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Chainsaw Chain Designed To Cut Bales
If you've ever tried to cut up a big round bale with a chainsaw, you know it doesn't work too well. Cutting teeth that do a great job on wood tend to snag on hay and straw.
Now a New York inventor says he's come up with new-style chain fitted with knife-type cutting teeth that slice easily through bales, making
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Chainsaw Chain Designed To Cut Blades HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Bale Handling (5) 18-1-2 If you've ever tried to cut up a big round bale with a chainsaw, you know it doesn't work too well. Cutting teeth that do a great job on wood tend to snag on hay and straw.
Now a New York inventor says he's come up with new-style chain fitted with knife-type cutting teeth that slice easily through bales, making it easy to cut round bales up into small-size "cookies" that you can carry or roll by hand into barns for feeding.
Ernest Newman says farmers who feed big bales outside should also take a look at cutting up big bales. "You can save a lot of hay by cutting into the perimeter of a bale when you place it out for feeding. That makes it easier for cattle to pull hay off the roll so there's less waste. They keep their heads up next to the bale as they eat rather than continually pulling back to tear hay off the roll, which results in hay dropping on the ground."
Newman's "Big Bale Cutter" chain fits larger chainsaws with .050 ga. bars with 3/ 8 pitch (some smaller chainsaws can be modified to a 3/8 drive sprocket). The hand-assembled chain can be made to any length.
The rectangular-shaped cutting teeth are sharpened on the outer edge and have rounded corners. They're alternated on the chain with "sweeper" pieces that clear the cut area of debris. As the chain cuts, it removes a small sliver of hay from the bale but doesn't pull out long strands of hay like conventional cutting chain does.
Newman says you should use a vegetable oil-based oil to lubricate the chain when cutting bales to avoid health problems to animals, and operators should be aware of possible fire hazard due to sparks from gas-powered chainsaws. He recommends use of electric-powered saws to reduce the danger.
The chain sells for $89.95 plus $5 ship-ping. Cutting teeth can be easily resharpened on a standard grinding wheel or belt sander.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ernest L. Newman, Big Bale Cutter, 458 N.Y. Rt. 96, RD 4, Owego, N.Y. 13827 (ph 607 687-1244; fax 607 687-5275).
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