Fifth Wheel, Self-Loading Round Bale Hauler
Melvin Eiland, Rockdale, Texas, was employed in the oil business and owned a 32-ft. trailer. A friend wanted to borrow the trailer to haul round bales but there was no way to load them. That request prompted Eiland to build a fifth wheel, self-loading round bale hauler.
"I use my 3/4-ton 4-WD pickup to pull it. It works great," says Eiland.
The patented tandem axle rig is equipped with a pair of hydraulic-operated forks on front and a conveyor chain floor. Bales can be loaded from their end or side. They're placed onto the front part of the trailer and then moved back just far enough to make room for the next bale. The trailer hauls up to five bales at a time, or six by hauling one bale on the forks. Bales can be unloaded off the back or front by activating the conveyor chain.
Power to raise or lower the forks is provided by a 12-volt electric-hydraulic motor mounted on the trailer. A separate 12-volt electric motor is used to drive the conveyor chain. Both operations are controlled from the pickup cab.
To pick up bales the trailer swings out to the side of the pickup. For transport, the trailer moves directly behind the pickup by pulling a lever on the tongue and pulling the pickup forward. The lever is attached to a spring-loaded pin at the top of the tongue at the point where it attaches to the trailer.
There's a single wheel on one side at the front part of the trailer. The wheel keeps the trailer from tilting over as bales are being loaded. The wheel can be raised or lowered by pulling on a lever that's attached to a small winch on the opposite side of the trailer.
Eiland used 10-in. channel iron to build the tongue and rectangular steel tubing to build the rest of the trailer. He's looking for a manufacturer and says he thinks a commercial machine could sell for about $12,000.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Melvin Eiland, 437 W. Davilla Ave., Rockdale, Texas 76567 (ph 512 446-5643).
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Fifth Wheel, Self-Loading Round Bale Hauler BALE HANDLING Bale Handling (31B) 25-3-25 Melvin Eiland, Rockdale, Texas, was employed in the oil business and owned a 32-ft. trailer. A friend wanted to borrow the trailer to haul round bales but there was no way to load them. That request prompted Eiland to build a fifth wheel, self-loading round bale hauler.
"I use my 3/4-ton 4-WD pickup to pull it. It works great," says Eiland.
The patented tandem axle rig is equipped with a pair of hydraulic-operated forks on front and a conveyor chain floor. Bales can be loaded from their end or side. They're placed onto the front part of the trailer and then moved back just far enough to make room for the next bale. The trailer hauls up to five bales at a time, or six by hauling one bale on the forks. Bales can be unloaded off the back or front by activating the conveyor chain.
Power to raise or lower the forks is provided by a 12-volt electric-hydraulic motor mounted on the trailer. A separate 12-volt electric motor is used to drive the conveyor chain. Both operations are controlled from the pickup cab.
To pick up bales the trailer swings out to the side of the pickup. For transport, the trailer moves directly behind the pickup by pulling a lever on the tongue and pulling the pickup forward. The lever is attached to a spring-loaded pin at the top of the tongue at the point where it attaches to the trailer.
There's a single wheel on one side at the front part of the trailer. The wheel keeps the trailer from tilting over as bales are being loaded. The wheel can be raised or lowered by pulling on a lever that's attached to a small winch on the opposite side of the trailer.
Eiland used 10-in. channel iron to build the tongue and rectangular steel tubing to build the rest of the trailer. He's looking for a manufacturer and says he thinks a commercial machine could sell for about $12,000.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Melvin Eiland, 437 W. Davilla Ave., Rockdale, Texas 76567 (ph 512 446-5643).
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