New hay set up for Cypress - warning many pics

[backhoeboogie]

I hear a trampoline ain't safe for about 50miles of your place......... :lol:

That's funny. Let me explain why. Its actually 70 miles.

A friend of a bow hunting friend of Dusty Britches's (Dusty Britches used to post here) put me on to an old one that was about 70 miles away. I went and got it. That might have been cradles 7 and 8 back then.

Cypress I can load my lightweight junk in the back of the truck by hand all by myself. Dragging them by hand is not a problem either.

 

[cypressfarms]

Cypress I can load my lightweight junk in the back of the truck by hand all by myself. Dragging them by hand is not a problem either.

Now there you got me brother! I can't drag this behemoth with anything but a tractor. I did have a bale on the front spear, a bale on the rear forks, and towed it to the pasture with my old Ford 6710.

By the way Boogie, I have an old trampoline. If you make the trip here, I'll give it to you for free!

 

[backhoeboogie]

Cypress I can load my lightweight junk in the back of the truck by hand all by myself. Dragging them by hand is not a problem either.

Now there you got me brother! I can't drag this behemoth with anything but a tractor. I did have a bale on the front spear, a bale on the rear forks, and towed it to the pasture with my old Ford 6710.

By the way Boogie, I have an old trampoline. If you make the trip here, I'll give it to you for free!

That's a little more than 70 miles Cypress. Thanks just the same. I actually need a couple of more frames to build some for an elderly neighbor. Good folks and they like what they see with mine.

 

[Angus In Texas]

Do you think you will have any injuries to the cattle from the pipe you use to pull it with sticking out so far?

 

[cypressfarms]

Do you think you will have any injuries to the cattle from the pipe you use to pull it with sticking out so far?

I thought on this one for a while, AIT. The short answer is no. The pipe is round and only comes up a couple of feet off the ground. The cows can still reach the hay even if they stand at the front of the pipe. Or they could walk to any of the other three sides and eat. I spent a lot of time grinding edges and making sure nothing was exposed that could injure a cow or calf. I just went out tonight and there is more hay under the rings - on the ground - not excessive, but more. The calves were all laying under the feeder. It looks like I'll need to put a wire panel, as Boogie suggested, over the rings to stop some of the hay from falling through. Even though, it still seems pretty good, overall, but time will tell. Like I said I'll leave it in the same place for 2 weeks and then take more pics for everyone to see. It's supposed to rain tonight, so I'm sure it'll get trampled up all around the feeder.

 

[cypressfarms]

O.k.

Two weeks later and I've put 10 bales through the new holder. We've also received 3" of rain in those two weeks. I'm really pleased so far. The calves really love it - they eat the hay that falls during the day, and lay under it at night. I think when I do the 2nd one, I'll put something (maybe the wire panel) to help catch some of the hay that would otherwise fall.

Here's the picture after two weeks of use. Taken with my iphone:

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I think they need a refill :banana: looks great.

 

[kerley]

Cypressfarms;
How is the new hay cradle holding up ? Are you saving hay ? I have to do something different as I've been cleaning up hay with cow poo mixed in and It's a mess. I need a feeder like the one you built so I can get the hay off the ground and move it around so the Poo will be spread out and easy to bust up with a drag.

 

[grubbie]

what about wheels on one end and lift the other end to move.

That would be a must here. With all the freeze/thaw cycles we go through, that thing would freeze solid to the ground, then I would bend it all up trying to get it loose from the ground. What a great looking idea though! Very nicely done. I have some mobile home axles I was planning on using for making feed trailers, your idea with the rings is better than what I came up with.