Sling Loader For Big Bales

Sling Loader For Big Bales HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Bale Handling (5) 3-1-11 With just a winch, two chains, a piece of angle iron and a cable, two Oklahoma farmers have come up with a new big bale loader for pickups that moves two bales, yet leaves the pickup free for other work when not in use. The D & H Big Bale Loader, invented by Darrell Freck and his father-in-law, Herman Vincent, both of Jet, Okla., mounts permanently on the front of the pickup box where it's out of the way when the pickup is used for other chores. But, when you need to move a bale or two, it's always there. The "sling" loader consists of a 1/4 in. thick iron frame that fits across the top of the front side of the pickup box and about 3 ft. down either side. A winch, rated at 3000 lbs., is mounted in one corner of the frame on the driver's side. "It's simple to operate," says Freck. "You back up to a bale. A chain, attached to a bar that fits loosely inside the rear posts of the box, is laid on the ground on either side of the bale. Then, you run the cable out of the winch and over the top of the bale. You hook it to the chain and the winch will roll the bale right into the pickup bed. "It takes one man less than three minutes to load a bale from when you first back up to a bale," says Freck. "If you want to move two bales; you roll the first up to the front of the pickup, then winch up the second bale. To unload, you drop the rear bale by unlocking the winch, then back the pickup up quickly,.arid hit the brakes. The up-front bale will roll right off." The winch runs off the truck's 12-volt system. With 50 ft. of cable on it, the winch can be used for other lifting and towing chores around the farm, such as helping to "unstuck" vehicles or tractors. "The main advantage of this system is that it's out of the way. It leaves your pickup free for other things, yet is always ready to use," Freck points out. "The only part of the bale loader on the floor of the pickup bed is the steel bar in back. That can be stored, along with the lifting chains, in the front of the box or behind the seat in the cab. Also, any other 2-bale loader we know of would cost you 4 to 5 times as much as this one-and they aren't as convenient." The D & H Bale Loader, with a 3,000 lb. winch, sells for $325. Another model equipped with a 4,000 lb. winch lists at $375. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, D & H Big Bale Loader Co., Jet, Okla. 73749 (ph 405 626-4512 or 404 626-4476).

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