Hay Saving Baler Flaps

Hay Saving Baler Flaps BALERS Dean Nelson’s hayfields stay extra clean thanks to the truck mud flaps he attached to his Deere 430 round baler “I was getting tired of seeing hay laying on the field after falling off the ends of the baler pickup ” says Nelson “The newer balers have wider pickups but I don’t want to get rid of a good baler just for that ” Nelson used pliable rubber mud flaps that were 14 by 24 in He bolted 1 1/2-in wide strips of flat steel to one side of each mud flap Then he bent the bottom half of the strip in a fairly sharp curve bringing the tip nearly parallel with the top half The third step was to bolt 13-in long 1 1/2 by 1 1/2-in 3/16-in angle irons to the top of the flaps using five 1-in long 1/4-in carriage bolts After lowering the pickup to its normal baling height Nelson positioned the flaps against the outside edges of the pickup so the top of the flaps are pointed at the edges of the oncoming windrow “Once I had them where I wanted them I drilled holes so 2 of the carriage bolts could extend through the pickup ” says Nelson The final step was to drill a hole in the outside corner of the flap Nelson put a bungee cord hook in the hole and pulled it back up and out of the way to keep it from digging into the ground “I’ve used mine for about 6 years and they work great ” says Nelson “They show no sign of wear and we bale quite a bit of hay each year ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Dean Nelson 2554 County Road 104 Barnum Minn 55707 ph 218 384-3020; grannyanelson@aol com

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.