Moving large square bales, with no machinery. Let’s do this.

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

I bet if there is any old industry around you, you could find some old roller gravity conveyor sections to throw in the bottom of a trailer. We use probably miles of this stuff at the plant where I work. It comes in a bunch of widths. I doubt you would need the plywood that I've seen others recommend. You would end up with a bunch of rollers under each bale.

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[airbiscuit]

Both of those might work, but they put a lot of hardware on my truck I really don’t want just to satisfy a few customers, who are unprepared to buy or feed large bales anyway.

If you have a winch on your truck, it wouldn't be all that hard to fab up a detachable roller that just pins on the back of the bed. If you don't have a winch, just make a detachable mount (receiver hitch) for the winch on the back of the bed. The first delivery would pay for it.

 

[zzvyb6]

Don't laugh too hard. I bought a 4' by 8' sheet of polycarbonate ('Lexan') for $40 at the local auction in Webberville. Then I use a FRONT mounted winch on the truck to pull a strap on the bale. I place the winch cable under the truck and onto the truck bed before the bale is loaded, and wrapped around a pulley block at the REAR hitch, so when the cable is pulled the bale gets yanked almost off. Then just drive forward to finish the act. I started doing this with stacked small squares way back when. Now it's any load.
Make sure the space under the truck is sliding-cable ready (i.e. suitable friendly clearence). Plus, depending on the baleage, the Lexan may be slippery enough for two grunts to pull it off. The Lexan makes a huge difference in the sliding friction. Yes, you need to peel off the protective coating on one side.

I believe there are some Youtube videos showing guys unloading stacks of squares from hay wagons for delivery using the same method. That's where I got the idea from. My NH stack-wagon essentially does the same think for partial loads of smalls.

 

[WM75Guy]

I run into a lot of people that get horses for their kids without knowing what it really takes to keep them. Feed, hay, farriers, vet bills, and stall/pasture management are monthly re-occurring costs. Then you get into truck/trailer costs for hauling them to the vet or moving them around to rodeos or shows, tractors to move hay or manure around, and the tack to ride them. It does get expensive.

 

[Hay Dude]

I run into a lot of people that get horses for their kids without knowing what it really takes to keep them. Feed, hay, farriers, vet bills, and stall/pasture management are monthly re-occurring costs. Then you get into truck/trailer costs for hauling them to the vet or moving them around to rodeos or shows, tractors to move hay or manure around, and the tack to ride them. It does get expensive.

And the worst part about that is many (not all) horse owners get in over their heads, then take their money problems out on the hay supplier.
They buy too many horses, fancy trucks/trailers, stables, fencing, etc then want to “go cheap” on the hay.
I had one buyer ask “why do you charge so much for hay? It’s just free grass”.

Women who buy hay are mostly awful to deal with, but I have tried to maintain a healthy attitude and take each new customer on with a renewed spirit of cooperation.

 

[dodge man]

Maybe you’d of got the one customer if you offered to take care of her horses too while you were there. Free grass? Just like all the free corn and soybeans they grow around here.

 

[Rvrrat14]

Take another truck and pull it off. PVC (posts) has always made a load easier to move.

 

[Hay Dude]

Take another truck and pull it off. PVC (posts) has always made a load easier to move.

That could be done, but we are talking about $250 worth of hay. It’s already a small enough delivery with one vehicle and trying to unload bales using the “hold my beer and watch this” method with a rope around a tree to pull the bale off. I don’t think anyone of sound mind would drive 2 men in 2 different trucks to make what? 50-100 bucks?
It’s all a moot point now because she balked at my delivery charge price anyway.