# Loading small bales in tailers



## Hayguy (Jun 4, 2008)

The thread below on hay pricing for volume buyers got me wondering about how others load semi van-trailers. I'm a one man operation, putting up 15-20,000 small bales a year. Most of my customers are horse stables and very few are willing or able to use the big square bales. We shipped a few loads of big squares out of state last year so I know 1st hand the advantages of that kind of package. Iv'e seen some videos of loading banded bale packages , such as the Bale-Bandit product and the re-compressed bales. We've been loading small bales on trailers with a conveyer stuck into the van as far as it would reach and hand stacking the bales. At 600+ bales per load it takes over 3hrs to load even with 3 or 4 guys helping. I'm real interested in trying a skid loader or forklift with one of the bale grabbers. I know these units will load a flatbed OK but hope someone out there would share their experience with using one to load inside a van trailer.


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## downtownjr (Apr 8, 2008)

I have never done it, but remembered looking at this when researching an accumulator and grabber. It is from the Steffen site, others probably do the same, but there is a video showing them with a forklift and grabber loading a container. Hope it is helpful.

http://www.steffensystems.com/Products/Container_Loading.htm


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## jd6400 (Jun 3, 2008)

Hopefull to try it next yr with my Kuhn grabber, my new facility should be done in a week or so and we are putting a loading dock in for loading out semi`s.Skidsteer and grabber will go inside and the top layer will have to be stacked by hand.


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## Hedge tree (Jul 18, 2008)

I have used an old Farmhand accumulator and bale grab for years....the package is 8 bales on the string/wire side, 4 across the back, 2 deep. The problem we have encountered over the years loading dry vans...is...you place a package on the van floor as far inside as you can reach with your loader. The next package of 8 bales is used to push the 1st pack farther forward, and this is done until the floor of the van is full. Some hand stacking is necessary in the nose and there is room for one more bale on the side of the van. The 2nd layer is what starts the problem. The packs do not slide as well across the hay surface as they did the van floor. Clutches can get hot and we have always managed to crack or damage our hay grabs pushing these packs on subsequent layers.

We took an old feed wagon, made it into a flat bed and placed crank jacks at the corners. Pull it up to the back of the van and level the wagon bed with the floor of the van. We build a 5-6 bale high 'bundle' of bales on the wagon and then push the entire 'bundle' into the van using a ram apparatus we built on the front of a NH bidirectional. Load time is fast, most time is spent building the 'bundle' outside the van. This is done mostly with a hay grab and loader tractor, but some hand work is necessary. This has sped up the process and eliminated damage to equipment. Buyers don't get as many bales as handstacking...but they either load this way and watch us....or go somewhere else.


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## Rodney R (Jun 11, 2008)

We hand stacked a few van trailers already, a 14x18 bale is like 6 on edge, and like 5 high..... I think..... Anyway, now we sold some to a guy that uses a forklift and a grabber - we set the hay on a flatbed with our grabber, then he grabs it, and heads inside the trailer. Till we get another grab out of the building, he's waiting for another one. He loses the top row (that you'd get by hand stacking), but I guess the customers are close enough, and the labor savings is enough that he figures that it's a wash...... I like the idea, but I'd like to see that top row get filled..... Most guys either don't clean the floors in their vans, or don't want bales pushed in (Like Hedge Tree's invention), but with a balewagon type stack pattern, I don't see any other way????

Rodney


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## geiselbreth (Feb 21, 2010)

i use a hoelsche 4 stack on rear of dry box and push forward with next stack floor has to really be slick


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## haystax (Jul 24, 2010)

We load 378 3-string bales into 53' container chassis in around 30 minutes. Have to hand load the last 14 bales. Squeeze blocks and very uniform bales are the key. We have a "pusher" ram that we grab with the squeeze to push the first two blocks all the way to the front then the last four and half go in without trouble usually. Bump the back bales until the doors close and away they go.

Sure would hate to be on the other end...not sure how they come out


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