Double Hitch Pulls Small Balers Behind Dew Simulator

Double Hitch Pulls Small Balers Behind Dew Simulator BALE HANDLING A Texas farmer has found a new way to use the Staheli West DewPoint Simulator: He built a double hitch that lets him pull 2 small square balers behind the DewPoint machine at the same time     Normally a big square baler is pulled behind the DewPoint but Guy Carthel Lockney Texas sells small square bales to the horse market His hitch measures 46 ft long and consists of a 4 by 12-in 3/8-in thick steel tube with a 2-wheeled steerable axle on back One baler hooks up directly to the DewPoint machine and the other attaches to the 2-wheeled axle The front end of the hitch swivels from side to side on a gooseneck ball attached to the DewPoint machine A big double piston pump mounts on back of the DewPoint and is used to operate hydraulic motors that drive each baler A pair of big hoses lead back to each baler to deliver steam that moistens the hay     “I built it last winter and couldn’t be happier with it ” says Carthel “I like the idea behind the DewPoint but it wouldn’t have paid to pull a single small square baler behind it This hitch lets me use the full capacity of the machine ”     The DewPoint Simulator is used in arid regions of the western U S where growers have to wait – sometimes for days – for natural dew to form before they can start baling The “dew simulator” machine solves that problem by applying steam to hay as it’s being baled     The self-contained steam generating machine hooks up between the tractor and baler A pto shaft and hydraulic lines run through the rig back to the baler     The machine is equipped with a boiler and 6 water tanks totaling 1 000 gal as well as two 150-gal diesel tanks to fire the boiler burner and a diesel-powered electrical generator to power the boiler’s electrical system Steam delivery hoses extend from the boiler back to the baler     Injection manifolds mounted above and below the baler’s pickup assembly apply steam to the hay softening it up to prevent leaf loss and shattering during movement into the baler Additional steam is injected into hay as it passes through the feed chamber and just before it’s compressed in the bale chamber An electronic moisture sensor mounted in the bale chamber reads the bale’s moisture level and displays it on a moisture meter inside the tractor cab The operator can adjust moisture level on-the-go from the cab     “Together with the cost of the hitch I’ve got about $200 000 invested in this system But when I look at all the economics it saves me money ” says Carthel “I can bale high quality hay with just the right moisture up to 24 hours per day Consistency in feed quality and bale conformation is extremely important to the horse market and with the DewPoint I can deliver high quality hay     “With my 2-baler hitch one man with 2 balers can make 4 000 to 5 000 bales per day whereas without the DewPoint two operators were lucky to make 2 500 bales in one night And there was always a lot of downtime waiting for the hay to get humid enough to bale Now I can bale hay any time and being able to do that reliably is an amazing thing It lets me get more done with less equipment and fewer people and improves my business outlook tremendously ”     The tube hitch bar serves as an oil reservoir and holds 58 gal of oil Another 20-gal tank mounts on top of the hitch     “I can swing the back baler 29 ft in either direction from the centerline of the tractor The back part of the hitch pivots on a 5th wheel-type setup so that the axle always stays inline ” notes Carthel     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Guy Carthel 1040 Co Rd 77 Lockney Texas 79241 ph 806 292-1602; guy@carthelfarms com; www staheliwest com

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