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He Built SP Bale Stacker
"I wanted the maneuverability of a self-propelled bale stacker-retriever, but I couldn't find a commercial unit that worked for my operation. So I built my own out of a 10-year-old pull-type wagon and used truck parts," says Tom Kowalski, a commercial hay producer from Paw Paw, Mich.
"One big plus is that my home
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He Built SP Bale Stacker HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Bale Handling (5) 19-4-11 "I wanted the maneuverability of a self-propelled bale stacker-retriever, but I couldn't find a commercial unit that worked for my operation. So I built my own out of a 10-year-old pull-type wagon and used truck parts," says Tom Kowalski, a commercial hay producer from Paw Paw, Mich.
"One big plus is that my home-built rig requires only 13 ft. of clearance so it fits under my 13 1/2-ft. barn door. New Holland stackers need 17 ft. of clearance. My rig has a lot more power than the New Holland, which had only a 361 cu. in. engine in it. And it's got automatic trans-' mission, instead of a manual like the New Holland, so it's much smoother operating."
Kowalski's New Holland 1034 bale stacker wagon was married up to the frame off a 3/4-ton 4-WD Ford pickup. It's powered by a 400 cu. in. engine out of a 1-ton truck. A heavy-duty tandem drive axle off the 1-ton Ford was fitted to the frame.
"The cab rides just 2 ft. off the ground because the engine's mounted back behind the cab. That allowed us to shorten up the drive shaft to about 1 ft., keeping stress on U -joints to a minimum and maneuverability to a maximum."
An old Deere combine cab mounts above the front drive axle.
The truck engine required some modificatons. For example, two new 14-in. electric fans had to be installed on the back of the radiator to cool the engine. Likewise, a new 12-in. dia. electric fan was required to cool the transmission.
The three fans together draw a total of 35 amps, so a bigger 90 amp alternator had to be installed in the engine to keep the electric system from overloading.
Also, an extra hydraulic pump was mounted on the engine's crankshaft to power the stacker wagon.
Kowalski uses the rig to put up 40,000 14 by 16 by 38 in. 70 lb. alfalfa bales every year. When the rack is full, it holds 105 bales. It tips back to unload the bales in one big stack.
Kowalski's total investment in the ma-chine is about $16,000.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Tom Kowalski, 48464 33rd St., Paw Paw, Mich. 49079 (ph 616 657-5388).
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