hay ring

   / hay ring #1  

joeu235

Platinum Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2014
Messages
724
Location
Little River, TX
Tractor
John Deere 4020 / 6403 / 317 Ford 5600
I need to build two hay rings. All the ones available locally are POS and we have a pile of scrap to prove it. I don't think I could bend tubing consistent enough to make a round one. I thought about making an octagon but that would be a lot of effort. Anyone ever made a homemade round bale feeder or have some ideas?
 
   / hay ring #2  
Lots of people have built them. It shouldn't cost too much to have some tubing and the bottom metal rolled if want a round feeder. Once you figure out the angles an octagon wouldn't be too bad if you had a flat surface to lay it out on. There's rectangular feeders too.
 
   / hay ring #3  
Just build it out of 1.5" square tube ... make it 5x5 or 6x6 ... square. Or buy a HF roller and get 1.5" square dies for it.
 
   / hay ring #4  
My local feed store is selling some made out of plastic pipe that are heavy built. Everybody that has tried them that I know loves them and they last well. I haven't changed over yet but I plan to replace mine as needed with the plastic kind.
 
   / hay ring #5  
I like mine that are built out of sucker rod and haven't had one break but they have been bent up but still in service long after the square tubing ones break and fall apart.Just nobody sells them and I don't have the wont to build them. If I had a set up like Blue River I may :D

I have looked at the black poly ones $270 but I seen that the bolts could eventually pull threw(need bigger washers at least),where they are fused together could break and no way to heat them back together unless have a poly fusing machine and light weight.We have a pile of the square tubing ones,i need to go threw and weld ones can save back together. I just bought 4 new ones,the green ones at TSC with my 10%off coupon. I also drove and picked up some of the 10' concrete troughs and stopped messing with those plastic ones,first cow steps into bust a hole in,$140pc and weigh 2,000lbs so no cows going to slide them around either.
 
   / hay ring #6  
I've never run across plastic bale feeders. With my herd, I'd expect them to last about 20 minutes into the first use. I came across some a few years ago made out of 1 1/2" pipe. Pretty pricey, but they're standing up real well.
 
   / hay ring #7  
I use the heavy ones from Rural King. They are going on their 8 th year now. Bent up from the loader moving them but still in good shape. During the summer I flip them upside down or store them inside. Cheap ones only last a couple of years. I also move mine every time I feed hay so they don't sit in the mix they stay up towards the top of the ground.
 
   / hay ring #8  
Kind of embarrassing but....I've lived on a farm my entire life and I had to google 'hay ring'. :D

Terry
 
   / hay ring #9  
Might check with the local high school shop class. They get metal at wholesale price and need something to make. The rings I've bought from schools have lasted for years.
 
 
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