New Walk Behind Big Bale Unroller

New walk behind big bale unroller HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Bale Handling (5) 12-5-4 The first "walk-behind" big bale unroller made its debut at Midwest farm shows this summer. The manufacturer, Wic Inc., also makes portable straw choppers for small square bales and big round bales. "Farmers needed a way to unroll bales in barns where there's not much space. Our new unroller loads itself and, at 48 in., is no wider than most round bales," says sales manager Clement R. Lariviere. The unroller is powered by an 8-hp. gas engine and has a ride-along platform at rear for the operator. Two hydrostatically-driven wheels at the rear propell the unit and a small hydraulic motor turns the chain that unrolls the bale. To load a bale, the operator drives the unroller up to within a couple feet of the bale, lowers two small ramps from the unroller to the ground, and inserts a hook - attached to a steel cable - in the back side of the bale. A winch cranks in the bale, pulling it up the ramp and onto the unroller. Once the strings are cut, the unroller turns the entire bale so hay flakes off as the bale turns. The 48-in. wide unroller sells for $4,450 and handles the biggest round bales. Two smaller models, 39 and 30 in. wide, are also available. The company plans to introduce a bale saw to slice round bales in half as well as an even smaller unroller that'll fit down narrow feed alleys. For more information, contact FARM SHOW Followup, Wic Inc., 784 Principale, Wickham, Quebec Canada JOC 1 SO (ph 819 398-6822).

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