Revolving Wagon Picks Up Small Bales

Revolving Wagon Picks Up Small Bales BALE HANDLING Bale Handling 31B Eugene Tollakson says one of his best buys ever made back in 1977 is an unusual bale wagon that picks up small square or round bales The wagon was built by Lavern Sunderman a Clarinda Iowa farmer see FARM SHOW s Vol 1 No 5 After building a toy model Sunderman built two for testing with an implement manufacturer The company later backed out Tollakson was impressed with the wagon because it made it so easy to pick up bales He convinced Sunderman to sell him one of the wagons for $4 500 The other unit is in Minnesota The Sunderman bale wagon is like a big revolving door or combine reel with 9 compartments Each compartment holds seven 60-lb 36 by 24-inch bales The wagon is operated by hydraulics using three levers Push one lever when approaching a bale to pick it up Another lever turns the reel The third lowers the pick-up for loading bales and raises the pick-up for transporting With extra bales in the pick-up Tollakson hauls 66 bales at a time To unload he reverses the process and unloads them onto an elevator to store in a barn loft The bales can also be unloaded out the back in a row on the ground Because it s so easy to operate when Tollakson s children were young they unloaded the wagon while he stacked bales I haven t put $200 into it since I bought it Tollakson says Last year he welded a piece of steel to replace a guide for the pick-up but that s about it It s an oddity to see small round bales in the field Tollakson says At 70 he knows that if it weren t for the Sunderman wagon he wouldn t be putting up round bales either Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Eugene Tollakson 3024 Mink Farm Rd South Wayne Wis 53587 ph 608 439-5949

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