picturing a strong wind storm ripping a hole in the tarp and you lose your roof Or worst yet, 10 years after the roof starts wearing and needs replace and I can't find anyone to make that size tarp or the cost for the tarp cost more then the barn did originally.

Have you priced these types of buildings? What are the pros and cons to them in your opinion if you don't mind my asking.

I like your idea about resale value of these trailers. I didn't think about that but it is a valid point. I want a few flat wagons also for the farms I can't take a tractor trailer into.

 

[slowzuki]

The tarp buildings range widely in prices and quality. I looked at a 30x80 for 10,000. Required a strip footing and was light hoops and light cover.

Looking at a 38 x 80 now with stamped drawings for snow and wind. The trusses are much deeper and closer spaced, the purlins are bigger, the fabric is very heavy and it has tubular steel sills so you can move it with out taking it down. Needs gravel sills and earth anchors as a minimum or can be set on concrete or a stem wall or posts.
Its almost 20,000$ though, it does have a 20 yr prorated warrantee vs 3 yrs on the cheapy.

We have two large tarp manufacturers within 2 hours drive so I'm not worried too bad. They make transport tarps mainly and commercial tents.

The oldest one in my area is about 15 years old. It is an open air pig barn. Doesn't appear any worse for wear. Most of the others are 5-10 years old. One guys cheapie is in bad shape. He cut a hole in the side and removed part of a leg so his green chain for his sawmill could come in. It made a sag in the roof that collected snow and damaged a truss. He bent the truss back and welded braces on all of them. Now he cleans the snow off ever storm, but that has led to tears in the cover.

The government uses them for salt sheds up here. They are in open areas along highways, haven't seen one damaged yet.

The last two years there have been a flurry of them going up, 2 in the last month on my drive to town. Mostly riding arenas.

Inside they are bright and airy. The fabric lets a lot of light in. The rachet straps seem to be able to chinch the covers down well.

The replacement covers cost about 50% of the building I have heard.

I have seen two buildings sold at auction in a taken down state. They pulled in far more money than I would have guessed. One had no cover, got 5000$ or something close on a day the machinery was going low.