2020 - Volume #44, Issue #4, Page #36
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Bale Accumulator Bunches Bales
“The operator doesn’t have to pull any switches or push any buttons,” says Brady Teveldal, Lankota. “The operator can concentrate on making tight bales.”
The Bale Buggy requires its own set of hydraulics with ports set to constant flow. Micro switches manage bale movement, holding the first bale until the second bale has been ejected onto the trailer. Only then does the trailer drop the paired bales to the field.
Teveldal notes that other companies have introduced accumulators that carry 3 or 4 bales. However, that affects how rugged the accumulator can be built. Lankota went with a design that carries only a single bale until the second one drops and both are released to the ground.
“This allowed us to build the frame and mounting as heavy as needed,” says Teveldal. “Our engineers make sure our equipment is built right, but I grew up on a farm and still farm. They may say it can be built lighter, but I want it built like a farmer would, which often is bigger and heavier duty.”
Teveldal also likes the simplicity of the design with features designed around need. The chains that carry the bales off are driven by hydraulic motors with a reversing valve.
“Not every bale is wrapped perfectly every time,” says Teveldal. “The reversing valve allows an operator to easily remove loose hay if a miswrapped bale is ejected from the baler.”
Safety and convenience are combined with the hydraulic drives, automatic and manual switches. “Some balers require getting to the back of the baler to load net wrap,” says Teveldal. “We put in an automatic shut-off of hydraulics when a delay occurs. There is also a manual safety valve on the Bale Buggy so the operator can shut off hydraulic flow when working on the baler.”
There are no options, so ordering is simple. The Bale Buggy comes in 2 models. One is compatible with most late model, Deere, 5-ft. wide, big round balers. The other is compatible with most Case and New Holland, 5-ft. wide, big round balers. Both are priced at $12,795. The company is investigating possible fits with other brands.
Teveldal, technical sales manager at Lankota, uses the Bale Buggy on his own farm. While he appreciates the automation and the various hydraulic functions, he really likes one standard feature on the design.
“The engineers placed a net wrap holder on each side,” says Teveldal. “I told them that was my favorite part of the whole design. I think it is often the little things that matter.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Lankota, Inc., 270 West Park Ave., Huron, S. Dak. 57350 (ph 605 352-4550; toll free 866 526-5682; www.lankota.com).
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