Wagon-Mounted Conveyor Makes It Easy To Unload Bales

Wagon-Mounted Conveyor Makes It Easy To Unload Bales WAGONS/TRAILERS Accessories 22-4-25 Unloading bales from a hay wagon has never been this easy. Norman Bernholtz mounted a chain conveyor along one side of his wagon that runs directly to a bale elevator that carries bales up to a barn loft. "I never have to walk more than a few steps to set bales on the conveyor. I can unload 140 bales in only about 15 minutes. It worked so well I put unloading conveyors on both of my wagons," says Bernholtz. The conveyor consists of a chain that mounts inside a track made from 2-in. wide channel iron. The channel iron track bolts to the floor and extends almost all the way to the back of the wagon. The chain rides on sprockets at each end. The bales slide along between 2 by 4's nailed on their edges to the floor. When not in use, the conveyor is covered by a series of 4-ft. long plywood covers that are hinged on one side. Flipping the covers up out of the way exposes the chain for unloading. "I open the covers one at a time as I unload the wagon because bales are stacked on top of the conveyor for transport," explains Bernholtz. A 1/4 hp electric motor mounts under the wagon. It belt-drives a right angle gearbox that drives the chain. The gearbox is from an old corn picker. A switch on one side of the wagon is used to start the motor. Bernholtz also made an "offset hitch" for the wagon that allows him to easily line up the conveyor with the elevator as he drives the wagon forward. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Norman Bernholtz, Rt. 3, Box 246, New Ulm, Minn. 56073 (ph 507 354-5128).

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