New Lift Loads Bales Onto Trailer

2001 - Volume #25, Issue #6, Page #29

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Like many people who take along hay and bedding when they haul horses and show cattle, Scott Sullivan wondered just how that guy who designed the trailer intended him to load those bales into that little rack on top.
  After years of research and many failed designs, the Pendleton, Oregon entrepreneur perfected what he calls the Bale BuddieÖ. It allows even the scrawniest wrangler to lift and deposit up to 150 lbs. of hay onto a bale rack at the top of the highest horse trailer, without leaving a dent or a scratch anywhere.
  An aluminum rail attaches to the outside of a trailer to support a track that's fitted with a "hay trolley" that has removeable lift arms. The trolley is raised by a winch with a 6:1 gear ratio and a 25:1 mechanical advantage. Sullivan contracted with a leading winch manufacturer to custom build Bale Buddie winches. For people who don't want to expend any energy cranking the winch, he'll soon have a 12-volt electric model available.
  He says the Bale Buddie installs easily in less than 30 minutes using just three 5/16-in. carriage bolts. To use the Bale Buddie, simply attach the removable bale arms with one pin, add the winch handle, load on a bale and crank it up. A load strap keeps the bale in place on the trolley arm. At the top, you just roll the bale off the bale arms and onto the hay rack.
  The Bale Buddie is made of all-weather aluminum and has four sealed ball bearing rollers. The winch cable is nylon-coated. The trolley and track, when installed, are less than 7 1/2 in. deep and about 11 1/2 in. wide. The track section is 7 1/2 ft. long. Positioned properly, he says the lower end of the track should be about 3 ft. off the ground. The bale arms are 34 in. wide.
  Sullivan formed Bale Buddie, Inc. to market the device. The Bale Buddie sells for $379, plus about $35 for UPS ground delivery. Dealer inquiries welcome.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Scott Sullivan, Bale Buddie, Inc., 72038 Goad Rd., Pendleton, Ore. 97801 (ph 541 276-5455; toll-free 888 944-9400; E-mail: coyote@uci.net; Website: www.balebuddie. com).

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New Lift Loads Bales Onto Trailer BALE HANDLING Bale Handling (31B) 25-6-29 Like many people who take along hay and bedding when they haul horses and show cattle, Scott Sullivan wondered just how that guy who designed the trailer intended him to load those bales into that little rack on top. After years of research and many failed designs, the Pendleton, Oregon entrepreneur perfected what he calls the Bale BuddieÖ. It allows even the scrawniest wrangler to lift and deposit up to 150 lbs. of hay onto a bale rack at the top of the highest horse trailer, without leaving a dent or a scratch anywhere. An aluminum rail attaches to the outside of a trailer to support a track that's fitted with a "hay trolley" that has removeable lift arms. The trolley is raised by a winch with a 6:1 gear ratio and a 25:1 mechanical advantage. Sullivan contracted with a leading winch manufacturer to custom build Bale Buddie winches. For people who don't want to expend any energy cranking the winch, he'll soon have a 12-volt electric model available. He says the Bale Buddie installs easily in less than 30 minutes using just three 5/16-in. carriage bolts. To use the Bale Buddie, simply attach the removable bale arms with one pin, add the winch handle, load on a bale and crank it up. A load strap keeps the bale in place on the trolley arm. At the top, you just roll the bale off the bale arms and onto the hay rack. The Bale Buddie is made of all-weather aluminum and has four sealed ball bearing rollers. The winch cable is nylon-coated. The trolley and track, when installed, are less than 7 1/2 in. deep and about 11 1/2 in. wide. The track section is 7 1/2 ft. long. Positioned properly, he says the lower end of the track should be about 3 ft. off the ground. The bale arms are 34 in. wide. Sullivan formed Bale Buddie, Inc. to market the device. The Bale Buddie sells for $379, plus about $35 for UPS ground delivery. Dealer inquiries welcome. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Scott Sullivan, Bale Buddie, Inc., 72038 Goad Rd., Pendleton, Ore. 97801 (ph 541 276-5455; toll-free 888 944-9400; E-mail: coyote@uci.net; Website: www.balebuddie. com).

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