Little Tractor - Big Bale

[madhouse]

Bobbie couldn't lift it by itself. Actually, the picture with the bale in the air came when I pulled it off the bed of my pickup.

The wife bought her lastest horse right after I told my brother that I didn't need the last two 1000# bales that he made for me. Based on the horses feed rate I would have run out of hay June 19th - we close on our new house on the 16th - no time to go get any hay; even IF it was dry enough for any hay to be baled. So Saturday I visited my brother and parents and came back with one of his normal sized bales.

The wife had to sit on the tractor and lift with the loader while I lifted on the bale to get it off of the pallet that I had set it on. The bale barely cleared the pallet. Then I drove down into the pasture and anticipated the bale bottoming out - I was ready and hit it with speed, the differential lock engaged, and lifting with the loader. Eureka! I had the bale high enough to get it into the feeder - BUT... I only had three wheels contacting the ground! One rear wheel was clearly off the ground - yet the bale was still in the air.

I made it TO the feeder - It took me another 20 minutes to get it INTO the feeder. I had to cut the wrap and pull a layer of hay off the side. I also pushed the feeder back 40' in the process.

Once the bale was in I put a chain on the feeder to pull it back into place. I had to use the bale spear as a climbing pick to move the feeder back into place.

Guesstimate the bale at 1600#
Rated lifting capacity 20" in front of the pin 1220#
Tractor weight 3500#
Counterweight on the 3-pt 900#

The little tractor that COULD!

 

[Thomas]

Just be carful if you need to make sharp turn...hard on the front seals.

 

[Garrett Wiggins]

Just be careful. I have turned over a much larger tractor with a bale of hay on the front without anything on the back for ballast. Things happen very quickly.

 

[fishheadbob]

And you're still alive.

 

[madhouse]

This was a one-time - I shouldn't have done this - moment. Not that I won't run into other "shouldn't have done this" moments. I brought a tractor brochure home and left it on the kitchen counter. I'm expecting a quote later today! :wink:

 

[MidTn Mark]

This was a one-time - I shouldn't have done this - moment. Not that I won't run into other "shouldn't have done this" moments. I brought a tractor brochure home and left it on the kitchen counter. I'm expecting a quote later today! :wink:

A quote? From your wife? Like: don't even think about it... That kind of quote?

 

[MidTn Mark]

Just noticed. Looks like me and madhouse are in a post count war.... for the fewest

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

I think a lot of times bales are over estimated on weight. What size bale would you say that is?

It's possible it weights 1600lbs but being the weight is so far out there, a 1000 or 1200lb bale feels super heavy.

Biggest I moved was a 6x4 that was estimated at 1200 lbs, my tractor is rated at 1700 to full height but it really struggled curling the bale.

Personally I hate the big round bales, there crazy dangerous and I about upset my 5300lb machine one day over one of them stupid bales. I don't have a bale spear which makes moving bales that much more difficult.

Those bales are nothing to fool around with, they will hurt you in a hurry.