Self-Propelled Bale Hauler Loads, Unloads, & Stacks

Self-Propelled Bale Hauler Loads, Unloads, & Stacks BALE HANDLING Bale Handling (31B) 23-4-9 When Edmund Cooper and his son Mike of Copan, Okla., go to the field with their home-built bale hauler it's not unusual to see cars stop on the road to watch. That's because the one-of-a-kind rig features a unique bucket-loading system that loads bales onto a 35-ft. deck that'll carry up to 12 bales at a time. "As far as I know it's the only self-loading round bale hauler on the market that can stack bales three high inside a barn. It stacks them just like a front-end loader," says Cooper. The bale hauler is equipped with a cab on front of the deck and an 11-ft. bale loading arm. Both the cab and bale arm slide back and forth from one side of the deck to the other, swapping places as needed to load bales. The loading arm is fitted with a pair of bale forks that lift bales into a sliding "bucket" that carries them up onto the deck where two additional buckets - one located on each side of the deck - carry the bales to the back of the deck. Five or six bales can be loaded on each side of the deck. Bales are loaded in two rows side by side and added alternately to keep the rig balanced - first three bales are loaded on one side, then five or six bales are loaded on the other side. To unload bales, the loading process is simply reversed. The deck-mounted buckets - which have forks on their back side - load bales one at a time and then dump them into the snout-mounted bucket. "It has a lot of advantages over pull-type self-loading and unloading round bale haulers," says Cooper. "Because it's self-propelled there's no need for a tractor or trailer or another driver. The lift arm works inside a barn just like a front-end loader, allowing the operator to stack bales three high. Most commercial self-propelled round bale haulers unload bales off the side or back and can't double or triple stack them. The snout can also retrieve bales and feed them just like a front-end loader. The operator has a great view of the bales in front during both loading and unloading. "The machine is powered by a 400 cu. in. V-8 gas engine. The automatic transmission that powers the drive train was beefed up with extra clutches to withstand heavy loads. The truck is also equipped with a 2-speed rear axle to provide even more low-end power. The front and rear ends are out a 2 1/2-ton GM truck. The rest of the rig was made entirely from scratch." Cooper says he's willing to build additional bale haulers if there's interest. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Edmund Cooper, 395230 W. 1000 Rd., Copan, Okla. 74022 (ph 918 532-4437).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.