He Built His Own "Up & Over" Bale Hauler

He Built His Own "Up & Over" Bale Hauler BALE HANDLING Bale Handling (31B) 21-5-18 After he got tired of using a loader tractor and trailer to load and haul bales, Don Lott of Minneapolis, Kan., decided to build his own "up and over" big bale hauler that mounts on a 1978 Volvo single axle 3-ton truck. "It eliminates the need for a tractor and trailer yet still gets bales off the field quick," says Lott, who feels his home-built rig compares favorably with commercial truck-mounted bale haulers that sell for as much as $75,000 or more. He bought the truck used without a bed for $3,000 and used a pair of 7-in. steel I-beams to build the bed, which is permanently mounted at an angle and extends up over the cab. The rig loads and unloads seven 3 by 4 by 8-ft. bales weighing up to 2,000 lbs. apiece. The hydraulic-powered unit picks up bales with a pair of bow-shaped loading arms equipped with self-centering clamps. It's con-trolled by 6 hydraulic cylinders that are operated by toggle switches mounted on a con-sole inside the cab. Two cylinders are used to squeeze the clamps, two to raise the loader arms, and two to raise or lower the deck's tailgate. Power is provided by a hydraulic pump that's direct-driven off a 16 hp Briggs & Stratton twin-cylinder gas engine mounted under the deck. The clamps on the loader arms are fitted with 1 1/2-ft. dia. disk blades. Once a bale is placed on the bed, the clamps are released and returned for another bale. The cycle is repeated until a full load of bales are in place on the truck, then the tailgate is lowered to allow bales to slide to the ground. "It lets me transport bales much faster to the shed or stack than I could with a tractor and trailer," says Lott. "With the slanted deck and bow-shaped loading arms it looks a little different. People who are out driving often park along the road and watch me operate it for a while. It lifts bales slower onto the truck than a tractor, but I can go up to 40 mph in the field and 55 mph on the highway. My total cost to build it was about $6,000. "I mounted part of a switch panel off an old Gleaner combine in the cab, along with the start switch, and wired the Briggs & Stratton engine up to it. With this system I can drive up to the bale and turn the start key in the cab to start the engine, which provides instant hydraulic power. I shut off the engine whenever I don't need hydraulic power which reduces stress on the pump. I use a toggle switch to close the squeeze arms and another switch to raise the bale, then I shut off the engine. When I'm ready to unload I start the engine again and hit another switch to lower the tailgate, then drive ahead. The Briggs & Stratton engine still has its own start key. I still use it in cold weather when I have to choke the engine in order to get it started." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Don Lott, 1059 N. 135th Rd., Minneapolis, Kan. 67467 (ph 913 392-2228).

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