Self-Propelled Bale Wrapper

Self-Propelled Bale Wrapper BALE HANDLING Bale Handling (31B) 34-5-28 Climbing on and off his tractor-powered bale wrapper took time and was hard on Neal Grose's back and knees. He eliminated the problem by "self-propelling" his tow-behind wrapper. "I only spent 6 hours making the conversion, but it took a lot more time planning it out as I stood around watching bales being wrapped," says Grose, who brings bales in for wrapping where they will be stored. He first fitted the front end of the wrapper with the front axle from a 1981 4-WD truck. A 10-hp hydraulic power unit from a posthole auger provides power, and a salvaged hydraulic motor attaches to the front axle differential to drive the rig. "After looking in vain for a universal joint that would work on the driveline, I took the original drive shaft to a machine shop and had them weld it to a Lovejoy type coupler to connect the differential to the motor output shaft," says Grose. A channel iron frame welded to the top of the axle provides a base for the power unit. A length of rectangular steel tubing attached to connecting tabs below the front and back of the channel frame provides a base for the operator's platform and a hitch for the bale wrapper. Three-point lift arm weld-on ends bushed to accept a bolt connect the front and back units. Steering is accomplished by connecting a hydraulic cylinder between the upper channel iron frame and the left wheel steering arm. Everything is controlled through a 3-spool valve. As it is, he only uses one to initiate the drive forward or reverse and one to activate the steering arm. "I use the exhaust flow to drive the wrapper, running it through a prioritizing valve to give flow adjustment," he explains. "Otherwise the flow would be too much, and it would have to go through a pressure relief valve." While the 10 hp unit can move the bale wrapper at a fast walking speed, it has difficulty on inclines. Grose plans to install more powerful hydraulics. "Overall, it wasn't particularly cheap to build, but it has saved about a third of the time previously spent bale wrapping, freed up a tractor, and saved my back and knees," says Grose. "Since building it, I think I could adapt it to be used with a post driver with very few problems." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Neal Grose, 629 N. Meadow Road, Harmony, N.C. 28634 (ph 704 546-7385; nlgrose@yadtel.net).

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