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Giant Hay Hauler Moves Six Stacks At Once
"I think I could submit it to the Guinness Book of Records as the world's biggest hay hauler, but I've never found the time to do so," says Bud Nitzsche of NIBCO Industries about his giant hay hauler that moves six big stacks at a time. He built the one-of-a-kind trailer - which is equipped with its own engine - in 1978 and uses it to haul 6,000 to 8,000 tons of hay per season.
Each Deere or Hesston stack weighs from 2 1/2 to 2 3/4-tons. It'll also handle up to 26, 5 by 6-ft. round bales. Loading time is 2 to 4 minutes depending on field conditions. With a subframe constructed of 4 by 6-in. steel tubing, the trailer is 54 ft. long, 13 ft. wide, and weighs 20,000 lbs.
Moving parts - chains, loading teeth, and hydraulics - are powered by a 4-cyl. 2,300 cc engine out of a Ford Pinto car that mounts under the front of the trailer bed. The out-put shaft of the engine's 3-speed automatic transmission is fitted with a sprocket that drives a jack shaft that goes into a right angle 80:1 gear reduction box which drives the loading chains.
Toggle switches and small electric motors are used to remotely start and stop the trailer's engine, control the throttle, and shift the transmission from forward to reverse - all from the cab of the semi tractor that pulls it.
A hinged 10-ft. ramp on back raises and lowers for loading and unloading with a hydraulic lever located near the front of bed.
The hay hauler rides on tandem low-boy axles fitted with 10.00 by 15-in. steel belted radial tires. Nitzsche uses a 6-WD International Pay Star 5000 semi tractor equipped with a 290 hp Cummins diesel to pull the trailer at speeds of up to 35 mph fully loaded. It would cost at least $50,000 to build another stack hauler, estimates Nitzsche, who says he would be willing to build one for anyone interested.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, NIBCO Industries, 1059 Hwy. 51, Wisner, Neb. 68791 (ph 402 529-6169).


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1996 - Volume #20, Issue #2