Go Anywhere Bale Compactor

Go Anywhere Bale Compactor HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Bale Handling (5) 12-6-29 A new "go anywhere" portable bale compactor that compresses two bales into one helps hay growers and dealers reduce costs when transporting hay over long distances, says inventor Randy Mirr, Princeton, Wis. Compressed bales are 38-in. long, the same size as most single uncompressed bales. "Bigger, stationary compactors, found mostly in Western states, are used primarily for hay export. We needed a small, compact unit that could be moved from farm to farm," says Miff. The compactor, which Mirr tows behind a 3/4 ton pickup, is 30 ft. long and 6 ft. wide, narrow enough to fit into a barn. It's powered by a diesel engine and is hydraulically controlled. To operate the compactor, you lift bales onto the side feed table and feed them into the bale chamber. A plunger compresses the bales and then they're auto-matically retied with three strands of poly twine. The original twine strings remain in the new bale. An elevator carries the finished bales onto a truck or wagon. Mirr notes that the compactor can be used to compress two larger square bales (around 50 lbs.) or three smaller bales (around 3$ lbs.) into one. Although he built it with Midwestern producers in mind, Mirr says most interest so far has come from Canada and the South-western U.S. He expects hay dealers, large-scale commercial growers and groups of growers who market hay together to be the primary buyers. Mirr is negotiating with a Milwaukee, Wis., manufacturing firm. He expects the machine, which will be manufactured on a per-order basis, to cost between $50,000 and $60,000. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Randy Mirr, Rt. 2, Box 20-C, Princeton, Wis. 54968 (414 295-3067).

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