Hay Feeders

[bandit80]

What does everyone use to feed hay large round bales of hay?

I have always used the 8' bale rings, but I'll be darned if I can find one that will last. Probably have 12 between all the places we feed cattle, and have to replace 2 or 3 every year and fix that many more. The wagons look like they work well but are pretty expensive.

 

[bigbull338]

we use the 8ft bale rings.an they last use 7 or 8yrs.we need to replace 2 or 3.as they have fallen completely apart.i bought 1 new ring last yr for $96.

 

[dun]

We use the same rings. I "saved" some money last year and bought one that was 30 bucks cheaper then the ones I have been using. The older rings are still ok, may have to do a little work on the skirts on one of them. The one I "saved" money on had to be repaired midway through the feeding period.

 

[luckefarm]

build your own out of 2" square tubing and use old conveyor belting on the inside for a skirt. never had to do a repair except for some self tapping screws in the skirt . everybody winces at the price of 2" steel but you only have to do it once.

 

[SSS Angus]

We use the 8' ones from TSC that are galvanized with the mesh around the bottom. They are a little on the pricey size but they still look brand new after 3-4 years.

 

[bandit80]

build your own out of 2" square tubing and use old conveyor belting on the inside for a skirt. never had to do a repair except for some self tapping screws in the skirt . everybody winces at the price of 2" steel but you only have to do it once.

Do you shape it in a square? hexagon? octagon? I would think octagon would work best. What would you say an average cost to build one would be?

 

[bandit80]

We use the 8' ones from TSC that are galvanized with the mesh around the bottom. They are a little on the pricey size but they still look brand new after 3-4 years.

Have used those as well. I will say they held up better that any of the rings we have used, but after several years of use they seem to be falling apart left and right on us.

 

[Jogeephus]

I use the 8' round ones. What I have found works pretty good to extend the life of them is to weld a 2" wide piece of flat iron down the seems where the pieces are joined. In doing this, their is no constant shake and movement of the ring and it doesn't seem to fall apart like they normally do. Also, each spring I pick them up out of the field and stand them up on end to get the feet off the ground.

 

[1982vett]

Used to buy the 8' square tube rings. I would redo all of the welding plus weld all sides that were not welded before before I ever put a bale of hay in them. As they start to fail I use pieces of old rings that are beyond repair and bridge across the problem areas. Before I started doing all the extras, they were lasting only about a year and a half. Can get another year or two out of them if I can keep them repaired.

Made a couple out of 1" and 3/4" rebar three years ago. This one was made for a 4x5 bale but if you stand a 5x5 on end it will slide over it. It needs to be a little bigger for larger bales. Took about $60 in materials and about 3-4 hrs. fabrication.

View attachment 1


This is one of the polyhayrings made out of plactic pipe. Bought it last March. Cost about $250. It is bolted together with stainless steel bolts.

 

[Jogeephus]

Vet, I like the rebar one. Looks sturdy. Might have to take that little project on myself. How do they seem to be holding up? Other than making it larger, any other suggestions? Looks pretty indestructable to me.

 

[luckefarm]

build your own out of 2" square tubing and use old conveyor belting on the inside for a skirt. never had to do a repair except for some self tapping screws in the skirt . everybody winces at the price of 2" steel but you only have to do it once.

Do you shape it in a square? hexagon? octagon? I would think octagon would work best. What would you say an average cost to build one would be?

I have a couple of octagon and a hexagon and one round they all work about the same. the round maybe the best feeder but the price of having the steel curved can be pricey the neighbor kid bent this one at school and did most of the welding for a project. the price of steel for me was pretty cheap because i recycled it from some gas wells. there is a definite difference if you use lite or heavy steel. you will only lift the heavy one with a tractor and the lite ones bend easier. if i would make them again they would all be two piece so you can transport them easier down the road. if you need plans i found mine on an extension website. i can't tell you which one till the other computer get fixed. i would post a pic but don't have a camera to do that.
i found a site that may help http://www.cps.gov.on.ca/english/plans/ ... /1642L.pdf the only difference i would do is connector. make a piece like a wagon tongue and put a pin thru it and that will old up much better

 

[1982vett]

The one in the picture is 3 years old. Being a jack-of-all and a master-of-none, I have had a weld or two break away from the vertical bar. They are heavy and I use the forks on the tractor to lift them over the bale so they are sturdy.

I cut the bars on a bandsaw at a 30 degree angle. Trick was to keep them all the same length and the angles turned correctly. The way the rebar was billet rolled left two sides with a straigt line which I used as a reference as to how to position the bar to cut the angle. (That was clear as mud but I believe you will figure out something)
I've got a 8x8 shop table I laid out and built a jig on to hold the bars at the proper angle to weld and make the six sided rings. Then it was a matter of adding the vertical bar. Hung it from the rafters of the shop and used clamps to hold things in position.

The next one I make I am thinking of square cutting the bar and butt welding to make 6 panels then weld the panels together. I believe things will go together easer with a lot less fussing. Will probably use all 3/4 bar.

Post any better ideas you come up with.

 

[Caustic Burno]

You are wasting hay with rings, just throwing diesel and fertilizer away.

Hay racks save lots of hay
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=43910

 

[novatech]

Hay rings work as long as you hay is pretty darn good hay. If it is not the cattle sort through it leaving the weed a stem on top. Eventually the bad stuff is covering up the good and the cattle cannot get to it. This causes the good hay below to rot. This occurs more this time of year when cattle start having grass to eat in the pasture. Cattle will also pull hay out of the ring and just ruin it by using it for bedding or a litter box. With hay racks like Caustic, Backhoe, and others have built this does not happen. A much higher percentage of hay will be eaten. Do a search and you can find how they built them.

 

[bigbull338]

you asked how to bend/round the tubing for hay bunks.you just run it though a pipe bender.an that will bend it round.usually 1 stick of sq tubing will make 1 ring big enough for a 5 by 6 bale.if the ring isnt a full 8ft you have add pipe to make it 8ft.if you dont use hay rings you waste 80% of your hay.neighbor doesnt use hay rings.an he has piles of wasted hay 6ft deep an 30ft round.all thats left to burn those piles of hay.

 

[bandit80]

Used to buy the 8' square tube rings. I would redo all of the welding plus weld all sides that were not welded before before I ever put a bale of hay in them. As they start to fail I use pieces of old rings that are beyond repair and bridge across the problem areas. Before I started doing all the extras, they were lasting only about a year and a half. Can get another year or two out of them if I can keep them repaired.

This is one of the polyhayrings made out of plactic pipe. Bought it last March. Cost about $250. It is bolted together with stainless steel bolts.

Started welding them a few years back, and theat does seem to really help.

We have a souple of the polyhayrings. They last longer, but they seem to waste A LOT of hay.

 

[bandit80]

You are wasting hay with rings, just throwing diesel and fertilizer away.

Hay racks save lots of hay
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=43910

CB,

If you wouldn't mind saying, how high do you keep the bottome of the feeder off the ground? I would assume about 24". Also, rather than having a curved piece of metal forming a loop, do you think it possible to use three pieces of metal, one angled down from each side and then a shorter flat piece in the middle connecting the two?

Your design intrigues me, and the best way to tell if something works is to have someone else say it does.

 

[Caustic Burno]

You are wasting hay with rings, just throwing diesel and fertilizer away.

Hay racks save lots of hay
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=43910

CB,

If you wouldn't mind saying, how high do you keep the bottome of the feeder off the ground? I would assume about 24". Also, rather than having a curved piece of metal forming a loop, do you think it possible to use three pieces of metal, one angled down from each side and then a shorter flat piece in the middle connecting the two?

Your design intrigues me, and the best way to tell if something works is to have someone else say it does.

Thirty inches
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=43910

 

[milesvb]

Used to buy the 8' square tube rings. I would redo all of the welding plus weld all sides that were not welded before before I ever put a bale of hay in them. As they start to fail I use pieces of old rings that are beyond repair and bridge across the problem areas. Before I started doing all the extras, they were lasting only about a year and a half. Can get another year or two out of them if I can keep them repaired.

Made a couple out of 1" and 3/4" rebar three years ago. This one was made for a 4x5 bale but if you stand a 5x5 on end it will slide over it. It needs to be a little bigger for larger bales. Took about $60 in materials and about 3-4 hrs. fabrication.

View attachment 1


This is one of the polyhayrings made out of plactic pipe. Bought it last March. Cost about $250. It is bolted together with stainless steel bolts.

We've got a couple of the ones similar to first pic. A local welding shop makes them by the droves out of sucker rod. You are right about them being a touch too small, you have fight them over a bale.

I broke down and bought several of the poly rings. I figure they are cheaper in the long run since they'll probably last longer than me. I called around and found some extra uprights that one of the CO-OP's gave me for free and bolted them on. That helps reduce hay wasting. They really should sell those things with double the amount of uprights.

 

[KenB]

you asked how to bend/round the tubing for hay bunks.you just run it though a pipe bender.an that will bend it round.usually 1 stick of sq tubing will make 1 ring big enough for a 5 by 6 bale.if the ring isnt a full 8ft you have add pipe to make it 8ft.if you dont use hay rings you waste 80% of your hay.neighbor doesnt use hay rings.an he has piles of wasted hay 6ft deep an 30ft round.all thats left to burn those piles of hay.

If someone is wasting 80% of there hay by not using rings, its because they are putting way to much out at one time.