"Fast And Handy" Skid Steer Bale Wrapper

"Fast And Handy" Skid Steer Bale Wrapper TRACTORS Skid Steer Loaders 23-5-19 Don Arvold wanted to wrap round bales but he couldn't justify the cost of a conventional bale wrapping machine. So the Emerald, Wis., farmer built his own bale wrapper that quick-taches to his New Holland skid steer loader. He and his partner Kenan Stahl demonstrated it at the recent Wisconsin Farm Progress Show. "It lets one person pick up a bale, wrap it, and deliver it to the storage area in one step without the need for any other equipment. It takes less than a minute to wrap a bale. I can also use it to load bales onto wagons or even unroll them for feeding. It's small enough that it easily fits in the corner of my shed or on the back of my pickup." The bale wrapper consists of a spear and 24-in. dia. disc that mount on a 4-ft. wide subframe. The roll of plastic mounts on a bracket that U-bolts to the "help you in" handle on the cab. The disc and spear, as well as the plastic roll holder, are rotated by hydraulic motors that operate off the skid steer auxiliary hydraulics. The plastic roll holder is equipped with a braking system that lets the operator stretch the plastic as needed. To wrap a bale the operator spears the bale and tips it up almost 90 degrees, then manually slips the end of the plastic under a twine string on the bale. Then he rotates the bale to wrap the plastic around it and uses the loader to raise the bale at the same time. Once the entire bale has been wrapped, he leans forward again and uses his finger to "score" part of the plastic, then brakes the roll holder so that the rest of the plastic tears through. "It's built strong and is simple to use. The operator never even has to get out of the skid steer and has complete control over how many times he wants to wrap the bale," says Arvold. "There are only two zerks to grease and it has oversize bearings so it won't break down. The spinning spear penetrates hard bales where a stationary spear would just slide off. Because the spear tips up at almost a 90 degree angle and rotates it can also be used for other jobs. I've used it to lay out 8-ft. high fence for my elk. It also works great for wrapping up old electric fence." Sells for about $3,000 plus S&H. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Elk Rock Ranch, 1673 250th St., Emerald, Wis. 54012 (ph 715 265-4749; E-mail: stahl@win.bright.net)

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