Please weigh in on a weighty issue.

[Clintock]

You said a 45hp tractor will handle all the op wants. And the op wants to handle 5x6 bale's......

Just where does op say 5x6? I didn’t see if he has. I read wants to handle 900-1000 pounds.

 

[LD1]

Just where does op say 5x6? I didn’t see if he has. I read wants to handle 900-1000 pounds.

Made me go back and look.

Guess he didnt specifically say that is what was wanted. 5x6 was first mentioned in post #3. And several times there after. Never a clarification nor correction by the OP as to his exact intents.

So hell, get 4x5 bales and use a compact tractor of 2500# then

 

[Clintock]

Made me go back and look.

Guess he didnt specifically say that is what was wanted. 5x6 was first mentioned in post #3. And several times there after. Never a clarification nor correction by the OP as to his exact intents.

So hell, get 4x5 bales and use a compact tractor of 2500# then

I’ve made the same mistake on other posts too. No foul.

 

[Gord Baker]

Great setup on the Bobcat. I have never seen one.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Back when I had to move round bales I always put one on the back with 3pt spear then picked up one with the loader. The back one stayed on until last.

We always put one on the back and one on each fork in the front. Stick the forks in the bale. Or if we have two spears on the front, a bale on each spear. So when we get out of the shut down chicken house we keep hay in, we load two on trailer and drop back bale on ground to keep 500 cattle occupied. Next time drop another. That way they aren't all around the trailer trying to eat hay. Then we shut house and load the dropped bales up.

 

[Halftrack]

Just to clarify, 5 X 6 bales are very UNcommon in our area. Even the 3 X 4 rectangular are rare. Most of the bales I see coming through the hay auctions average 1 k or less.

The responses we are more interested in are the first hand experiences of those operating tractors in that hp range. Speculation on whether a tractor should or shouldn't move that bale based on spec sheets don't tell the full story on stability, ballasting and counter weights. Thanks for the input so far, it has been interesting reading.

 

[Xfaxman]

I have a co-worker shopping for a used hydro 4X4 tractor loader in the 40 to 50 hp range. His major concern is that it be able to handle 1000 lb +/- bales of hay for feeding his livestock.

Just to clarify, 5 X 6 bales are very UNcommon in our area. Even the 3 X 4 rectangular are rare. Most of the bales I see coming through the hay auctions average 1 k or less.

The responses we are more interested in are the first hand experiences of those operating tractors in that hp range. Speculation on whether a tractor should or shouldn't move that bale based on spec sheets don't tell the full story on stability, ballasting and counter weights. Thanks for the input so far, it has been interesting reading.

What else is he going to use a tractor for?

The Bobcat Toolcat is very stable without adding anything:

Look close, the 7' brush hog is on the front on this 27 degree slope:

 

[RancherGuy]

Just to clarify, 5 X 6 bales are very UNcommon in our area. Even the 3 X 4 rectangular are rare. Most of the bales I see coming through the hay auctions average 1 k or less.

The responses we are more interested in are the first hand experiences of those operating tractors in that hp range. Speculation on whether a tractor should or shouldn't move that bale based on spec sheets don't tell the full story on stability, ballasting and counter weights. Thanks for the input so far, it has been interesting reading.

I produce 4x5 bales. Along with 5x5, these two sizes are the most common in my neck of the woods. I few here mentioned 6 foot diameter bales. A foot makes a huge difference in weight. A 6 footer is 179% of the weight, thus content, of a 5 footer (just a math calculation). I proved this one day. Baled my normal 5 footer and stopped to allow netwrapping. I was interrupted by a phone call. When the call ended, I started baling again, forgetting that I did not drop the bale. It soon hit the baler's maximum diameter of 6 feet and the tractor started straining before I realized my mistake and stopped. Without wrapping, I dumped the oversized bale. I unrolled it until it got to the inner 5 footer. Then proceeded to re-bale all of the extra hay that I had unrolled and found that I was a hair away from finishing a complete bale.

A tip not mentioned: I found a substantial difference when handling hay in my JD 5000 when I moved the wheel/tires outwards. Even though I bought it used, the wheels were tucked in at minimum width (factory setting). I moved them out and found a lot less rocking left-right, plus more comfort and confidence when traveling in the pasture under all situations - empty or loaded FEL.

 

[Sir William]

The only time I ever hear of 5x5 or 5x6 bales around here are for those who bale it and feed it themselves...BIG operations as all the equipment is pricier. EVERYBODY else bales, sells, and buys 4x5 bales. The reason? With 4' wide bales, you can double stack on a trailer for hauling without risking being over-width. You can haul those legally in just about every state without issue. Most any 35-40hp tractor with loaded tires or some real ballast can move even a wet 4x5 bale. Now stacking them up could be an issue, but if you're just moving them from a storage area to where your livestock is, it's not really a big deal.

The only time we saw anybody trucking in 5' wide bales was in the drought several years ago where the state granted special temporary clearance for farmers to haul the over-width loads up from Mississippi since there was just no hay to be had in north Arkansas & southern Missouri.

Just an FYI, I had a friend who fed round bales with his B21. He'd scoop the front edge of the bucket under one side, wrap a chain around the bale, tip it back and lift it and carry it across the farm to his cows. Granted those little TLBs are work horses and the backhoe is plenty of ballast, but it should help give some idea of what it'll take.

 

[DieselBound]

My NX5510's loader is rated for 2,700 lbs. I've likely gotten about that max (with/including front implements): refer to my grappling adventures. A person doesn't want to be running any significant distance, AND over uneven surfaces is a bad idea as well. I've had to dump a 1,000 lb load [pallet of feed] due to starting to tip over on uneven/soft ground: only time I've ever felt that sensation and it wasn't fun. Running about 1,000 lbs is on the edge of being comfortable. As has been mentioned, lots of weight can expedite wear on/of the front axle. Doesn't sound like the frequency is going to fall in this category, though. I estimate my rolling weight on my Kioti at around 6,000 lbs.

I'd say that 80% of max on an infrequent basis is likely OK. 50% if operating on a continual basis. 100%, like I've done, only once in a blue moon! (have to do it at least once to understand why you really don't want to do it again!)