Hay Jaw Slices Bales Into Chunks

Hay Jaw Slices Bales Into Chunks HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Bale Handling (5) 17-4-17 "It's cheaper to run and better for cattle," say manufacturers of the new Hay Jaw, a first-of-its-kind bale slicer that automatically cuts big bales into long-stemmed chunks using a hydraulic-powered guillotine-type knife that the company says doesn't grind leaves into dust like big tub grinders. In addition to preventing protein loss, the Hay Jaw requires less power to operate. A 40 hp. tractor will slice up 20 to 30 tons of hay per hour. Length of cut can be adjusted from 1 in. to 1 ft. It consists of a large square chamber open on either side. Bales are loaded into one side with a loader and then a push bar feeds the bale to the other side where a hydraulic-controlled 9-ft. wide knife automatically cuts the bales into the desired length chunks. There's one large cylinder on either side that operates the knife and a hydraulic cylinder that operates the push bar. The heavy-built machine it weighs 7,200 lbs. - rides on a 2-wheel chassis. It will pile up as much as 15 tons of hay at a time before you have to move it to a new spot or remove the sliced-up hay. The knife has a straight-across, smooth blade which slices through any type of hay or straw. When cutting through particularly tough material, it's designed so that one side or the other will pull downward, creating a slicing action that cuts through the bale. The key to this slicing motion of the knife is that the knife arms are mounted on rotating mounts that allow each side to pivot independently. The knife should be sharpened about every 3,000 tons. It can be used with both round and square big bales. "We've had tremendous response from farmers. It saves the loss of hay that turns to dust in grinders and blows away and produces higher-quality feed. It's a much lower maintenance machine than a grinder and produces long stem hay, which is what animal nutritionists are recommending," says company representative Jesse Patter-son. Sells for $13,600. A model without the automatic length of cut feature sells for $11,900. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, A & P Manufacturing Co., Inc., 1000 Airport Road, Stephenville, Tex. 76401 (ph 800 841-2024 or 817 965-6642).

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