Bale Flaker Fits Any Flatbed

Bale Flaker Fits Any Flatbed BALE HANDLING Bale Handling (31B) 29-2-29 Kris Lorash's square bale flaker design had so many things going for it that Besler Industries Inc. of Cambridge, Neb., has taken it on as a new addition to their product line. The Besler 4000 Series Square Bale Flaker just made its debut in February, and both Lorash and the company are excited about its potential. "This bed is an accessory to existing round bale beds, converting them so they can also handle big square bales," Lorash explains. "It just sits up on top. It has a series of flails on it that allow one person to feed big square bales to their cattle in 4-in. flakes, all the while sitting in the cab of the truck. It's very simple and many of the parts can be bought off-the-shelf at any farm and ranch store." Lorash has been operating the prototype for three years without a single problem. When used alone on a flatbed, bales are loaded with a tractor, but when it's used on an existing bale bed the bed's loader arms can be used to load. According to Cliff Kester of Besler Industries Inc., the 5 by 9-ft. unit weighs 900 lbs. and is chain-driven with sealed bearings. "A control cord with a two-way switch on it runs into the truck cab, and is used to start and stop the flaker," he explains. "The rig fits on most brands of flatbeds or bale beds and is a self-contained unit that doesn't require hydraulics. It's powered with an electric worm driven gearbox. A simple, four-point mounting system allows for fast mounting and removal." It has a headache rack that moves the bale backward by pushing the gray safety shield down and exposing the flaking fingers. These fingers separate the bale into individual flakes. As the last flake falls to the ground, the safety shield springs up to cover the flaking fingers. Lorash says excellent parts availability is a major selling point for this unit. "Also, this unit doesn't have a lot of small moving parts that can break down, so reliability is excellent," he points out. "It's a very low maintenance unit and it's a clean unit because of the gear box," Kesler adds. According to Lorash, the Besler Square Bale Flaker is the perfect height for a round bale ring. You just cut your twines and pull the lever, and the bale is transferred into the round bale ring. The bale flaker can feed one 4 by 4 by 8-ft. bale, two 3 by 4 by 8-ft. bales, or two 3 by 3 by 8-ft. bales. "This unit works well for other applications, too," Lorash points out. "You can throw anything you want up on top of the bed, such as dirty waste straw, and go to where you want it put, back up, and dump it." The unit retails for $4,600 plus shipping. Dealer inquiries are welcome. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Cliff Kester, Besler Industries, P.O. Box B, 40855- W. Hwy. 6-34, Cambridge, Neb. 69022 (ph 308 697-4698; email: beslerind@swnebr.net; website: www.beslerindustries.com) or Kris Lorash (ph 406 322-5456).

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