Three-In-One "Bale Caddy"

Three-In-One "Bale Caddy" BALE HANDLING Bale Handling (31B) 22-2-27 High school students taking part in an educational job training program in Benton, Ill., built their own three-in-one "bale caddy" for round bales that's designed so it can be pulled behind a pickup or mounted on a tractor 3-pt. hitch. It can also be converted into a fork-lift. "It works slick and didn't cost a lot to build," says Burl Boren, director of Boren's Franklin County Farm Corporation (BFCFC), a high tech, ag-related educational training program for high school students with special needs. The 2-wheel caddy carries the bale on a rectangular steel cradle equipped with two forks at the bottom and a removeable spear in the middle. The frame pivots above the axle which is fitted with tires off an old 3/4-ton pickup. A ball hitch on front allows the unit to be pulled by a pickup. The hitch is also equipped with a hand-operated winch and a cable that leads from it up to a pulley mounted on a steel bar that extends beyond the cradle. To mount the bale you back up and slide the forks under the bale, then turn a crank to raise the bale over the axle and lock it in place using a chain. By pulling a pin from the steel bar you can remove the cradle from the rest of the rig and 3-pt. mount it on a tractor. Re-moving the spear converts the unit into a fork-lift. A pair of steel rods with turn signals on top are welded onto the axle. The lights also serve as guides for lining up the forks with the bale when backing up. The axle was made from 2 by 3-in., 5/16-in. thick steel tubing. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Burl Boren (BFCFC), 5726 Bethel Rd., Benton, Ill. 62812 (ph 618 439-3850).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.