Handy Bale Trailer Moves One At A Time

2003 - Volume #27, Issue #6, Page #40

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Charles Greenhill, Hanover, Indiana, says his son-in-law had a problem. "He owned a few cattle, but didn't raise any hay, so he needed to be able to load and haul a round bale with his pickup," he says.
  As a professional welder, it didn't take Greenhill long to come up with a solution - a small single-bale trailer.
  He made the main frame by welding together 3-in. channel iron. He started with two 6-ft. pieces and welded two more 6-ft. long pieces between them, one on the ends of the first two, and the second about 1 1/2 ft. back. He braced this second channel iron to the side pieces with shorter lengths of channel iron, making triangles in the corners.
  He reinforced the sides of his frame with 1/2-in. plate steel about halfway between the second cross member and the back end, and then added stub axles and hubs, to fit 5-bolt 14-in. trailer wheels.
  About 1 1/2 ft. from the back of his frame, he added an arch made of 2-in. angle iron to help stabilize the frame.
  Up front, he added a tongue, again using 2-in. channel iron, and a ball hitch. In the center of the area created over the two front cross pieces of the frame, he built a platform on which he placed a mast, made of 2-in. angle iron. He put a modified 3-pt. hitch on the mast. The hitch rolls up and down the mast on rollers made from pipe. It's raised by way of a cable winch.
  On the hitch, he added a used 3-pt. bale fork. The winch cable runs through a couple of pulleys and hooks to the lift for the fork. "It's easy to raise or lower the bale with the winch," Greenhill says. He angled the hitch, so as the fork is lifted, the bale tips forward. The lift raises high enough that the bale can be wedged between the fork and the top of the arch. Since it tilts forward, this effectively keeps the bale from bouncing or falling off of the trailer while in transit.
  To dress the trailer up a little, he added fenders over the wheels, fabricated from 11-gauge steel and welded in place. Finally, he added taillights and wiring.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Charles L. Greenhill, 5786 West Foster Rd., Hanover, Ind. 47243 (ph 812 866-2450; email: gusto@seidata.com).

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Handy Bale Trailer Moves One At A Time BALE HANDLING Bale Handling (31B) 27-6-40 Charles Greenhill, Hanover, Indiana, says his son-in-law had a problem. "He owned a few cattle, but didn't raise any hay, so he needed to be able to load and haul a round bale with his pickup," he says. As a professional welder, it didn't take Greenhill long to come up with a solution - a small single-bale trailer. He made the main frame by welding together 3-in. channel iron. He started with two 6-ft. pieces and welded two more 6-ft. long pieces between them, one on the ends of the first two, and the second about 1 1/2 ft. back. He braced this second channel iron to the side pieces with shorter lengths of channel iron, making triangles in the corners. He reinforced the sides of his frame with 1/2-in. plate steel about halfway between the second cross member and the back end, and then added stub axles and hubs, to fit 5-bolt 14-in. trailer wheels. About 1 1/2 ft. from the back of his frame, he added an arch made of 2-in. angle iron to help stabilize the frame. Up front, he added a tongue, again using 2-in. channel iron, and a ball hitch. In the center of the area created over the two front cross pieces of the frame, he built a platform on which he placed a mast, made of 2-in. angle iron. He put a modified 3-pt. hitch on the mast. The hitch rolls up and down the mast on rollers made from pipe. It's raised by way of a cable winch. On the hitch, he added a used 3-pt. bale fork. The winch cable runs through a couple of pulleys and hooks to the lift for the fork. "It's easy to raise or lower the bale with the winch," Greenhill says. He angled the hitch, so as the fork is lifted, the bale tips forward. The lift raises high enough that the bale can be wedged between the fork and the top of the arch. Since it tilts forward, this effectively keeps the bale from bouncing or falling off of the trailer while in transit. To dress the trailer up a little, he added fenders over the wheels, fabricated from 11-gauge steel and welded in place. Finally, he added taillights and wiring. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Charles L. Greenhill, 5786 West Foster Rd., Hanover, Ind. 47243 (ph 812 866-2450; email: gusto@seidata.com).

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