Self-Unloading Round Bale Hauler

Self-Unloading Round Bale Hauler BALE HANDLING Bale Handling (31B) 32-4-10 Oklahoma farmer Steve Robertson built his own self-unloading hay trailer that's designed to be pulled by a pickup. The trailer can handle up to six 4 by 5-ft. bales. The operator releases all the bales at once by simply flipping a lever. "There are no hydraulics, chains, or motors," says Robertson. A loader tractor is used to load bales one at a time from the rear, with each bale pushed forward as a new one is loaded. To unload, Robertson pulls back on a long lever that's attached to the cradle, which causes a pair of locks to trip. Once the locks are tripped, he pulls up on the lever and the weight of the bales tips them over the side of the trailer. "It eliminates the need for a tractor to unload bales and greatly speeds up transport time between fields. One time I hauled 50 bales in three hours with only one tractor and one pickup," says Robertson. "Only one person is needed to operate it. It's ideal for small farmers who need to carry hay long distances to feed." Robertson used 6-in. dia. schedule 40 oilfield pipe to build the main frame. The rest of the trailer consists of 2 3/8-in. tubing. The trailer rides on a 7,000-lb. axle which he bought new. The hitch came off an old air seeder and is equipped with a 2 5/16-in. ball hitch. "I paid about $400 for the axle, $100 for the ball hitch, and $100 for a jack. The rest of the materials I already had," he notes. Robertson says he's willing to supply plans if there's enough interest. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Steve Robertson, 643 North 436, Pryor, Okla. 74361 (ph 918 557-2457; sljfarm1@netzero.com).

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