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Montana | Hello,
I was curious how many guys out there put up 3x4 square bales? Do you load a trailer in the field then unload at the stack, or can you put them on a bale rack and slide them off using the truck hoist? Are there any tricks to feeding other than one guy in the pickup cab and another guy on the flatbed? Ideally we would have a $20,000 Hyda-Bed with flaker attachment, and a $60,000 Pro-Ag stacker but those are not an option right now. Just trying to keep things cost effective. Thanks....
Clinton
Edited by clinton005 4/16/2013 15:28
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central - east central Minnesota - | clinton005 - 4/16/2013 10:51 Hello, I was curious how many guys out there put up 3/4 squares? Do you load a trailer in the field then unload at the stack, or can you put them on a hay rack and slide them off? Are there any tricks to feeding other than one guy in the pickup cab and another guy on the flatbed? Ideally we would have a $20,000 Hyda-Bed with flaker attachment, and a $60,000 Pro-Ag stacker but those are not an option right now. Just trying to keep things cost effective. Thanks.... Clinton
If you are talking 3x3x8 or 3x4x8 bales, We load'em on a hay wagon or flat bed trailer with loader tractor then unload them into pole shed with skid steer or vice'a versa . . .. .
nothing fancy or special.
I would recommend at least a 3 prong bale spear 4 works better. Keep the spears all in line, not a tri-angle type spears like round bale guys use and have a hard time pulling out of the bale.
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Montana | Thanks for the spear "tip" haha. We will be putting up 3x4x8 bales. |
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Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot | I don't put any up, but most of what I feed is 3x4x8's. I'd rather feed our 3 tie bales, just easier to feed for smaller herds. The biggest problem is if you are only feeding part of a bale. If your feeding a bale or more/day of the same hay, it isn't that big of deal.
Most everyone I know builds units in the field, and then loads on trucks or trailers of some sort to get to the stackyard/barn. Unload and stack in the barn with a squeeze. You can do the same thing with a spear rather than a squeeze, just takes a little longer. An accumulator on the baler will help speed things up immensely. How far from field to barn?
We just flake the bales off on the ground. Like you said, one guy (or a kid or dog) driving the pickup, and another guy flaking hay off. Newhouse makes a really nice, and really expensive feeder. Robbins equipment is supposed to have something quite a bit cheaper that just flakes the bales off as well. |
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Huntley Montana | I use Hayin mantis's to pick up, (best thing I have found,, but not worth a $h!t). Grapple forks to load out, like 1340 farmhand loaders on 4455s . Can reach 5 high on edge, & drop a bale off the far side of a truck. |
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Eastern Half of Kansas | Fwiw, you could have about 14k invested in a hydra bed and hydra flaker new not including a truck. But look around you can find some used. I have 5100 in my hydra bed and hydra flaker, both came from separate auctions. Not including truck.
To feed by yourself manual transmission truck in 4 wheel low can allow you to flake off bales easily. Or I'll feed with tractor and 16' flat trailer and put it in low and flake off.
Starting out two loader tractors or skid steers and couple 20-30ft goosenecks, straight trucks or hay trailers can move more hay than your baler can put out an hour it just takes labor. But 1-2 guys with trailers and doing their own loading and unloading of bales and move plenty of hay. |
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Montana | Good to know. I will look a little harder for a good Hydra-Bed, they are they preferred brand in our area. Found an old notepad that said $16,000 from a local dealer, but I only called one. |
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DV, NV | Cheapest way to move bales is with lots of junk equipment and free help...same to feed them. I know from experience as I was the free help.
Really spoiled with my Kirby bale feeder now, and the tractor heater works better than the 1962 IH flatbed with no doors! We roadside with a Freeman 5300, move with squeeze and trucks. Loading feed wagon is much better with loader and forks.
Robbins feeder is okay, really slow as you have to cut strings one bale at a time and it's hard to hold a cut bale in the feeder. You can get by with one tractor w/loader and feed quite a few cows in a day. |
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Montana | Do you ever see many of the Freeman 5300 stackers for sale? If so how much do they run? Our baler happens to be a Freeman 1592. |
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Eastern Half of Kansas | Are you located in ks? seems I remember one time if you said you were. Freight might add up some depending on where you are on a dealers price of new. Besler makes a flaker that could probably be used with most any bale bed. It might take alot of looking, I figured 9k for a bed and 5k for the flaker, I might be a lil off with that. |
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Montana | I am south of Billings, Montana. You can buy any brand you want here (DewEze, Kroggman, Besler, Hydra-Bed), however for durability the consensus seems to be Hyrda-Bed. My old notepad showed $10,000 for the new bed and $6,000 for the flaker attachment from a dealer that we do a lot of business with. I didn't call anyone else though.
Clinton |
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Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot | $50-80k used. Most guys willing to buy one put a lot of hay through them. I'm not up on the models, but if you can find one of the models that doesn't cross tie the blocks it 'should' be cheaper. |
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WY, OK | IIRC used flakers run about $2K but may have gone up lately. It is miserable feeding large squares with a pitch fork. If you are feeding one a week it would be fine but 5-10 a day isn't feasible, at least "here". It is actually far easier to feed them off a regular flatbed than a bale bed. If you have the arms up or out at all, all they do is catch the flakes and make it even worse unless you load them sideways and raise the arms to 90 degrees and feed them off the side. |
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Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot | I flip them on edge, load them lengthwise on the bed with about 4" hanging off the side the length of the bale. Cut the twine and it is pretty easy to flip flakes off. Most of it will bounce off when you hit a frozen cowpie. If they are flat, and none of it is hanging off, you are right, it is very miserable.
If you've got much to feed, just try setting the bales out. Only thing I won't do it with is alfalfa now. They just eat it up too quick. But grain hay, grass straw, wheat straw and cornstalks... just set a bale out. Don't even cut the twine. Just pick the twine up the next day if your feeding lots, or in a few days if not many cows. Works about like a self feeder. I was concerned about the twine, but it hasn't been a problem as long as it is kept picked up. |
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SW Ohio | When you big sky boys talk about feeding are you always dropping hay on the ground in a row sort of? Do the bales tend to fall apart into flakes naturally? Just thinking an old box manure spreader with the beaters gone would allow a bale to fall out the back "good enough" |
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Huntley Montana | I think that would scatter the leaves. (edit sorry missed the no beater part) Just flake the bales like a small bale, cows will walk around the flakes.
Edited by Badger 4/16/2013 16:51
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Eastern Half of Kansas | That might be inline because of freight from kansas and since the last time I priced. |
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Montana | It's sounding like the flaker on a bale bed is going to be a must. Sometimes feeding is a one man show at our place. |
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SE MT | Clinton, hello! I think you will like the 3x4's once you get used to them. The truckers prefer them also if you sell any hay... We have done 4X4's for 20 years and really like them. Tried many stacking methods and just depends on your labor situation. Heck, even pickups and gooseneck trailers work and have a guy chase them around with the loader.
Those bales are light enough most loaders should be able to pack 2 if not 3 depends. A company called Phiber http://www.phibercanada.com/grab1.htm makes a bale grabber you might look at. The neighbor used to have one and really liked it for stacking and loading bales. But spears will work just fine too.
As far as feeding I just put the pickup in low and get on the back and go to flaking it off... We use tractors when its tough going but otherwise.
How far south of Billings are you I farm and ranch near FortSmith, like to meet you someday...Goodluck! |
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Huntley Montana | A flat bed & a winch would work. Put the bales on long ways on edge, with the winch cable around the front from the back, then just winch them back slowly. Flakes would fall off as they go off the end of the bed. |
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New Mexico | cut twines apron runs flakes fall off. |
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south whitley, IN | cant help you on how to feed them we either put it in our vertical mixer for the milk cows and dry cows or squeeze them in a round bale feeder or we even just put them out in the pasture and leave the strings one them seem to waste less than when we use to put round bales in feeders, but i thought id show you what we use to move and haul them, this spear i just made this is number 3 i have made but its the heaviest, but i got 450 dollars in material 320 for the spears and inserts and 125 for the face plate and i dont know about the square tube.
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DV, NV | Freeman stackers are pretty decent all around machines, have to have a good operator and the bales have to be tight and square. They didn't build many and you rarely see them for sale. Milstak on a NH wagon is okay, you will have to weld on the wagon no matter what but that might be a cheaper option. Tractor pulled "scoops" are only as good as your tractor running it so they get pricey. Stingers are good but really slow to stack.
For feeding, really depends on how far the feedground is from the stackyard. EZ Ration is best machine but $$$$, Since round bales are king in your area, good used feeders might be harder to find. |
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Montana | We are at Bridger, MT. About 50 miles south of Billings. I just went to Hardin through St. X the other day.....
Edited by clinton005 4/17/2013 09:59
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Montana | Looks like a well built spear.... |
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SE MT | Oh nice Clinton, I haven't been through Bridger for about a year, maybe we can meet up sometime my email is good. Did they get that road project all done yet?? I'm only about 12 miles south of ST.X. We eat at Edgar once in a while, and I know the Buckeye has good food also.... Take care, still kinda wintery here today for this time of the year. |
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Eastern Half of Kansas | Galaxie64, what kind are the 2k flakers you are referring to? Thanks |
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Stacking/Feeding 3x4 Square Bales?
