Tandem Axle Grain Truck Hauls 9 Big Bales

Tandem Axle Grain Truck Hauls 9 Big Bales HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Bale Handling (5) 18-5-33 "It cost less than $500 to outfit my tandem axle grain truck to haul round bales," says Robert Garton, Moundville, Mo., who added steel racks to either side of his 1968 Chevrolet tandem axle grain truck, allowing it to haul up to nine big round bales at a time. Made from 1 112-in. sq., 1/4-in. thick steel tubing, the racks slip into the truck's stake pockets, raising the sides about 2 ft. and adding 1 1/2 ft. of width. A 2 by 8 plank is bolted to the top of each rack. The sides of the truck are reinforced by a 3-in. sq. steel tube frame that's welded to the truck chassis. A front-end loader is used to load bales into the truck. Three bales are pushed on from the back, then three bales are loaded on top on each side. Bales are unloaded by raising the truck hoist. "I use it for transporting bales up to 20 miles away," says Garton, a custom hay hauler. "The top layer of bales slope down toward the center of the truck so they won't fall off. I had been using the truck to pull a pup dump trailer and hauling bales over long distances. However, it became uneconomical when gas prices went up. It works especially well for customers who don't have loaders to unload the bales or don't have enough room for a semi truck. "I use a front-end loader to lift both frames into place. It takes only about 10 minutes to remove them and put. side extensions back on for hauling grain." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Robert Garton, Rt. 1, Moundville, Mo. 64771.

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