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

[Michael Miller]

Farmer,
   Is this something like what your thinking of?  Looks fairly easy to build 
but the latching/unlatching mechanism might be a bit complicated.  There is 
enough of winter left to get'r done tho!


http://www.e-ztrail.com/bale-basket.html


Mike


>From: "Robinson" <robinson at svs.net>
>Reply-To: Antique tractor email discussion group 
><at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>To: "'Antique tractor email discussion group'" 
><at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>Subject: [AT] Semi-O.T. One man baling?
>Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2004 11:39:21 -0600
>
>	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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