Portable Press Makes Compact Bales Of Wool

Portable Press Makes Compact Bales Of Wool BALERS Balers 32-4-25 A combination of low wool prices and high fuel prices inspired James Lunders of Irrigon, Oregon, to design a portable wool press that offers sheep producers some savings. Lunders designed an 18-ft. long, 30-in. wide, trailer-mounted hydraulic ram baler fashioned from 1 1/2-in. sq. steel tubing. It compresses 450 to 460 lbs. of wool into a nylon bag. The oblong bales, somewhat smaller than 1,000-lb. hay bales, stack snugly on a truck so a greater amount of wool can be shipped at one time. "No one builds wool presses in the U.S.," says Lunders. "You can import one from Australia, but they're not as heavy as mine and they're also not as portable." Lunders' baler is light enough to be moved with a 4-wheeler and manipulated by hand to fit close quarters. "Neither wool prices nor the sheep market are good so U.S. manufacturers aren't interested in making these," says Lunders. "Since we ship our wool to Texas now, any kind of savings helps our bottom line." Lunders is making some improvements on a second baler that he's currently building. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, James Lunders, 227 W. Wyoming Ave., Irrigon, Oregon 97844 (ph 541 922-3518).

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