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"No Hydraulics" Bale Hauler
"It lets me haul big round or square bales without a tractor. It can be pulled by a small pickup or mini van," says Paul Patton, Philo, Ill., about his "no hydraulics" bale handler.
  The E-Z Hay Hauler will transport a 1,500-lb. bale yet put no more than 150 lbs. on the vehicle's bumper. "The axles and extra wide 10-in. tires are rated for 2,000 lbs.," says Patton.
  The unit comes with a 48-in. bale spear and two 26-in. stabilizing spears that mount on a hinged frame. A hand-operated, 8-ton jack, with a 19 3/4-in. stroke, is used to tip the hinged frame forward or backward. The bale is held at a 45 degree angle during transport.
  To haul a bale, you use U-clamps to adjust the 48-in. spear to the correct height, which is the center of the bale height. For example, if the bale is 5 ft. tall the spear should be set at 2 1/2 ft. from the ground before you back the trailer in to the bale. The bale is then tipped up using the jack, and then the jack is locked into place using a pin that goes through a vertical bracket. To unload a bale, you pull the pin, let the pressure off the jack, and then pull away.
  "It's built rugged and is extremely easy to operate - even my 6-year-old son can jack the bale up," says Patton. "It takes less than one minute to jack the bale all the way up. The 8-ton jack has a double piston so you're pumping on both the up and down stroke.
  "Most of the bale's weight sets dead center on the axle, or just a little bit toward the front, so you're putting very little weight on the vehicle's bumper. I use my Chevy S-10 pickup to pull it with no problems. Everything that I used to build it I bought out of a Northern Equipment catalog. The frame, including the axle, is made from 3-in. sq. tubing with 1 1/4-in. axle stubs. I could have saved money by building cheaper, but I like to overbuild things."
  Patton has built three other units. "I think this bale hauler is ideal for farmers with small acreages who feed only a few dozen bales per year. I'm willing to build them for others for $1,250. I'm also willing to sell CAD drawings and plans."
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Paul Patton, CTT Equipment, 608 Ridge Rd., Philo, Ill. 61864 (ph 217 684-9934 or 217 621-7323; paul.patton@insightbb.com).


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2006 - Volume #30, Issue #5