Question for Allan

[Brokenwrench]

I hope I`m not asking a redundant question.
I was looking at your post a page back with your bale mover. I`ve seen other pictures you`ve posted of it.
My question is this; do you stack the bales in the field and then back under the stack to load, or do you load them on the bale mover and just use the apron chain set up for unloading??
I`ve never seen one in operation around here, most common around here is to use a bale trailer that bales are loaded on and off of. In my case that requires me hauling my skid steer to the field, loading the bales, and hauling the skid back home to unload them. Not a huge deal for the amount of hay I deal with.
I`ve just never seen a bale trailer like that around these parts, and the way you`ve sounded is that they`re pretty common in your area.
Either it must have been a regional manufacturer thing, or there is some draw back to using that set up that I`m not seeing.. Thanks in advance for the enlightenment BW

 

[Anonymous-0]

most guys would stack the bales - then go get the mover and move them - a lot of people make stacks for a truck sized mover and hire the mover to come and do his thing -

those movers came about the same era as the stackers from JD and Hesston (the bread loaf makers) - if you lived in an area where those stackers never caught on or weren't used much then the movers would never have been sold there

 

[Allan in NE]

Yeah,

It will load, but is kinda rough on twine tied bales unless you stack/load 'em sideways. The big boy movers with the live beds mounted on a semi tractor chassis always want them stacked sideways.

I didn't wanna take a chance on poppin' a bale so I just used the loader on the wheat stuff this year because I had tied with twine.

Otherwise, if you have duals on the tractor for traction and keep 'er movin' in reverse, the bed chains will suck the stack right up on that trailer.

Kind of a neat old mover for it's day.

I hope to trade this one off for one of those in-line loader wagons next year. They let ya just gather the bales up/load without the stacking in the field part. :>)

Allan

 

[Brokenwrench]

Makes sense, I remember when I was a kid I`d always see those stackers runnin around. Like you said, big bread loaves sittin all over. Now you see alot of them sitting in groves.

 

[Brokenwrench]

Thanks bud.
Even if you have to load em, sure must make unloading nice..

 

[Allan in NE]

Oh yeah,

The whole show takes about a minute. Throw a hydraulic lever to reverse the chains, tilt 'er up and push 'em off.

Hardest part is lining up that outfit up in the right place so the bales will land where ya want 'em. :>)

Allan

 

[Dairy Farmer in WI]

i have a roundbale mover that loads and unloads itself too. mine has a hitch that you slide over with hydralics then fold a st of forks down and then you drive up to the bale , start the PTO, and the chain sucks them right up. But you have to stop the PTO as soon as it gets up there to get the bales closer together. then you reverse the process the unload and it puts them in a nice straight line. although i put most in the shed so i just unload them , then stack them with the skidsteer. i stack 3 high on the flat ends
just my 2 cents
df in wi

 

[IA Roy]

Those old Stackhands make very good leaf collectors in town with a few modifications. I know of several towns that go down the street after the people rake the leaves into the street and collect them and take them to the compost facility.