Low-Cost Bale Flatbed Made From Old Truck

Low-Cost Bale Flatbed Made From Old Truck TRUCKS Conversions 24-4-17 "Converting an old truck into a flatbed trailer is a cheap way to get a heavy-duty bale hauler," says Gary Stelpflug, Lancaster, Wis., who converted a 1972 Ford F-600 2 1/2-ton truck into a pull-type rig that holds up to 12 big square bales and dumps hydraulically for unloading. Stelpflug cut the cab off and cut through the front part of the frame, then pulled the two sides of the frame together and welded on a pair of steel plates to make a hitch. He removed the hydraulic pump and reservoir and installed a T in the hydraulic hoses already on the truck, allowing him to operate the truck's hydraulic hoist cylinders off one remote outlet on his tractor. "I use it on my own farm and also to do custom baling for neighbors. A lot of people want to borrow it," says Stelpflug. "I built it five years ago and have used it to haul at least 25,000 bales. I already had the truck which had about 325,000 miles on it and was all worn out. "The only problem is that the tongue is about 4 ft. wide so I can't turn sharp with it. I solved that problem on another project where I converted a pair of old International tandem axle trucks into grain trailers. One trailer holds 500 bu. and the other 450 bu. Instead of bringing the front part of the frame together into a æV', I cut off the front side of the frame and welded a 4-in. wide, 6-in. high steel plate onto it to box it off, then built a long hitch and welded it on." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gary Stelpflug, 7694 Pigeon River Road, Lancaster, Wis. 53813 (ph 608 723-4993).

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