Homemade Hay Bale Compactor

Homemade Hay Bale Compactor HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Bale Handling (5) 6-6-7 Conventional hay bales take up only about half the space after the Ross Hay Company, of Rudyard, Mich., gets through re-compacting them. Owner-operators Gene and Kenn Ross built their own bale compactor, which enables them to deliver a third more hay per trip. "We don't have any plans or blueprints. We just built it. It's mounted on an old baler frame to give it mobility," explains Gene. The compactor squeezes two conventional size bales into one (rather than squeezing one bale down to half size). It develops 80 tons of hydraulic power and will compress 150 bales (3 1/2 tons) per hour. While squeezing two bales, the compressing action of the cylinder moves the next two bales to the compactor. When the cylinder contracts, a lever is manually tripped and the next two bales are dropped, one at a time, into the compaction chamber, Gene points out. The double-compacted bales are tied with high-tensile wire. "There's absolutely no quality loss in re-compacting the bales, as long as the hay is dry," Ken explains. "We compact bales after an initial six week curing period, during which a natural sweat takes place." The Rosses sell hay by the ton and can haul 23 1/2 tons in their 45 ft. enclosed trailer.

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