Self-Loading Round Bale Trailer Rotates Bale 90

Self-Loading Round Bale Trailer Rotates Bale 90 HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Accessories 13-1-11 A home-built hydraulically operated trailer lets Edward Peters, West Bend, Wis., load, haul and unload 10 round bales in about 10 minutes. The bale hauler is equipped with a U-shaped bale loading mechanism that rotates the bale 90? before lifting it onto the trailer. Peters approaches each bale so that its narrow end fits into the open end of the loader arms. When the bale hits the rear side of the mechanism, a hinged arm swings across the front of the bale. As Peters continues to drive for-ward, the bale's weight pushes the loading mechanism backwards, rotating the bale 90? to the right. The loading mechanism then swings upward to place the bale on the trailer. To make room for the next bale, a hydraulically-operated pusher plate pushes the bale toward the rear of the trailer. A hydraulic dump cylinder which tips the entire trailer to one side, unloads all the bales at once. "Most other self-loading trailers can only pick up bales from the side, forcing you to drive crosswise across the field," says Peters, a dairyman who makes about 300 round bales each year. "My trailer allows me to drive in the same direction as the baler. Also, I can unload bales without getting off the tractor instead of unhooking the trailer to unload as you must do with other trailers. "Before I built this trailer, I used trucks and wagons to haul round bales. It took two days to load and unload 100 round bales. With my new trailer it takes just two hours." The bed of the trailer consists of a pair of 46-ft. long, 12-in. dia. steel gas pipe beams spaced 21-in. apart and held to- gether by cross braces. They rest on an axle removed from a 1945 Chevrolet 1 1/ 2-ton truck. Edwards says he spent about $3,000 to build the trailer, which is patent pending. He's looking for a manufacturer. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Edward Peters, 2933 Pleasant Valley, West Bend, Wis. 53095 (ph 414 677-4200).

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