Australian sheep producer Patrick Daniher was exercising on a treadmill one day when he got the idea for a new way to feed hay from a pickup or trailer.

His big belt bale feeder lets him feed out big square bales a flake or two at a time while sitting in his cab. Whether mounted on a truck or a trailer, the moving belt works great on round bales, too. Add sides and a directional chute and it can be used to handle grass, sand, compost, mulch, and more. 

After fine-tuning his design, Daniher started marketing the Daniher Bale Feeder to the Australian market in single and double bale models. The single is just under 9 ft. long and 5 ft., 11 in.  wide with 7 rollers. The double is the same width, but 16 ft. long with 12 rollers.

"We use 3-ply pvc belting for the belt," says Daniher. "It is very durable and stands up well to hard use."

The belt with its electric drive is controlled by a simple toggle switch or a remote. Cut twine ends are secured in string retention slots at the rear of the unit instead of being left on the ground.

Flakes of square bales slowly drop off the Bale Feeder as the belt rotates. Similarly, a large round bale placed on a single length belt can also be fed out in a controlled manner with optional round bale offloading arms. Tilt the arms down and insert their spears into the center of the bale from either side. Cut the netting or twine and start the belt to unroll the bale.