We've seen lots of loader-mounted bale spears and bale unrollers, but Illinois farmer Joe Staker combined them into one unit. He uses it on his Deere 2355 4-WD tractor.

It consists of a bale spear made from 3-in. sq. tubing that quick-taches to the loader. A pair of free-spinning spare car tires extend below the frame and are used to push the bale along the ground. The tires are attached to lengths of telescoping tubing welded on alongside the frame and can be quickly removed by pulling a pair of pins.

"It works great and cost very little to build," says Staker, who runs a cow-calf operation with his family. "I made the bale spear several years ago and recently added the unroller.

"To unroll the bale I tilt the spear all the way back, then let the loader down until the wheels are about 12 in. off the ground. The spear is over the bale as I unroll it.

"Often I'll just unroll half a bale, then drive over and drop the other half of the bale into a feeder wagon or bale ring. There's enough clearance that I can load and unload bales without having to remove the wheels. If I need to move bales out of the field during summer, I just pull a pair of pins to remove the wheels so they're not in the way."

He used a 1 3/4-in. dia. semi axle for the bale spear and welded it to the top center part of the frame. To attach the wheels he welded a 2 1/2-in. pickup receiver hitch to each side of the frame. A 1 1/2-in. dia. sq. tube fits into each hitch and is held on by a large pin. Each wheel has a 1 1/2-in. dia. solid bar attached to it that spins inside a pipe with steel plates welded onto the tires. "There are no bearings, just a wear point where the bar rides inside the pipe," says Staker.