Hay trailer builds 2 ...

[DaveOmak]

Copied and moved from "Build it yourself"...

I'm looking for ideas to build a hay trailer to pull behind my 14T and Jubilee tractor...
I'm thinking I want a small trailer for 20 or so bales then drive off of the field and reload on my big trailer for later transport...
I don't want to overwork my Jubilee... pulling the 14T and the hay wagon, might be too much for it.. I can't afford to have it broke down... Sooooo, using a small trailer as a shuttle seems like a good choice....
Any ideas would surely help me decide on a design....

 

[Xfaxman]

What is a 14T?

 

[zzvyb6]

I have used a 4 place snowmobile trailer for that very purpose. Easily put 100+ bales on it with someone stacking them. The trailer is a 'deck-over' type so its one flat 8 x 16' surface. We used a backstop just in case. The nice part of it was being able to hook up a truck immediately afterwards to deliver the fresh hay, although we once took my red car with a load to Southfield for a special customer.

60 bales is a nice load: 2 double rows of 25 with 10 down the center. 2 cross straps and two end straps keeps things together. The double axle keeps the tongue load on my 14T to a light level. Only concern is very tight turns. I did not want to tear off an axle. The 14T has a center hitch option that is necessary. The trailer's low load floor means that the rear chute clears the trailer at all times with good overhang. Even backing up both the baler and the trailer together is a cinch, especially with separate L/R tractor brakes.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Copied and moved from "Build it yourself"...

I'm looking for ideas to build a hay trailer to pull behind my 14T and Jubilee tractor...
I'm thinking I want a small trailer for 20 or so bales then drive off of the field and reload on my big trailer for later transport...
I don't want to overwork my Jubilee... pulling the 14T and the hay wagon, might be too much for it.. I can't afford to have it broke down... Sooooo, using a small trailer as a shuttle seems like a good choice....
Any ideas would surely help me decide on a design....

I have a very simple wagon that will hold 26 bales. I use this running gear:
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_47661_47661

(I actually bought mine at Harbor Freight but I'm pretty sure it's the same).

I built a box for it, the deck is a piece of 1/2" plywood framed with 2x6's. On each side there is a half sheet of 1/2" plywood as a side wall. I don't know the exact dimensions but its width is the length of a bale and its length is the width of five bales. The height of the sidewalls is the height of two bales. I stack it in layers:
First layer is five bales sideways.
Second layer is six bales, three rows of two, lengthwise. They stick out a little bit at the ends.
The third layer is ten bales, two rows of five sideways. These are resting on the side walls and sticking out on the sides.
Fourth layer is five bales, same as the first layer. These lock in the third layer.

I've pulled this wagon with a lawn tractor or an ATV, which is handy. The deck is only 16 inches high or so which means less lifting. The loaded wagon fits through my 8x8 door when it's time to unload, and it's easy to climb up on to stack the bales.

The only thing I don't like about this wagon is that it doesn't back up at all. I drive it through the door, unload it, then unhitch it and walk it out and turn it around. But it's light enough that when it's empty it's easy to move by hand.

 

[charlton289]

What is a 14T?

Its a John Deere small bale baler

 

[DaveOmak]

I have used a 4 place snowmobile trailer for that very purpose.


I like the snowmobile trailer idea... thanks.... I'll start looking.....

 

[DaveOmak]

I have a very simple wagon that will hold 26 bales. I use this running gear:
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_47661_47661

(I actually bought mine at Harbor Freight but I'm pretty sure it's the same).


That's a nice trailer base... I read the comments... Have you noticed any problems with the frame bending or tweaking ?? Some folks say it's very light weight and has some problems.... Maybe, they overload it....

 

[DaveOmak]

Morning folks.... My 14T has the towing tongue installed... That's where my thinking started... Now, I've been baling then picking up the bales one at a time and loading... I want to find someone to help load right from the baler to the trailer... too old to do all this stuff by myself...

 

[Xfaxman]

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The only thing I don't like about this wagon is that it doesn't back up at all. I drive it through the door, unload it, then unhitch it and walk it out and turn it around. But it's light enough that when it's empty it's easy to move by hand.

Put a hitch on the front of the lawn tractor and ATV, then practice backing the wagon. :thumbsup:

Its a John Deere small bale baler

Thanks, the way the OP asked the question I first thought it was another tractor.

 

[buickanddeere]

I assume that you are talking about a hay wagon when talking about a trailer ? A Deere 943 or 953 chassis with a wooden platform and five bale high back rack is what is required. Could not count how many miles and acres I have covered stacking bales on the wagon behind the baler. A standard load was five bale lengths long, 2-1/2 bale lengths wide and seven bales high for 170 bales. We did have one wagon six bale lengths long, it required a brisk pace to make it all the way back up to the front in time to the baler's chute for the next bale. approx 4 ton of hay and wagon when loaded.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

That's a nice trailer base... I read the comments... Have you noticed any problems with the frame bending or tweaking ?? Some folks say it's very light weight and has some problems.... Maybe, they overload it....

I bought mine over ten years ago and from Harbor Freight so it may not be the same. It was not expensive when I bought it -- less than $200 if I recall correctly -- and I figured I would use it hard and see how it lasts. I routinely load it with much more than its rated capacity. The frame flexes a lot, which I think is by design to manage stress. I have worn out three of the four tires and replaced them. But the frame hasn't broken. Similarly, I built a simple wooden box for the bed, and it has held up for over a decade. I did manage to bend the tongue, and it eventually snapped where it was bent, but I was able to bolt it back together.

It does what it does well.

 

[DaveOmak]

I bought mine over ten years ago and from Harbor Freight so it may not be the same. It was not expensive when I bought it -- less than $200 if I recall correctly -- and I figured I would use it hard and see how it lasts. I routinely load it with much more than its rated capacity. The frame flexes a lot, which I think is by design to manage stress. I have worn out three of the four tires and replaced them. But the frame hasn't broken. Similarly, I built a simple wooden box for the bed, and it has held up for over a decade. I did manage to bend the tongue, and it eventually snapped where it was bent, but I was able to bolt it back together.

It does what it does well.

Thank you for the good information... Dave

 

[sd455dan]

Copied and moved from "Build it yourself"...

I'm looking for ideas to build a hay trailer to pull behind my 14T and Jubilee tractor...
I'm thinking I want a small trailer for 20 or so bales then drive off of the field and reload on my big trailer for later transport...
I don't want to overwork my Jubilee... pulling the 14T and the hay wagon, might be too much for it.. I can't afford to have it broke down... Sooooo, using a small trailer as a shuttle seems like a good choice....
Any ideas would surely help me decide on a design....

We needed inexpensive multi purpose trailer and had a boat/ trailer combo given to us.
the boats stern drive was to far gone so junked the boat .

Took the trailer and built some brackets and supports added 2 x 6's for the floor. It works well for about 25 small bales and many other uses.

I did have to remake some steel mounts for the slipper springs recently- front perch the Aluminum had stress cracked. Other than that it has been a good trailer

 

[DaveOmak]

That made a nice trailer.... Good idea.....