His Big Bale Feeder Saves Tons Of Hay

His Big Bale Feeder Saves Tons Of Hay LIVESTOCK Feeding Equipment 27-3-19 Gene Himelick, Economy, Indiana, was tired of seeing wasted hay on the ground around his cattle feeders. He decided he could build something better. He started with a frame made from 1 1/2-in. dia. pipe. The feeder's 6 ft. wide and 21 ft. long, with a V in the center to hold three 60-in. bales (or four smaller round bales) above a wooden bunk. To make the center V-shaped rack, Himelick ran a length of 4 by 4-in. angle iron from end to end in the center and then put pipe braces from the top outside of the frame to the angle iron. "That made an upside down 90-degree angle with the legs set at 45 degrees from horizontal," he explains. He made a frame for the bunk by running lengths of 2 by 2 angle iron along the sides and ends of his pipe frame at a height of 24 in. He made the bunk floor and sides of treated 2 by 6 lumber, giving it 5-in. high sides to hold in the silage, grain or hay. Where the bunk floor boards meet the angle iron at the bottom center of the bale holder, he cut the board ends at 45-degree angles. He set the entire bunk on runners made of 1/4-in.-wall, 2-in. sq. steel tubing so he can move it if he needs or wants to. "The idea is that the cattle eat hay off the bottoms of the bales, not the sides. Metal shields help block the sides of the baler. I've been using it for three years now, and the hay that ædribbles' from the bales stays in the 24-in. high bunk to be eaten later," he says. He can also use the bunk to feed grain or silage. "It cost $1,395 to build," he adds. "Based on feeding 25 head of cattle, I figure it will pay for itself in hay saved after five years of use." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gene Himelick, 10986 Taylor Rd., Economy, Ind. 47339 (ph 765 886-5661; fax 765 886-5259; email: glhimelick@aol.com).

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