Loader-Mounted Finger Grab Bale Handler

Loader-Mounted Finger Grab Bale Handler HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Bale Handling (5) 20-5-27 Cattleman J.R. Dudley, Scooba, Miss., didn't like the round bale spears or 3-pt. bale movers on the market so he built his own loader-mounted "finger grab" bale handler. The patented "Baleboss" uses a pair of steel pipes equipped with 12-in. long steel "fingers" to grab the bale from each side. "It has a lot of advantages over other bale handlers," says Dudley. "The pipes extend only about 3 in. out from the sides of the bale which allows you to stack bales close together. It has a low profile so you can stack bales three high inside a barn or two high on a wagon. You don't have to look back all the time like you do with 3-pt. bale handlers, and because of the loader's reach you can set bales down or retrieve them 4 ft. inside a fence. Another advantage is that it'll grab even damaged or partly eaten bales with no problem." A hydraulic cylinder attached to a "scissors-type" mechanism is used to rotate the pipes. Each row of fingers is welded to a steel bar for reinforcement. A rectangular steel frame on back holds the bale firmly in place. Available in two models. One handles 4 and 5-ft. high bales and the other handles 5 and 6-ft. high bales. Dudley also makes a quick-mount attachment that lets you switch from using a bucket to the Baleboss in less than two minutes. Sells for $1300. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, J.R. Dudley, Box 55, Scooba, Miss. 39358 (ph 601 476-5565).

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