Oops, I think I killed my bale spike

[Eric Salop]

This morning started off perfect - clear blue sky and a hard frost, which is just what I wanted to move out some old spoiled bales without making a mess in the mud.

I should have realized I was tempting fate when I took the pallet forks off, fit the bale spike and admired how tough the paint finish was. Although now almost two years old and having moved hundreds of bales, the red paint was hardly scratched and shone in the sunlight.


The old bales were all in a pile. First 3 came out fine, the next one I had to flick over to get at it end on. That was when I noticed that although the bale spikes were nicely gleaming in the morning sun, they weren't quite doing it as a matched pair anymore.

So I'm back home for an earlier cup of coffee than I had anticipated. I will get the camera out when I'm finished and take a few close up shots so you can see the damage and perhaps help me on the best way to make a repair.

 

[k0ua]

A close up of the damage would be good, but it looks to me like the bottom square tubing is rather thin wall to start with. May need to be chopped out and a thicker wall tubing or even a solid bar welded in and then the bail spike holders welded back on. Also it would seem to me the design puts a lot of stress in a small area with the spike holders just welded on there with such a small contact area. If the tubing that holds the spike was longer it would help.

 

[petegoud]

Nothing a grinder, a little muscle, and a welder can't fix. Some reinforcement of the supports would be nice too, as noted in the above post.

 

[George2615]

The spike looks fine, its just the collar it locks into that broke loose and tore some of the rectangle frame metal. The quick repair would be to persuade the collar back into place and re-weld it in place.
A better repair would be to remove the entire collar with a cut off wheel, clean it up by grinding off the old weld. Then weld a new piece of angle over the ripped rectangle tubing and then weld the collar back onto the new angle.

 

[Eric Salop]

Closer up pics.

 

[Ford850]

That third picture shows rust on the cracked edge, so it was partially cracked previously. With tubing that thin, I would cut off the pipe nipple and weld angle over the square tubing first.

 

[k0ua]

Closer up pics.

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Yep, the bale spear is anchored to a tin can. The bottom tube either needs to be chopped out and replaced with something with much thicker metal or thicker angle iron placed over it and plug welded to it and the end plates securely welded. This is just a bad design using that thin 1/8 walled tubing. Similar to some of the grapple designs we have heard about with the top lid anchored to this thin walled tubing. You can repair it all day, but in the end that bottom tubing is just too thin. That is the way I see it from here.

 

[Egon]

As already noted a redesign should be in the works. That includes the other spear too.

Lots of ways to do it. Easiest may be to move the holders over to the side plate.

 

[GLyford]

How about adding a gusset (I'm thinking something like 1/4x2 or 3" plate) with one end running along the top of the tube, and angled up so the other end meets the side pieces. Maybe 6 or 8" long. Help push down on it from the top side and tie it all together.

 

[CADplans]

The red spear is the expensive part,,
If you make the black part stronger, the red part will bend, been there, done that.

Simply push the spear back into location, and weld the cracks.
If you insist on making the black frame stronger, order a new unit,, the stronger original will look like a pretzel,, soon.