# how do you stack



## Boekerscustom

I need some help on keeping my stacks from falling. My question is how do i start my first stack to rest all the others against? Ive heard of a buttstack but have no clue what that means. I have a 1048 with the automatic tie tiers. I'm stacking 2 wide and 9 high. How do I do the tie tier in the back of the stack without tripping the 2nd table lever? Anything will help.


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## PKL&C

Saw your post and had to create an account and reply. I have used the same stacker for years and tried various ways of starting stacks. The most successful way I have found is to tie the stack on the 4th table regularly and reverse tie on the 5th table. If you have never done a reverse tie it can be hard to accomplish from the cab. So you may want to do it by hand. As opposed to a regular tie you want to have 4 bales up then tie and another 2 bales to finish the table. This is with 14" x 18" bales. To finish the load tie normally again on the 7th table. When you are ready to unload the stack raise it up until the stack is high enough to turn off the stacker and the hydraulics will let the stack down without the stacker running. If you have done this enough you know that the stacker when unloading will let the load down and then if you continue to hold the lever it will go a little further to squash the load back. You want to let the load down softly with the motor off to avoid to many bales falling off the back. After the load is upright get out and with some stack pole braces knock the bales down off the back leaving 2 deep at the top 3 on the next and so forth down to the 5th table. What I do at this point is stack them by hand against the back of the load. There should be 18 of them. The first 6 I put the same way as the stacker does on top of these the next 6 I put opposite of those and the next 6 I put on top of these the same as the bottom 6, making a block to rest the load against. The hardest part is to get the stacker away from the load without it falling forward. I have found that if you can park something against the block you hand stacked it is much easier to push the stacker away. I usually park a my flatbed truck against the the back of the load. When you go to push off from the load do not force the stack back all the way. Push off a foot or so before doing that. Get out again and brace the front of the load with poles. Pray to god, and push the rest of the way. Run like hell to get another load and put against it. This one tie normally on the 1st and 7th tables and definitely push this one all the way back. Of course the most important thing is that the bales are solid and the ground is level or slightly sloped in your favor. Good luck.


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## jeff outwest

If you are loading out hay with a tractor and balefork? I used to stick the balefork on top of a stack when I had lots of room and come in from both directions with a load. Would have a non stair stepped stack.


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## Boekerscustom

PKL&C said:


> Saw your post and had to create an account and reply. I have used the same stacker for years and tried various ways of starting stacks. The most successful way I have found is to tie the stack on the 4th table regularly and reverse tie on the 5th table. If you have never done a reverse tie it can be hard to accomplish from the cab. So you may want to do it by hand. As opposed to a regular tie you want to have 4 bales up then tie and another 2 bales to finish the table. This is with 14" x 18" bales. To finish the load tie normally again on the 7th table. When you are ready to unload the stack raise it up until the stack is high enough to turn off the stacker and the hydraulics will let the stack down without the stacker running. If you have done this enough you know that the stacker when unloading will let the load down and then if you continue to hold the lever it will go a little further to squash the load back. You want to let the load down softly with the motor off to avoid to many bales falling off the back. After the load is upright get out and with some stack pole braces knock the bales down off the back leaving 2 deep at the top 3 on the next and so forth down to the 5th table. What I do at this point is stack them by hand against the back of the load. There should be 18 of them. The first 6 I put the same way as the stacker does on top of these the next 6 I put opposite of those and the next 6 I put on top of these the same as the bottom 6, making a block to rest the load against. The hardest part is to get the stacker away from the load without it falling forward. I have found that if you can park something against the block you hand stacked it is much easier to push the stacker away. I usually park a my flatbed truck against the the back of the load. When you go to push off from the load do not force the stack back all the way. Push off a foot or so before doing that. Get out again and brace the front of the load with poles. Pray to god, and push the rest of the way. Run like hell to get another load and put against it. This one tie normally on the 1st and 7th tables and definitely push this one all the way back. Of course the most important thing is that the bales are solid and the ground is level or slightly sloped in your favor. Good luck.


When I do the reverse tie how do I keep the bales from hitting the auto-stack lever on the table when I slide the first 4 bales back to rotate the 5th and 6th bales to create the tie? Every time that I would try this they would hit the lever and kick the table up and I would have to try to stop the table from lifting and the hydraulics would get locked up. Is there a position that I need to have the 2nd table lever in? Or do I just get out and lift that bale up on top of the auto lift lever, basically stab it?


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## Teslan

When I stacked small bales I would always do what I call a bulk head stack or buttstack as you call it first. This is with a 1069 and later a 1089. The 1069 had the lever on the table like yours. And my stacks were 3 wide. To build a bulkhead stack or buttstack, I would do 3 regular tiers. Then do another tier with one layer less bales. Then the next tier, a tie tier, I would do normal, but just somehow one layer less or two and so on so the back of the stack would look like a stair case. This is with 16x18 bales. I've never thought about doing a reverse tie tier. If I was doing small bales now I might try that. However if you are always stacking in the same place it's worth it to build a backstop out of something. We used to just use telephone poles with 2x12 boards every 2 and a half feet. That way you aren't wasting time the first load doing a bulkhead stack.


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## PKL&C

Some corrections to my earlier post- I wrote that on the next load to tie normally on the 1st and the 7th. I meant the 4th and 7th tables. Also when stair stepping the back of the stack there should be 20 bales not 18 to stack by hand. So after you make the block like I wrote before the last 2 bales I put up to finish the stair step back. Also, on the hand made block I wrote to take the first 6 bales and stack them the same way as the stacker. This should be the opposite of the stacker with the next layer the same and the last layer opposite. Then the last 2 bales on top finishing the stair step. As for the reverse tie, like I said it may be easier to just get out and do it by hand. What I do is put up 4 bales, use the lever on the floor by the seat to manually raise the second table until they slide to the back, then lower it down. Put up the tie bales and finish with 2 more. When done with the manual lever it shouldn't , after the bales are already against the auto lever, raise on its own. This means that you have to raise the table with the manual lever when the table is full. If the second table auto raises before you want it to you can stop it by putting the manual lever in the middle selection (I believe). If it then won't go back down you have to get out and turn on the stacker hydraulics and walk back and manually push the ram in to lower the table. Do not get under the table if you try that. It can come down fast. If you are worried at all just do it by hand. It may sound like a hassle but it beats loading the whole load on by hand or staring at a caved in disaster. Stabbing the bale with the auto lever can work some times too. If the bale is soft enough. I have still had it trip in the bale before though too. Good luck.


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## Boekerscustom

Thanks guys I really appreciate all the help. One last question. How long of poles do you use to hold the front from falling over? 16'


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## PKL&C

16' poles are plenty long but whatever you have can work. Those stackers came with metal poles that are basically about 1 1/2"-2" pipe with a flat plate probably 3" x 6" welded to one end and a spike welded to the center of that. Those work best because they stab into the bale and stick in the the ground better than a wood pole. Wood poles tend to slide unless you shovel a little notch in the ground for them.


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## Boekerscustom

PKL&C said:


> 16' poles are plenty long but whatever you have can work. Those stackers came with metal poles that are basically about 1 1/2"-2" pipe with a flat plate probably 3" x 6" welded to one end and a spike welded to the center of that. Those work best because they stab into the bale and stick in the the ground better than a wood pole. Wood poles tend to slide unless you shovel a little notch in the ground for them.


RIght on! thanks I've got some galvanized pipe in a junk pile at work that will work with a little welding. that should do it for now. Thanks for the help.


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