I like the concept, I priced one but the shipping to WY killed the deal. I too would like to hear from anyone who has used one.


8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

I'm looking for a Tumble Bug hay mover here in SW Wisconsin.
www.ourcoop.com/productcatalog/Main/PdfViewer.aspx?el=60327


8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

I would love to see it . Any picture out there of this mythical contraption?


8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

I'm in a bit of a time crunch for the next couple of days, but I will post a couple of pictures of my homemade bale mover. It was made by Jonathan Lawton out of a haybine frame. I can haul two bales with it. I pull it behind a forecart . I generally just need to move only one bale at a time, but it very easily hauls two.
A small winch, the haybine frame, a piece of rectangular tubing and a log chain is all that is required to build and use this simple machine. The highway axles lets me pull it behind a truck if needed. I will try to get a few pics this coming week of it in use.


8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

This is a rig that I want to build. It would allow 4 bales to be loaded 2 on each side then a 5th on the rear. It would allow you to carry extra then feed them one at a time as you wanted. It could also be used to gather from the field during haying. Still in concept but it is a thought.


8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

Great looking idea KM. I see your signature front wheel design as well. Looks like it will work well especially for folks who need to feed several bales at a time.

I looked through a few old photos and found one of my bale mover. Unfortunately it is not very well detailed. I will do my best to get a better photo by the end of this week. The main thing wrong with this photo is that the loading winch cannot be seen.


8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

The concept of getting 4 or five bales on is what I need KM.
Hope you get it figured out.
I feed 8 to 10 bales per day during the winter, sometimes more, so one at a time can be a bit tedious.
It would also be handy bringing hay to the stack yards.


8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

All I need is the R&D money to build the multi carrier and time to hide in the shop. If I didn't have to make a living I could have loads of fun tinkering in the shop.


8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

The Pioneer bale mover is in their digital catalog. pioneerfarmequipment.com scroll down to the digital catalog.

It is basically a 2 wheel trailer that hooks to a forecart. Fork lift style fixed forks, small spike to hold the bale in case of bumps and either a hand or electric winch to lift the bale.

It will not serve as a bale un-roller, as it appears that you back it up under the bale so as to cradle the circle end- .O. with the periods being the "forks"

Neal


8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

I have a bush hog brand bale carrier that I sometimes use behind the forecart. It's tipped over onto the bale by hand, and has two spikes on adjustable arms that are pushed into the bale. It is then lifted up onto the cart by a winch. It can be used to unroll as well. It's ok, but I find it a bit awkward. In my opinion the best bale carrier I've had has been a sheet of plywood. I sandwiched one end between two oak 2X6s, drilled a hole through that and dropped a chain through it to make a hitch. I had a iron pin about 18 inches long with a ring in it and a piece of rope fastened to the ring with a series of loops on the other end. I pulled the rig with my fore cart. I would but it cross ways in front of a bale, and push the pin into the bale on the opposite side, bring the rope over the bale and drop one of the loops onto the ball hitch on the forecart. The mules learned pretty quickly how many steps it took to tip the bale over onto the plywood sled. Then they'd take a step back to give me some slack. I'd flip the rope back up on the bale, step to the front and loop the chain over the ball hitch and go to feed. When I got there I did the same in reverse, I looped the rope back over the ball and flipped the bale over off the plywood. It worked great in all weathers and only cost 25.00. I've used that same sheet of plywood now for 8 years. I feed out about 150 rolls a year.


8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

This is where we all have different needs depending on what our operation entails. Wes would wear out a sheet of plywood in a few days in his 5 to 15 mile feed loop depending on where the cattle are. Not to mention his rocks, creek crossings and the dug way off the hill. He needs the ability to unroll a bale or part of a bale and then pick it up and move to the next location. The ability to haul several would be a huge bonus. The rig we built works great and the second one on runners I think will work just as good but we are limited to one bale at a time. (The positive are some really well broke horses.)

Great discussion. Please keep tossing out ideas I am learning from you all.


8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

First of all I want to say... KM I am right there with you! That doggone job of mine gets in the way of my horse farming! You are a good man in a shop, perhaps that is your true calling?

Here are a couple more photos of my bale mover. I use a log chain to go around the bale. The winch pulls the bale up on the front of the mover. If I'm hauling one bale, that's it. If I want to haul two bales... The first bale, once loaded, gets the chain hooked around the winch mast. Inside of the axle is a piece of square stock that goes in the notches behind the tires. A second chain goes around the bale and the winch pulls it up onto the square stock and against the first loaded bale...off we go.

I can't unroll the bales. I just drop them where I want them in the field. I only keep a dozen cows or so. It's not often that I need two bales at once, but it works nice when I do.

It was raining hard when I went to get these pictures. Oh yea, and of course one of the cows had to investigate!


8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

Fortunately, for me, when I need to unroll, I have many hill to assist me. I usually pull my bales to the crest of a hill and let them roll down. When I need to unroll on level ground I have a thing that looks like a large C. It is made of a straight bar, with two hinged arms with a ring on each end. The bars swing out and a pin is put through the rings into the bales. The bar on front has a hitch ring attached to it by chains. I drop the ring over the ball hitch on my forecart and can pull the bale along to unroll it. I have also used this to move bales out of the field, but you have to make sure you are going the correct way, otherwise you'll unroll the hay you just rolled. I bought this unroller ready made, but had more holes drill in the frame so that the arms could be moved in or out to accommodate different sized bales. It works well for short distance moving.


8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum