On-End Stacking Catching On Fast

On-End Stacking Catching On Fast HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Bale Handling (5) 4-1-17 Latest big bale handling machines stack bales on end and two innovative companies, in different countries each without knowledge of the other, have introduced "on-end" stocking systems. Crendon Machinery, of Donnybrook, in West Australia, recently won Power Farming Magazine's Machine of the Year award for their "Roll Chief" bale handler. It stacks up to three bales at a time, will pick them up again from storage and unroll them individually in the field. Ag-Tech Industries, of Olds, Alberta, Canada, has also developed an "on-end" stacker which has been tested but is not yet on the market. It's completely hydraulic, handles 4 to 6 bales, and also unrolls bales in the field when removed from storage, using different methods from the Australian machine. A prototype is now in the field and is expected to be in production by the end of this year. Says Michael Fry, inventor and manufacturer of the Crendon Roll Chief: "The advantage is being able to either stack three-high in a shed, lay them in a row out in the field, or roll them out for feeding with only one machine. The only time you leave the tractor is to remove the twine." The Roll Chief uses a hydraulic side-pickup to load, dropping each bale at the front of the trailer. A ram moves each to the rear, making room for the next up. To stack on end, the entire trailer bed tips to vertical with the bale ram now acting as a clamp to set bales in place. Once the stack is up, the ram/ clamp is released and the stack stands. The reverse is followed to reload, except that a spike is added to the ram to draw bales back onto the wagon. For unloading, bales are dropped to the ground with the pickup arm. You back clear of it and approach it at right angles to your previous position with the bale on your left side. Swing out the unroller cylinder and, pushing the bale along, keep moving forward. Speed can be up to 5 mph. "You need at least a 40-hp tractor with 4 gpm hydraulics and 2300 psi. All phases of the operation are hydraulic and controls mount right on the tractor," says Fry. The bale hauler sells for $7,950 in Australian currency. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Crendon Manufacturing, P.O. Box 8, Donnybrook, 6239 West Australia. Ag Tech Industries' machine is similar to Crendon's with some additional features. The main difference is that the unit is jointed in the middle to break apart bales that have frozen together. Both the 4 and the 6-bale units actually hump up hydraulically in the center, each powered by self-contained hydraulics with a pump and motor mounted right on the trailer. Bales are loaded side-by-side on the trailers by a "squeeze" type pickup that also unrolls. Bales are unloaded in two vertical stacks at once - the 4-bale stacker puts up two stacks of two bales, and the six-bale unit two stacks of three. "The system lets you stack more bales in a given storage area, yet leaves space between them to minimize losses," points out Ken. Ward, product manager for Ag Tech. "It's a versatile system that you can control completely from the cab." Projected price on the 4-bale carrier is $14,000; $20,000 for the 6-bale unit (Canadian dollars). For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ag-Tech Industries, Ltd., Dept. FEQ, RO. Box 2445, Olds, Alberta TOM 1 PO (ph 403 556-6968).

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