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Heavy-Duty Big Bale Loader
"My brother Clyde and I built it over 20 years ago and it's been the most-used piece of equipment on our farm," says Clarence Stonebrink, Enterprise, Ore., about his big bale loader that handles two bales at once and is extremely maneuverable in close quarters.
The Stonebrinks built the loader by stripping down t
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Heavy-Duty Big Bale Loader HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Bale Handling (5) 9-4-7 "My brother Clyde and I built it over 20 years ago and it's been the most-used piece of equipment on our farm," says Clarence Stonebrink, Enterprise, Ore., about his big bale loader that handles two bales at once and is extremely maneuverable in close quarters.
The Stonebrinks built the loader by stripping down the chassis of a 2-ton Chevy truck. They shortened up the frame and reversed the drive by turning the differential over to run backwards. They added a 3-speed transmission to the standard truck 4-speed to create a 3-range transmission. The operator sits directly over the engine and there's a second seat for a passenger so you don't have to stop work when someone stops by to visit, according to Stonebrink, or so you can show a youngster how to operate it.
The loader is fitted with large combine wheels for a better ride and increased traction. The Stonebrinks had to build special hubs to accommodate the large wheels and they widened the wheelbase for added stability.
The loader lifts a total of 14 ft. using a 7-ft. hydraulic cylinder connected to a cable and set of pulleys. Bale forks 8-ft. long handle two bales at a time. Clarence says it'll stack bales in piles 5 high on end. A hydraulic cylinder tips the bale-handling mast forward.
Steering on the rear wheels is hydrostatic. The rig travels down the road at 25 to 30 mph. "You can't go faster because rear-wheel steer makes it unstable at higher speeds," says Clarence.
His sons Don and Glen built a similar loader for their own use. He's currently working on a bale loader and transport made from a stripped down 3/4-ton Chevrolet pickup that'll handle 6 big bales at once. He's also the inventor of a self-propelled round baler made by combining a swather drive unit with a roundbaler. The innovative baler was featured in FARM SHOW's Vol. 9, No. 2 issue.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Clarence Stonebrink, 509 W. Main, Enterprise, Ore. 97828 (ph 503 426-3503).
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