round bale handler for team

[DJL]

Has anyone out there got a good design for a round bale wagon/unroller to pull with a team? I know NR has one, but it's a sleigh, and doesn't lift the bale. I was thinking of one with wheels for those non-snowy times, and a winch or some sort of hydraulics for lift. Thanks. DJL

[Stretch]

Well here is a point to start from.... If you have an old implement around (like and old disk) that has wheels that you can cut off for a set of wheels that is a good start. Then look for some oilfield pipe 3-4 " or a piece of small I bean will do about 6-7 ft long. That will make the axle and for the tounge you can use the same 3-4" pipe or beam and make the hitch of choice. If you have 3 short pieces 2-3" long of smaller pipe or angle iron to brace the tounge to the axle and another to use for a stand to mount the winch on. One of the last things to look for is a piece of shaft about 4' long to make a spike to put into the bale to pull it over onto the cart. I don't know if you have a two wheel dollie for other implements but this cart would hook right up to one. I have seen these pulled behind pickups and I personally have pulled one behind my 4-whlr one day when it was real cold and the tractor wouldn't start. Hope this will get you an idea to run with not sure if it is the best idea but a time tested point to start from.

[RoperAB]

Contact Anchor D guiding and outfitting. I think his name is Dewy Mathews but its been a few years so I might have the name wrong. He doesnt sell them but he made one thats the slickest outfit I have ever seen. His is on runners because he is located in the mountains just east of sheep river reserve in Kanisnaskis.
If you have trouble finding his number PM me and I will dig it up for you.
He would not mind showing you his rig so you could get one made up the same way.
His uses a hand winch but it works slick even in four feet of snow. Im thinking hydraulics is just more weight and trouble?

[Northern Rancher]

There's a few guys up here have ones set up on wheels-hand winches aren't bad for a bale or two but get pretty old after ten or so lol. Some guys make a forecart to pull the bale handler with-it's hard to make it when the bale lifts that your pole doesn't lift too if it's all in one piece. As for a spear two-two foot ones are better than one four foot one.

[Soapweed]

This is an outfit I've had since the early 1980's (when the picture was taken). It was manufactured at the time by "Little Dickens" manufacturing of Nebraska, and was a ranch-produced product. Unfortunately, the inventor of the machine was killed in a tragic power-take-off accident, so the manufacturing part went out of business. His widow has carried on with the ranch.

This little machine is much like a Hydra-bed which mounts on a pickup. Hydraulics are powered by an eight horsepower Briggs and Stratton engine. It carries two bales, and unrolls them when you get to the destination. I used it both for hauling bales off the field after haying, and for feeding in the winter time. It worked well, although the hydraulics move slower than does my current Hydra-bed on a pickup.

In the picture, I am standing on the seat because that was the only way you could see to back up and unload the bales in a nice row. Once in a while it was possible to try to load too heavy of a bale. The front end of the wagon would rear up into the air. When this happened, you had to abort the mission and seek out a lighter bale for the front one. With the additional weight on the front, the heavier bale could be loaded on the back. The mules got pretty good at the job. I still have the machine, but haven't used it for quite awhile. A couple different neighbors have borrowed it and used it within the past two years.

[DJL]

Thanks NR, roper. Soapweed, could I trouble you for closer up pics of the empty machine? We have a Hydra bed on the truck, but didn't quite know how to incorporate that kind of arms onto a wagon frame. Your rig looks just like what we had in mind. Does the pivot point have to be that high on the arms? Looks like quite a lift getting it over center and onto the deck or frame.

[Sandy]

There is an article in the dec. 21 western producer about a guy in s.w. Manitoba building such a rig. Has battery powered hydraulics for loading.

[Soapweed]

[DJL]

Sandy I saw the Western Producer one, and it is just my opinion of course, but that model is pretty primitive, and looked darn heavy for what it was.

Soap, thanks a bunch. There is no great hurry, as this is a project in the planning stages. If you want to wait until it isn't so white, no problem.

[Northern Rancher]

Soapweed maybe you need to make a trip to sunny Saskatchewan to get rid of that unused iron-the mule team could come up too lol. If you want to sell that rig let me know. I woner if a person couldn't hang some weight on the front end to counterbalance it when you are loading bigger bales. Can you put fluid in those kind of tires?

[Soapweed]

[Northern Rancher]

I was thinking a guy could put big sprayer tires on it and fluid them it should hold the front down.