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3-Pt Lift Extension
This lift extension lets us load big round bales onto flatbed wagons with a tractor 3-pt. hitch. Without the extension, the 3-pt. mounted bale spear would not be able to raise bales up high enough. I wanted to be able to pick up bales in the field, load them onto a wagon and then tow the wagon home with the same tractor. This extension lets me lift bales high enough for most wagons and also gooseneck or drop deck trailers. When we get back to the farmyard, we use a backhoe to load bales onto our tractor-trailer for over-the-road transport.
I used a standard 3-pt. bale spear but built a bracket that moves the bale spear bads about 2 ft. (the bale spear can be detached from the extension bracket and attached directly to the 3-pt., if desired). A standard 8-in. stroke hydraulic cylinder tilts the bale spear forward and back. The extension bracket itself, made out of heavy tubing and flat iron, attaches to the 3-pt. like any other 3-pt. equipment. Front weights are recommended because of the extra leverage and the tractor should be at least 80 hp. to handle it. I would like to license this idea to a manufacturer. (Kenneth M. Allison, Rt. 1, Fairmount City, Penn. 16224)


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1993 - Volume #17, Issue #2