[AT] Semi-O.T. One man baling?

[pga2 at hot1.net]

Farmer,
I know A-C made a bale loader for use with the Roto-Baler, perhaps one of
those could be made to work with either your baler or as a side loader for
a wagon. They are old enough that the $$$ factor shouldn't interfere with
your budget. :o)

Phil

> 	I'm switching another dab of acreage (about 10 more)
> over to hay this year and my biggest problem is and
> has been handling small square bales alone. There are
> a lot of devices made that will do the job but at a
> serious $$$$$ level. I MUST keep cost way down. I was
> just wondering if any of you has ran across anything
> recently "low cost" that will let one man bale alone.
> 	The closest thing I've seen so far is a large trailer
> type hauler with a pipe framework that the baler
> pushes the bale up a chute and drops them down from
> the top. You then pull it to the barn and back up to
> the elevator/conveyor and open the whole back. It
> didn't look too hard to build but lately I haven't
> even been able to find a picture of one. I think I
> first saw it at the state fair a few years ago.
> 	Most accumulators I have seen were just too $$$$ at
> least to start. I haven't even seen one of those side
> pick-up conveyors that you attach to a wagon or truck
> lately.
> 	Scott works too many hours in good weather to be
> reliably available. Diana keeps volunteering to ride
> wagon and stack bales but I won't let her. She also
> couldn't drive the baler.   :-)   Last year a neighbor
> (much younger) was running back and forth between the
> tractor and baler every few bales and stacking the
> wagon. Most of the time he has family to help. If my
> joints were not giving me so much trouble I would
> trade work with him but I'm afraid he would be getting
> a very short end of the stick.  :-)  We would also
> always be wanting to bale on the same sunny day.
> 	I plan to bale some small round bales with my best
> Allis Chalmers Roto-baler which won't be hurt by a
> quick rain. That market is limited though. I also plan
> to pick up a large round baler too but again that
> market is limited (and very competitive here). We do
> have a huge horse market for small square bales here.
> 	I'll have a total of about 16 - 17 acres of hay this
> year (maybe twice that next year) and that is more
> than I want to bale 3 cuttings off of all the hard
> way.
> 	Once at the barns I expect to be handling the small
> bales mostly on very large pallets with a fork lift.
> Pallets will be stacked on the ground and lifted to
> the loft where they will be positioned with one of
> those manual pallet dollies. We have been looking at
> hoop barns for a while now for more storage. It all
> becomes a lot simpler down on ground level.   :-)
> 	I have been thinking of trying at least for this year
> of using the old sweep rake I bought a few years ago.
> I made brackets to mount it on the tractor loader and
> that worked decent for loose hay. If I made it an all
> new set of teeth of straight oak it should sweep up
> about 20 bales a trip.
> 	I have also thought of making a large very low
> platform sled to load bales on with out the lifting to
> the height of a wagon. Would be a temporary solution.
> I even thought of making such a thing with a row of
> very small wheels down each side to keep it very low
> and still not tear up the ground like a sled.
> 	I keep leaning toward the pick-up conveyor that bolts
> onto a wagon or truck (Diana could drive that) but I
> am trying to look at the problem from all possible
> directions. Later I might pick up a good baler with a
> kicker on it but that is out of the question at the
> moment.
>
> Just fishing for ideas. I know that some of you make
> hay.
>
>
>
>
> "farmer"
>
> My most recent list
> mailto:budget_muzzleloading-subscribe at yahoogroups.com
>
> Francis Robinson
> Central Indiana, USA
> robinson at svs.net
>
>
>
>
>
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