5th Wheel Truck Makes Handy Bale Hauler
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"One man can load and haul 100 5 by 5-ft. round bales a day with this truck and trailer," says Marvin Rogers about the bale-hauling truck and trailer combo he put together to haul bales on a custom basis for some 130 farmers in his area.
The Tahlequah, Okla., mechanic started with a 1978 2 1/2-ton Chevy C-60 5th wheel truck. He overhauled the truck's 366 cu. in. engine, replaced its 4-speed transmission with a 5-speed Clark transmission, and replaced its single speed rear end with a two-speed rear end.
Rogers beefed up the front end by adding three leaf springs to each of the front springs.
He replaced the truck's bench seat with bucket seats to accommodate the hydraulic controls he installed to operate the rear bale fork and front fork lift he added to the truck.
The rear fork consists of a 28-in. length of 4-in. dia. steel pipe welded to a 32-in. length of 5-in. dia. steel pipe mounted crossways in the truck frame. A hydraulic cylinder mounts underneath the 5th wheel to swivel the 5-in. pipe to raise and lower the bale fork.
Rogers mounted a 102-in. mast and hydraulic controls off a Datsun 4,000-lb. fork-lift on front of the semi. When in transport, the forklift swivels down out of sight, parallel to the ground.
He also equipped the truck with a Weigh-All scale (P.O. Box 1658, Fort Gibson, Okla. 74434; ph 918 478-4290) that lets him weigh each bale handled.
"You can carry a bale on back and a bale on front on flat ground in third gear at 15 to 20 mph," notes Rogers.
Rogers loads bales onto his shop-built 24-ft. 5th wheel trailer. It's equipped with tandem 9,000-lb. Dexter axles and electric brakes. He built a 9-ft. high by 22-ft. long center rack for the trailer out of 1 1/2-in. tubing. It allows Rogers to strap the 18 bales (nine per side) down with eight 10,000-lb. semi truck ratchet straps.
Fully loaded, the tractor/trailer hauls bales at speeds of up to 55 mph on roads and high-ways, he says.
Rogers says he'd consider custom-building such haulers if there's interest.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Marvin R. Rogers, Rt. 5, Box 23, Tahlequah, Okla. 74464 (ph 918 456-5138).
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5th Wheel Truck Makes Handy Bale Hauler BALE HANDLING Bale Handling (31B) 21-4-13 "One man can load and haul 100 5 by 5-ft. round bales a day with this truck and trailer," says Marvin Rogers about the bale-hauling truck and trailer combo he put together to haul bales on a custom basis for some 130 farmers in his area.
The Tahlequah, Okla., mechanic started with a 1978 2 1/2-ton Chevy C-60 5th wheel truck. He overhauled the truck's 366 cu. in. engine, replaced its 4-speed transmission with a 5-speed Clark transmission, and replaced its single speed rear end with a two-speed rear end.
Rogers beefed up the front end by adding three leaf springs to each of the front springs.
He replaced the truck's bench seat with bucket seats to accommodate the hydraulic controls he installed to operate the rear bale fork and front fork lift he added to the truck.
The rear fork consists of a 28-in. length of 4-in. dia. steel pipe welded to a 32-in. length of 5-in. dia. steel pipe mounted crossways in the truck frame. A hydraulic cylinder mounts underneath the 5th wheel to swivel the 5-in. pipe to raise and lower the bale fork.
Rogers mounted a 102-in. mast and hydraulic controls off a Datsun 4,000-lb. fork-lift on front of the semi. When in transport, the forklift swivels down out of sight, parallel to the ground.
He also equipped the truck with a Weigh-All scale (P.O. Box 1658, Fort Gibson, Okla. 74434; ph 918 478-4290) that lets him weigh each bale handled.
"You can carry a bale on back and a bale on front on flat ground in third gear at 15 to 20 mph," notes Rogers.
Rogers loads bales onto his shop-built 24-ft. 5th wheel trailer. It's equipped with tandem 9,000-lb. Dexter axles and electric brakes. He built a 9-ft. high by 22-ft. long center rack for the trailer out of 1 1/2-in. tubing. It allows Rogers to strap the 18 bales (nine per side) down with eight 10,000-lb. semi truck ratchet straps.
Fully loaded, the tractor/trailer hauls bales at speeds of up to 55 mph on roads and high-ways, he says.
Rogers says he'd consider custom-building such haulers if there's interest.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Marvin R. Rogers, Rt. 5, Box 23, Tahlequah, Okla. 74464 (ph 918 456-5138).
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