Cheap & Easy Way To Load Big Bales

Cheap & Easy Way To Load Big Bales HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Bale Handling (5) 18-2-39 "It's an inexpensive way to load big bales onto an 8-ft. trailer. No need for a tractor loader or any powered equipment. All you need is a hand-cranked winch," says Ed Hammond, Pittsburg, Tex. He made a bale hook out of reinforcing rod that"bites" into the bale when the winch cable is tightened. Here's how it works: Hammond backs the trailer up against a bale lying in the field and pulls the winch cable out over the bale. He then pushes the hay hook into the back side of the bale at a point about 2 ft. above ground level. The points of the hook, which go into the hay about 6 in., must be sharp to penetrate. When he cranks up the winch, the bale rolls up onto the trailer. Once loaded, he wraps a chain around the sides of the bale to keep it from rolling off. "It takes only about 6 to 8 min. to load a bale for transport," says Hammond. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ed Hammond, Rt. 4, Box 216, Pittsburg, Tex. 75686.

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