Need advise on how to handle/move large square bales??

[EIEIO]

Got lucky today and came across some great hay. Had to make a quick decision as the price was right, there were folks around that would have taken it all had I not as hay is very scarce around here right now so I bought a load and it's still on the trailer tonight.

Problem is I've only fed and hauled round bales before and these are all 6-700 pound square bales and all I have right now is a bale lift on the rear of my tractor and a spear on the loader (not one that attaches to the bucket rather one that replaces the bucket and the bucket is off) and I'm afraid if I try unloading the bales with the spear I'll bust them. The bale lift should handle them fine once they are on the ground but I want the hay stored and stacked in the barn as it's never been wet so I got to figure out a way to unload and stack them and the bale lift only goes up a few feet off the ground.

The bales were put on the trailer with a fork lift.

Don't know if making some forks for the bucket is an option or not. Don't recall ever seeing them for sale around here before and this will be about the only time I figure to use them so I really don't want to spend money of forks.

Any ideas?? The hay is stacked 2 high on my 25 foot flat-bed so the top bales are pretty high off the ground.

Thanks,

J

 

[3MR]

I think I would try and spear them and see what happens.

 

[IL Rancher]

I had a double spear that attached to a bucket of a tractor that I used to move the 900 pound sized bales.. Worked very well and We never busted any bales with them. the single spears did not work as well but the two long tines worked very well on this contraption..

I beleive worksaver made it.. Used chains and turnbuckles to fasten it to the bucket... Otherwise, we have used bale clamps on the front of a skidsteer to lift square bales but those were baleage and wraped in plastic.

 

[CowpokeJ]

Extend your two bottom forks.

 

[Proverbs 12:10]

I think I would try and spear them and see what happens.

I agree. Stab it in the middle and be gentle!! Don't forget to have some weight on the back!

I had some 3x3x8 alfalfa bales last fall and tried the spear attached to the front end loader. The bales were string tied. About half of the ones I tried to pick up split in the middle at the spear. After splitting my third bale I ordered a couple of 43" stand alone bale spears from agri-supply.com with bushings and welded the bushings to the sides of my bale spear attachment. I can attach or remove the extra spears depending on if I have round or square bales. Works like a champ. I can send a pic if anyone interested.

 

[3MR]

Just a thought, but what about trying to use a ratcheting tie down strap around the bale to prevent splitting prior to spearing it.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Just a thought, but what about trying to use a ratcheting tie down strap around the bale to prevent splitting prior to spearing it.

That's a good idea I do have a set of square bale spears they are not the same as a round.

 

[Herefordcross]

I have stacked and moved and moved again hundreds fo 3x3x8 bales 8-900 lbs. with a single spear and two 12" spears on the front of a tractor.

 

[EIEIO]

I have stacked and moved and moved again hundreds fo 3x3x8 bales 8-900 lbs. with a single spear and two 12" spears on the front of a tractor.

That is the way I'm set up now. Using the tie down straps sound good but I'm a one man show and guess I could give it a try. Guess if I used the spear to "tilt" the bale then I could get the straps under them.

All good ideas, just don't want to waste any hay so keep the ideas coming and thanks.

Called a neighbor tonight that has some forks they made up a long time ago and they said I could borrow them least to unload. Just don't want to bother them every time I got to put out hay.

The forks they have fit on the end of the bucket and the best way I can describe them is they have a slot welded on top and bottom of the fork so they just slip over the end of the loader bucket. Not fancy but I used them once to get a squeeze chute off a trailer.

J

 

[3MR]

I have stacked and moved and moved again hundreds fo 3x3x8 bales 8-900 lbs. with a single spear and two 12" spears on the front of a tractor.

Thats what I have as well, but I have never moved a square bale. How far from the center spear are the two shorter spears? Mine are maybe a foot give or take.

 

[cfpinz]

We used one of the single spears with two smaller stabalizers. It was one of the old large diameter spears, never tried one of the tractors with the small forged spikes. Stay away from the top of the bale and if you go in a little crooked the spear will cross a flake and not want to travel up as bad.

cfpinz

 

[mnmtranching]

The spears work fine, Two long sharp spears work best. One long two short not bad. Not likely that you will break bales unless they're loose or are missing twine. I use pallet forks on a skid steer, works like a dream.

 

[CowpokeJ]

Extend your two bottom forks.

Help me out here, how do you extend the forks? Do you have extendable forks or add to them?

We tried all sorts of things, after splitting several, we took and added to the forks. This helps abunch.

 

[Dusty Britches]

We had a 3 point hay fork that we converted to a front end fork. It's not exactly a fork lift, but it is dang close. The 3 point hay fork is flattened, which should make getting under those large squares easy. We don't have large squares and never have used them, but these forks are downright handy for moving everything from RR Ties to Telephone poles to pulling poles out of the ground.

 

[andybob]

When I was using large square bales of straw, we just fitted pallet forks to the front linkage, it worked pefectly, as straw bales are more prone to breaking than hay. As some of our piglet creep feed was delivered in bags rather than bulk, the forks were used for offloading the pallets, so we didn't need a seperate forklift.

 

[tomlin]

EIEIO,

I'VE UNLOADED ABOUT 100 OF THE 3X3X8' THIS WEEK WITH MY ROUND HAY BALE SPEAR- MOUNTED ON THE FRONT END LOADED. THE TRICK IS TO HAVE THE TWO SMALL SPEARS IN THE VERY BOTTOM/UNDER THE BALE- THE LARGE/LONG SPEAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BALE-(AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE)
TRACTOR IS A JD 2150 WITHOUT ANY REAR WEIGHTS

 

[TheBullLady]

We also have gotten very proficient at unloading the large squares of alfalfa. We bought three spikes at the tractor dealer in town, and bolted them onto the bottom of the front spear attachment. The spikes came with u-bolt type fasteners, that work great.

You'll break the bales trying to use the one spike.. trust me! You have to have the weight more evenly distributed in order to keep the strings from breaking.

 

[CowpokeJ]

We also have gotten very proficient at unloading the large squares of alfalfa. We bought three spikes at the tractor dealer in town, and bolted them onto the bottom of the front spear attachment. The spikes came with u-bolt type fasteners, that work great.

You'll break the bales trying to use the one spike.. trust me! You have to have the weight more evenly distributed in order to keep the strings from breaking.

The same reason we extended ours.

 

[TheBullLady]

I don't know that extending the spike is the answer, as much as distributing the weight of the bale more evenly by using more spikes...

 

[EIEIO]

Thanks for all the replies. Got it all in the barn as of about an hour ago. It went smooth. Think I'd have had problems though had I not had the 2 foot plus long stabilizer spears at the bottom of my bale fork as well if these bales had ever been wet or were the 8 foot long one's.

Had considered getting another speer, taking mine off and then mounting them both on the bottom of the unit so I could stab the bale in the center with 2 spears if what I was doing did not work.

Anyway, did not bust any so I'm thrilled.

J