# Skid Steer and Grapple



## hay hauler (Feb 6, 2010)

I am looking at getting a skid steer and a grapple to move hay with.

What size, brand, hp?

Just looking for a 6 bale or smaller grapple, or squeeze.

Does anyone know of a grapple with a 1/4 turn this small?

How high can they reach?

I need to be able to put it on a trailer behind my 2 1/2 ton truck.

It needs to go in and out of small barns.

I think I am looking for something that can lift 1,000 pounds?

Would be best if I could pull off a bale wagon stack that is 9 bales height....

Am I crazy to think I can do this for around 5 to 6 grand? I have the trailer....

Any and all comments would be great!!!! This will be the first skid steer I have owned. Traction will not be a problem. I am hoping I will be able to take it to a stack, load up, move to a buyer, and unload and be on my way, a one man operation. I have experience running bigger grapples and tractors. But they are not small enough for most of these barns. But running and learning equipment is not a problem.


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## rob_cook2001 (Apr 30, 2010)

The problem your going to have is reaching high enough to grab off the 9th tear. I have a S300 bobcat (3000lb lift) and have a hard time grabbing off the 9th tear. A small machine will probably only reach to the 7th tear.
For the price your want to spend your looking at like a 753 bobcat or a 1845 case.
If you have never owned one a Skid is one of the most usefull tools you can have. I never thought so until i bought one, now I can't live without it.
Robert


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## Blue Duck (Jun 4, 2009)

I have seen a mid size skid steer that had a homemade mini forklift mast that added about 6ft to the lift hieght. I think it would lift around 15ft total, it had forklift forks but a grapple could be put on instead. It was used in a wharehouse on flat concrete. Most small and mid size skid steers are not near wide enough to lift that high on unlevel or soft ground and would be dangerous IMO

I am not a good judge of sanity but 5k to 6k isn't much for a piece of equipment like that. Most of the cheap skid steers I have seen were cheap for a reason


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I have to agree with Blue Duck, 5-6 grand is low. I too have seen a lot of skid steers in your price range, while it may be within your budget, I can't say how reliable they would be.

Like rob_cook2001 said, we too never owned a skid steer before but found a Bobcat 864 with the wide rubber factory tracks. Absolutely one of the handiest pieces of equipment on the farm. With those wide tracks I can float over areas that the loader or backhoe would sink, also very handy for pushing snow in the winter. We paid around 10k for it and found it to be worth every penny.


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## hay hauler (Feb 6, 2010)

Anyone know about the new holland ones?


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## hay hauler (Feb 6, 2010)

What kind of grapple? Size?

We have a "Bale Handler" The Bale Handler | 1.888.543.8429, but i think it is to heavy for what i want. I see weight as more of a issue than strength.


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## lewbest (Dec 9, 2009)

hay hauler said:


> Anyone know about the new holland ones?


I have a NH built in the late 80's iirc & there are LOTSA discontinued parts. I needed some pump parts; the pumps on mine are Vickers & a guy in MO was finally able to match them up visually; no part number cross reference. Just looks to me like they oughta support them better; heck, most of my stuff goes to back in the 60's-70's & is far better supported that that skidsteer!

Lew


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## hay hauler (Feb 6, 2010)

Lew,

What model skid steer do you have?


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## lewbest (Dec 9, 2009)

hay hauler said:


> Lew,
> 
> What model skid steer do you have?


It 's a 775 NH; according to the parts book built from '73 to '84; gas 4 cyl Wisconsin engine. I bought it as a "project" cheap; was supposed to only be pulling on one side. Rebuilt that pump (it was a disaster inside; works fine now) & then found out the other side don't pull either (the chains had been taken loose so it would have ben difficult to check the other side). Needed the space in the shop so pulled it back onto the trailer with the winch; moved it outside & unloaded it & so it sits. I'll tear into the other pump/motor assembly when the weather cools down a bit.

Lew


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## hay hauler (Feb 6, 2010)

Anyone know of a good place to buy in the Oregon, Washington kind of area? Or seen any for sale in this area?


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## Hayking (Jan 17, 2010)

We have a L 185 new holland that we bought new it is three years old it has been very useful in the barn, i woud suggest getting a cab, it is a really good machine we havent had any trouble with it. we use it to stack big square rounds and our small squares that are banded. it does not have the reach that a tractor has nor the height.


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## Cascade farmer (Nov 26, 2009)

hay hauler said:


> Anyone know of a good place to buy in the Oregon, Washington kind of area? Or seen any for sale in this area?


I bought a 2006 ASV SR-80 20" wide track & use a 10 bale flat or 12 on edge Lewco bale handler w/3' high back. It will lift up to 12-13 bales flat or 9-10 on edge. This unit came out of Portland, Oregon.


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## hay hauler (Feb 6, 2010)

Ended up with this. Works Great and will stack 5 high on our truck. Truck seems to pull it nice as well. No more maunal stacking!!!!!


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## Cascade farmer (Nov 26, 2009)

Looks Good! Nice not to have to hand stack. I carry 10 extra bales on the trailier with the grapple holding them,just backing on to balance the weight.Simular to what you have in the photo.


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## dbergh (Jun 3, 2010)

I like your setup! We are thinking along the same lines where folks don't want a full stacker load or we can't get in to their shed due to height limitations.
Did you buy or build the grapple?


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## hay hauler (Feb 6, 2010)

We made it and just bought the teeth. We coulden't find what we wanted exactly with regards to size and weight... This unit will stack 7 high off the ground and pick up five 16X18 bales. For the size of our grapple the machine matches it perfict, better than we hoped for.

Just finished unloading 100 ton with it. Two trailers 40 mile round trip, 5 ton per trailer, the bobcat at the customers barn, and a 10 bale grapple at our barn. All in 3 days. Pluss we only burned 10.5 gallons in the bobcat

Not that hard to get 5 ton off the trailer in 20 min... or less....


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## sedurbin (May 30, 2009)

Nice outfit. Where can you buy the teeth?


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## Greyhorse (Jun 22, 2009)

Just a thought, we made some boards up (2X6 with about 18" of belting between two boards holding them together) that we use to help hold them down with. One board goes on top and the other hangs over the side of the top layer, straps go over the bales and boards and it spreads the pull of the strap over the length of the bales instead of cutting down into them in one spot. Works really well if you are going a long ways with them because you can keep pulling them down tight as they settle.


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## hay hauler (Feb 6, 2010)

sedurbin,

We got the teeth from the local newholland dealer. They are the smaller teeth that steffen makes, was leuco...

Greyhorse,

We do that as well... used two pipes and welded small chain in the middle of them. works great. We cross tie as well because the bailes are not stacke in a "tied" way on the truck...


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## wheatridgefarmMD (Sep 14, 2008)

Hay Hauler,

What size pipe and how long of a piece of chain between the 2 did you find works best for securing the hay down?


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## hay hauler (Feb 6, 2010)

wheatridgefarmer,

1 inch pipe, 8 ft long, 4 chains 6 links each per set of pipes, If the pipe is much bigger it dosen't want to stay in place without the tie downs....


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## wheatridgefarmMD (Sep 14, 2008)

Thank You sir


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