Tractor-Mounted Boom Loads Bales Into Wagon

Tractor-Mounted Boom Loads Bales Into Wagon TRACTORS Loaders 34-1-3 Feed wagons that grind whole bales make feeding cattle easy. Ruben Auch made it even easier with a tractor-mounted boom that lets him load bales into the feed wagon without getting off the tractor. "I didn't like having to have an extra tractor around with a loader just to handle bales," says Auch. "I had the idea for a long time. It just took time to find all the parts." Finding the right tractor was key. Auch's 4696 Case IH has more power than needed for either the feed wagon or the boom, but it also has a rear axle with room to mount a boom. In fact it was the only tractor with the cab forward from the rear axle with axle steer. "This tractor has crab steering so you can pull right up next to a bunk or fence line," he notes. The next thing to find was a boom that would fit on the axle. Federal Co. made one for $8,000. Unfortunately, soon after he bought it, the company went out of business. Thus when he had problems, like a busted safety cable, he had no one to turn to. Luckily for him a local fabricator was able to step in and help as needed. "Central Iron at Wishek made the adapter plate for the axle, and we bolted the boom mount to it," says Auch. "They did a heck of a nice job on it and on the grapple forks." The grapple mechanism hangs from the end of the boom. Auch says designing the opening and closing action of the grapple with its two sets of forks was a challenge, even for the professional fabricators. Auch wanted a single cylinder to open and close both sets of forks. The cylinder is mounted so it pulls the two sets together and apart. He brought a 5 by 6-ft. round bale to the shop, and they designed around it. To make sure they had enough strength, they used 4 by 2-in. rectangular steel with 1 1/2 by 2-in. cross bracing for the forks. "We had to rebuild them a couple of times to get them to clamp just right," says Auch. Auch's hay handling system is heavy on hydraulics. He needed three valves for his feed wagon and one for the boom. The boom has electric-over-hydraulic controls. The boom stretches to 24 ft. when fully extended and has a maximum lift of 1,600 lbs. at full reach. To lift his 1,800-lb. bales, Auch simply pulls them in close before he lifts. While getting the system put together wasn't as easy as he had hoped, Auch has no regrets about doing it. "It works great, saves a tractor and makes feeding a one man job," he says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ruben Auch, 6910 40th Ave. S.E., Wishek, N. Dak. 58495 (ph 701 452-2966).

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