Bale Baskets

[burnetma]

I am considering converting over to bale baskets from a kicker baler operation. The whole story as to why is below.

I see E-Z Trail has a model. What other brands are available? Experience with these brands would be great. What is the price of a system?

The LONG sad story:
I finished baling my first cutting off Memorial Day weekend, but not without a casualty. I have a JD 327 baler with a #30 bale ejector (AKA pan thrower). I baled one really heavy bale and the pan must have caught on the trip arm breaking the thrower arm at the pivot. The mechanism was jammed in the down position and I could not get the safety lever to disengage due to the jam. I had about two windrows left to finish as a thunderstorm was moving over the next hill coming at me. So I rushed throught the last of my hay and then the seal blew out of the input shaft on the pump. I now have a damaged hydraulic pump and broken throwing arm. So now I have a choice. Parts from JD are available, but pretty pricey. I may have access to used parts or a complete #30 for some money. Or do I convert my small time operation to bale baskets. I only have two kicker wagons, so I do not have a lot invested in wagons. These sell easily anyway.

 

[WTA]

I'm looking for something to pick up bales but I can't decide what yet. My new baler has the quarter turn chute on it for the new holland bale stackers but I keep hearing they are more trouble working on than balers are. They are expensive too. I only have my kid to help pick up bales for a couple more years and my back doesn't care for it much already. Now we are up to about 2000 bales a month we are picking up by hand and we're expecting 5 cuttings this year. I need to do something different.

 

[slowzuki]

I've got a JD 30 thrower with no pump and missing the sheilds etc. It came on a pallet with my baler but I haven't spent the money to get it together and buy wagons.

At a recent auction I bought a longer chute that will deliver hay to the front of the wagon, I'm hoping that might help my operation without much cash outlay.

Kicker wagons are about 2000$ each up here, so it isn't free to get into them. Not much more to get an accumulator and grab.

 

[flusher]

I'm looking for something to pick up bales but I can't decide what yet. My new baler has the quarter turn chute on it for the new holland bale stackers but I keep hearing they are more trouble working on than balers are. They are expensive too. I only have my kid to help pick up bales for a couple more years and my back doesn't care for it much already. Now we are up to about 2000 bales a month we are picking up by hand and we're expecting 5 cuttings this year. I need to do something different.

If you're on a tight budget, maybe one of these Out Front bale accumulator/bale grapple setups will work for you.


Out-Front Hay Accumulator

IRRC the pair cost about $5K.

There are more expensive bale accumulators that can be hitched behind your baler. You would still need a grapple also if you went this route.

YouTube - Kuhns Mfg Hay Accumulator

 

[mark.r]

I'm with Flusher, when I start baling and the help becomes thin I am going to an accumulator set up. A local big time operation uses Steffan's System:

Hands Free Haying | Steffen Systems

He doesn't use the accumulator per se but uses the grapples set to move hay unloaded from tractor pulled NH bale wagons. Either way I'd rather invest the money in an accumlator/grapple system even if I wasn't able to stack them in a barn directly. You still get the benefit from getting them out of the field quickly and then on/off the truck and to your elevator quickly. Then you just need a couple of hands to get them in the loft. **** at the very least if a storm is coming you can get them stacked and tarpped quickly until you can get them into storage.