Loader L4600HST with LA764

[BeardedDragon]

Can a Kubota L4600HST with a Hay Spear pick up a big round bale? I have a LA764 with a quick attach bucket and will put a spear on it. I have got conflicting responses whether yes or no.

Thanks

 

[motownbrowne]

Welcome aboard.

Depends on how much it weighs, I suppose. That, and how high you want to lift them. If you just need to move them around vs. Lifting them onto a stack.

 

[TexasBoy]

Can a Kubota L4600HST with a Hay Spear pick up a big round bale? I have a LA764 with a quick attach bucket and will put a spear on it. I have got conflicting responses whether yes or no.

Thanks

We just rolled up 68 round bales and Im going to go move some this weekend, the new pallet fork setup I bought has a bale spear Im going to try, so I will let you know what I find this weekend. Will take you some pics or a vid clip even.

 

[Chilly807]

You're better off using a purpose built bale spear, or something like Texas Boy has. First of all, you're not lifting the bucket as well as the bale. The bucket is at least 200 lbs. Secondly, you have better visibility with the bucket gone.
I've moved 4x5 round bales strapped to the bucket of my L3400 with no problems on firm level ground. They weigh about 600 pounds, well within loader capacity. The biggest factors will be the type of terrain and the size and weight of the bales.

Sean

 

[BeardedDragon]

We just rolled up 68 round bales and Im going to go move some this weekend, the new pallet fork setup I bought has a bale spear Im going to try, so I will let you know what I find this weekend. Will take you some pics or a vid clip even.

That would be great to get some pics and video. Also I would be curious of how high you can lift. Can you stack onto another bale? What pallet fork setup did you buy? Brand and model? Do you have any pics?

 

[BeardedDragon]

Also how big are the 68 round bales?

 

[almost canadian]

The set up I use as can been seen in my profile pic, enables me to lift large round bales to full height with no issues at all. My rear tires are filled and, normally, I don't have anything on the back when I do so.

However, on anything other than flat ground, it does not take much to get my bum hole squeaking when lifting bales up so that there is space between the bottom of the bale and the top of the hood on the tractor. A couple of our feeders are in locations where this is required. Generally, during transit, I keep the bales as low as possible.

 

[ENC]

I had big 5x6's of mostly Bermuda grass and I could lift them to full height no problem with my pallet forks. Add 2 feet give or take with a spear on the front of your bucket and you may lose the ability on the bigger bales. Rear ballast is certainly needed for stability. I have rear forks also but if I just needed to move one I just left the box blade on.

I don't have goats any more so I haven't had hay in about a year, but the LA764 should serve you well.

 

[TexasBoy]

That would be great to get some pics and video. Also I would be curious of how high you can lift. Can you stack onto another bale? What pallet fork setup did you buy? Brand and model? Do you have any pics?

I bought this setup here:



Skid Steer HD Hay Spear Attachment with Pallet Forks Capacity 4,000 lbs

Our bales are 5x5.5 or so. This first cut is lots of winter rye and weeds. I havent picked any up yet as I only recently got a counter weight made, but gonna put the spear on tomorrow morning and see how it goes. Will get my wife to take some video for you so you will see first hand how it behaves, whether good or bad.

 

[TexasBoy]

Okay got a few clips for you. I moved quite a few this morning, but did a quick stack to show how the machine behaves with the load up high,, if you notice with the counter-weight the tractor itself is very stable. Even if the bale bounces while up high, the tractor itself is fine. Usually I move round bales with a bale fork on the 3-point on back and move 2 bales at once. But wanted to see how this home-made weight I welded up would work.

 

[TexasBoy]

My neighbor wanted to give the Kubota a try so he loaded his HayVan with it, he really liked it and is going to look into getting one for his wife to use.

 

[Chilly807]

Looks to be having no problems with the bales.. Your rear tires are loaded, right? Any idea how much the counterweight weighs? Your neighbor is doing well for his first time running a tractor... Maybe the 2nd time? Always nice watching an experienced operator. Very smooth and no wasted motion. You're no slouch either!

Sean

 

[TexasBoy]

Looks to be having no problems with the bales.. Your rear tires are loaded, right? Any idea how much the counterweight weighs? Your neighbor is doing well for his first time running a tractor... Maybe the 2nd time? Always nice watching an experienced operator. Very smooth and no wasted motion. You're no slouch either!

Sean

No, the tires are not loaded. The counter-weight is about 1100# I think. There is a thread about it here, a TBN member calculated it for me, need to find the link.

I wasnt just too smooth on that clip because that was my first attempt at going that high with that weight in the back and wanted to move with caution on that first run not knowing how it was gonna behave going 2-bales high. (we usually use a Ford 5600 for loading bales). I wasnt sure how much rev the engine needed for the hydraulics and that is why I paused and gave her a lil more RPMs on that first video. Found out right away it didnt need much at all and the hydraulics on this little tractor are excellent and will pick up our bales 2-high very easily at low RPM and not load up. In any event, with weight on the back I was impressed how the little tractor was stable, even when the bale might bounce a bit with the fork very extended, not once did the tractor attitude change or lift up the rear.

 

[TexasBoy]

We ended up with one small bale at the end of the day,,, so I figured I would see if I could stick that little one on top? Nope.

 

[TexasBoy]

Your neighbor is doing well for his first time running a tractor... Maybe the 2nd time? Always nice watching an experienced operator.

When my wife shot that video he had already loaded his trailer about 5 or 6 times. He was much choppier on the first run having never even sat on a Kubota before which is certainly understandable. They have mainly large John Deere cab tractors and many Fords and Internationals. If I had to guess he makes several thousand round bales a year.

 

[k0ua]

I was impressed with how well that worked out, and the counterweight seemed to be just what you needed to keep you safe. Also your vid's were good and to the point. Good job all the way around.:thumbsup:

 

[TexasBoy]

Thank you k0ua, I appreciate it.

Oh and FWIW, the Titan pallet fork spear setup worked great. Easy to put on and take off the spear & stabilizers.

 

[k0ua]

We ended up with one small bale at the end of the day,,, so I figured I would see if I could stick that little one on top? Nope.

You are gonna need a "ladder" to get that one up there!:laughing:

 

[TexasBoy]

You are gonna need a "ladder" to get that one up there!:laughing:

Your certainly right ! That was just for kicks, and if for nothing else to illustrate to persons curious what the absolute reach of the L4600 with LA764 when all the way up and with round bales.

A few observations: This video very much supports the idea that HST machines are much better when running loaders on these kind of jobs. While I love a gear drive model and actually prefer it, its very clear to see that if the majority of your work will be with the loader, you will be smoother and less operator work with a HST. Also, the L4600 is certainly capable of doing this kind of work, but if you are loading bales all the time (or other things/weights similar), most likely the MX5100 would be the machine for you as I understand it has a bit more reach, chassis weight, and front tires are larger to deal with forward weight. I wont be using my 4600 for this kind of task too often and bought it because of its smaller size and so my wife could use it safely in tight quarters. but I hope these few vids will show that the 4600 can indeed do these jobs if you need to, but for a few thousand more, the MX5100 might be a better choice for you.

 

[motownbrowne]

When I bought my MX the price was actually cheaper than a 4600. Not 100% sure, but I think it was mx4700 < l4600 < mx5100. Im sure the telescoping lift arms would be nice (I often switch implements 1-5 times a day) but I didn't want the turbo and the price tag was better for the 4700.