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Jinglebob
Rancher
Joined: 14 Feb 2005
Posts: 5974
Location: Western South Dakota
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 Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 12:42 pm Post subject: DJL |
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Here's the pix of the baleunroller.
The springs on the outer sides of the arms cause the arms to open when you release them with the winch.
I used a pulley at the top of the tipping part, so that it is easier to tip a bale up.
When I first started using this system, I thought I would have a hard time to get my team to back up to a bale, but it was no problem and after a little while, they got pretty automatic. Just stop and they would immedietly start backing up. I had more problems getting them to quit backing up than I did to get them TO back up!
I have stops under the springs of the frame, so it is easy riding and when you put weight onto the frame it stops before it hits the tires. The bale unroller is mounted just behind the back axel and I only had just a slight amount of trouble with heavy bales picking the front end up. Pretty hard to tip this over backwards, especially with me up on front for extra weight and a tem of horse hooked on!
This ain't very fancy and looks kind of crude, but it didn't cost me much and I sure fed a lot of hay over the years with it.
As I said before, if I was to build a new one, I would make a 5th wheel for the front axel.
Hope the pix are good enough for you to understand and get an idea. 
It ain't as purty as Soapweeds, but it didn't cost me as much and didn't waste any gas or oil on it. Never seen a day it was too cold for this to work either. A front end to get behind is nice on them cool -30 degree mornings with a 25 mph breeze blowing. 
I'd put hay in the bottom where my feet went to keep them warmer and also some on the seat. If it snowed on it in the night, I'd just get some fresh from the first bale.
You know, I never had to get off and on more than once to go thru' a gate with this rig either. Ah, the joy of voice operated control. 
Last edited by Jinglebob on Mon Jan 01, 2007 1:19 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Northern Rancher
Rancher
Joined: 10 Feb 2005
Posts: 12251
Location: saskatchewan
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| Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 1:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Really unless your hauling along way from the stackground it's just as easy to pack one bale at a time instead of going through the shcmozzle of winching up two. With a well broke team and somebody considerably better than me driving them you can feed a pile of cattle in a couple hours. I like your design JB doesn't show any blind allegiance to any specific piule of scrap iron lol. You could use that as a forecart to pull harrows etc also.
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Jinglebob
Rancher
Joined: 14 Feb 2005
Posts: 5974
Location: Western South Dakota
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Northern Rancher
Rancher
Joined: 10 Feb 2005
Posts: 12251
Location: saskatchewan
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| Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 3:28 pm Post subject: |
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| I just have a little metal slip that chains to the back-the bale rolls onto it then just slides along-to unroll the bales you back your horses up a foot or so then pull the slip up and unroll the bale. You can unroll bales faster with a team than a tractor because cows don't crowd in. Didn't people learn to to cable stacks on down there-when they put loose hay up here -they'd haul them on big racks-they'd pull up beside the stack-unhook-then run a cable around the stack-the horses would pull the cable and flip the stack onto the rack. Two cables would load a four ton loose stack. Then you just had to fork hay off the rack.
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RoperAB
Rancher
Joined: 11 Feb 2006
Posts: 1435
Location: Alberta
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| Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 3:38 pm Post subject: |
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The thing I liked about Anchor Ds bale hauler was that it was so small, light and simple.
Two small QHs could pull his across creeks, up and down hills or through 4 feet of snow if necessary. No hydraulics or motor to freeze up or break down.
I bet a welding shop could make you up a new rig if they had the plans for under $1500.
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Denny
Rancher
Joined: 10 Feb 2005
Posts: 4411
Location: Mn usa
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| Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 7:06 pm Post subject: |
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| RoperAB wrote: |
The thing I liked about Anchor Ds bale hauler was that it was so small, light and simple.
Two small QHs could pull his across creeks, up and down hills or through 4 feet of snow if necessary. No hydraulics or motor to freeze up or break down.
I bet a welding shop could make you up a new rig if they had the plans for under $1500. |
4 FEET OF SNOW YA RIGHT....
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Northern Rancher
Rancher
Joined: 10 Feb 2005
Posts: 12251
Location: saskatchewan
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| Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 9:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Yeah what he said lol.
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DJL
Member
Joined: 15 Feb 2005
Posts: 897
Location: southern Alberta
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| Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 10:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks for the pics JB. It is certainly a simple design, which is what I was looking for. While I like Soapweed's machine very much, I think I can find most of the makings for one like yours out in the vehicle/machinery bone yard, which suits my pocket book better. Do the leaf springs attached to the coil springs on the arms serve for more pull, or could it be plain steel to mount the coil springs on? Without seeing it in action, it's a bit hard to figure out the engineering.
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Northern Rancher
Rancher
Joined: 10 Feb 2005
Posts: 12251
Location: saskatchewan
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| Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 10:24 pm Post subject: |
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| I don't think you need springs on the bale arms-mine are solid and give no trouble. There's a small chain welded on the spear and a grabhook on the arm so you can fasten the pins so they don't work out as the bale unrolls.
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RoperAB
Rancher
Joined: 11 Feb 2006
Posts: 1435
Location: Alberta
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| Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:28 am Post subject: |
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| Denny wrote: |
| RoperAB wrote: |
The thing I liked about Anchor Ds bale hauler was that it was so small, light and simple.
Two small QHs could pull his across creeks, up and down hills or through 4 feet of snow if necessary. No hydraulics or motor to freeze up or break down.
I bet a welding shop could make you up a new rig if they had the plans for under $1500. |
4 FEET OF SNOW YA RIGHT.... |
Its less than half the size of other bale feeders on here. Its mounted on two runners<skies>. I wish I could post a pic.
Dewys outfit is in pretty high elevation in the mountains west of Turner Valley. He made it specifically for his terrian. If he couldnt buck snow with it, it wouldnt be any good to him.
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Jinglebob
Rancher
Joined: 14 Feb 2005
Posts: 5974
Location: Western South Dakota
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| Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 5:21 pm Post subject: |
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| DJL wrote: |
| Do the leaf springs attached to the coil springs on the arms serve for more pull, or could it be plain steel to mount the coil springs on? Without seeing it in action, it's a bit hard to figure out the engineering. |
It's been so long since I built it, but if memory serves me, I think the springs were what I could find at the time. And they also are attached in such a way, that if you happen to hook them on something as you drive by, they have a little more "give" to them. The worked well, or I would have changed them. I do think that I was just using them for an extention and they worked well. Once I get something that works "good enough" I rarely ever want to take it back into the shop and do it over.
I think if I was to do it over, I would modify a bit. Where you stand would be made from expanded metal or something similar so that it wouldn't hold moisture and as I said before, there would be a 5 wheel for the front axel. I sure would put in a stout tounge, as some of them frozen down bales can pull a bit hard. Tho' I did find that if I cranked them up as high as I could before I pulled away, they came loose easier. Then I would stop the team and crank them higher. Also the same for bales with rotted twine. Kind'a irritating when you started to drive away and half the bale fell off! 
I don't think NR's system can be beat for simplicity, but might be a bit more work involved. I know of some guys who just slung a cable around a bale and drug them out, but with this, I would haul bales anywhere from a mile to less, depending on how much I was feeding and where the cows were.
I always had the hay where the cows were, pretty much, but at times I would have to haul some from a longer distance to use up some old hay or from wanting to feed some other sort of hay.
This was a pretty handy rig and if you have a well broke team, you can get off and walk along the down wind side and stay pretty warm. Dad always thought I should have put a windshield on with a small crack under it to run the lines thru', but I figured if the horses had to stand it, than I should also.
I also would get off and cut bales that were put up too green that were stuck together and then speak to the horses and walk along behind until some came off, then holler whoa and cut some more off. Of course, first I would just put them in a higher gear, for a bit to see if I could get the bale to unroll. I remember some real fun rides, doing that.
If you need more info, give me a call.
Maybe you just need to come down and give it a good looking over?
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Soapweed
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Joined: 11 Feb 2005
Posts: 12095
Location: northern Nebraska Sandhills
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