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Bus Hay Hauler II: Built For Round Bales
David Anderson's self-propelled square bale hauler was featured in FARM SHOW a couple of years ago (Vol. 31, No. 5). He recently built a second bale hauler for round bales.
Like his first machine, Anderson started with a school bus - a 1993 International 18-passenger handicapped bus. He cut off the back of t
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Bus Hay Hauler II: Built For Round Bales SCHOOLBUS CONVERSIONS Schoolbus Conversions 33-6-40 David Anderson's self-propelled square bale hauler was featured in FARM SHOW a couple of years ago (Vol. 31, No. 5). He recently built a second bale hauler for round bales.
Like his first machine, Anderson started with a school bus - a 1993 International 18-passenger handicapped bus. He cut off the back of the bus shell, keeping the frame intact. He hired L&M Manufacturing in Colby, Kan., to build the bale-hauling frame out of new sq. tubing and sheet metal. Fifteen hydraulic cylinders run off a separate 28 hp Kubota engine to clamp, lift and move bales up over the top of the cab and onto the rear bale frame. The engine uses the same electrical system, battery and fuel tank as the bus. Everything is controlled inside the cab.
"A lot of people were skeptical," Anderson says. "But they were amazed how well it works and how fast it is."
He drives up to the bale and squeezes it with the clamps without damaging netted or wrapped bales. He doesn't have to approach them perfectly square, the arms self-center the bale and set it in the table over the cab. As more bales are added, he operates hydraulic cylinders to angle the table to slide bales into the trough over the bed. Anderson can haul as many as 8 or 9 round bales at a time, depending on their size.
The retired physical education teacher uses buses that are newly retired, because he knows they have been well maintained and haven't sat idle.
"You don't have to use a bus, but you need a diesel engine, air brakes, automatic transmission, 12,000-lb. front axle and a long enough wheel base to safely carry the bales," he says.
"I'll be 70 in January and would love to work with someone who would like to make these," Anderson says. He already has a utility patent on the bale haulers.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, David Anderson, P.O. Box 66, Burr Oak, Kan. 66936 (ph 785 647-6321; dsonhay@aol.com).
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