Self-Propelled Hay Shredder Makes Bedding And Feeding A Breeze

Self-Propelled Hay Shredder Makes Bedding And Feeding A Breeze COMBINES Conversions 24-1-44 Like many livestock producers, Denis Brenneis of Morinville, Alberta, thinks big bale shredders are one of the best time and labor savers on the farm. He made his Haybuster 256 shredder even more handy by mounting it on the frame of a Massey 410 combine. He says the home-built machine is both comfortable and convenient to operate, with excellent visibility for maneuvering around cattle yards while distributing shredded hay for feed or spreading fluffy bedding. "The combine worked out really well for this project," Brenneis says. "Being small, it is short and low, and required very little modification." He removed the Haybuster's wheels and dissected the combine, removing everything but the cab and the drive train. Brenneis then attached the combine's rear wheels and steering axle to the back of the Haybuster frame. He unbolted the hitch from the Haybuster and manufactured a frame on the combine to bolt up to the Haybuster's existing hitch mount plates. Brenneis mounted the combine's fuel tank on the frame, just in front of one of the back wheels and painted it yellow to match the Haybuster. "In order to drive the PTO of the Haybuster, I added a 90 degree angle drive from a pull-type combine and coupled it to the beater shaft of the Massey 410. This allows the engaging clutch from the thresher drive of the combine to be used to drive the bale shredder," Brenneis says. The inventive farmer is also thinking of adding a couple more features to the self-propelled rig. He would like to affix a front-end loader to the front of the combine so he could carry out extra bales, or push snow. He's also considering adding a grain tank on the right hand side, in front of the fuel tank, so he could mix grain with the shredded hay while distributing it. "The idea behind this machine was to minimize costs in winter so we don't have to start the tractor, saving hours and money. That's how it got started but now it's just fun!" Brenneis smiles. He says the project took him about 170 hours and total material costs were about $2,000 ($1,200 for the combine, $200 for the gear box from local wrecker, and $600 for miscellaneous shop supplies). Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Denis Brenneis, Rt. 1, Morinville, Alberta, Canada T8R 1P4 (ph 780 939-2379; E-mail: denisb@oanet.com).

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