"No-Waste" Domed Round Bale Feeder

"No-Waste" Domed Round Bale Feeder LIVESTOCK Feeding Equipment 25-2-13 "It worked so well I started making them for others," says Dale Gauck, Greensburg, Ind., about his hay-saving "domes" for bale feeders. He used 1 3/8-in. dia. galvanized chain-link fence pipe to make four legs that attach with jam bolts to the top and bottom rings of the feeder. The octagon-shaped roof frame is also made from pipe. The roof is covered by a snap-on marine-grade poly canvas. Gauck buys the material in 5-ft. wide rolls and stitches two rolls together and then cuts pieces to fit 8-ft. dia. feeders. To attach the poly he drilled 24 small holes in the pipe, then attaches threaded snap screws to the poly and inserts them into the holes. "I've made about ten domes for other farmers. I sell them for about $300 but am trying to get the price down by using a less expensive roofing material. Roof height can be adjusted by loosening the jam bolts and raising the four legs up or down. I bend the pipe legs so they can be rotated to accommodate feeder rings that aren't quite round or are slightly bigger or smaller than 8 ft. in diameter. "To load the bale you tip the feeder on its side, place the bale on the ground, and then tip the feeder back up and over the bale." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dale A. Gauck, 2349 S. County Rd. 180 E., Greensburg, Ind. 47240 (ph 812 663-2090).

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