# Efficient local delivery of small squares



## ccarmichael (Nov 10, 2020)

Looking for ideas/examples of efficiently delivering “bale baron” or similar bundles of small squares to clients who don’t have offloading equipment. Anyone taking a skidsteer with grapple along on deliveries?


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Not I....they either have available help to hand buck or a forklift or tractor and we stack accordingly.....it sometimes limits our load capacity, but dragging a piece of equipment to unload seems a bit costly, unless the client was willing to pony up, in that case I have taken another truck and tele on another trailer......


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

Here is an idea or two, one with bundles, two with ss bales. Just need a customer that wants a semi load:

https://www.ask.com/youtube?q=off%20loading%20a%20semi%20trailer%20of%20hay&v=dgNHTLWi_rE&o=0&l=dir&qo=saLink

https://www.ask.com/youtube?q=off%20loading%20a%20semi%20trailer%20of%20hay&v=5dsGWM5XGdg&o=0&l=dir&qo=saLink

https://www.ask.com/youtube?q=off%20loading%20a%20semi%20trailer%20of%20hay&v=5dsGWM5XGdg&o=0&l=dir&qo=saLink

Larry


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

ccarmichael said:


> Looking for ideas/examples of efficiently delivering "bale baron" or similar bundles of small squares to clients who don't have offloading equipment. Anyone taking a skidsteer with grapple along on deliveries?


How many bundles per load in this scenario?


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

I previously spent a bit of time thinking of this for the small frequent deliveries. I couldn't work out something that was reasonable weight to bring a loader along on the trailer. Other ideas that came up:

-Dump bed on 1 ton, figured 4-6 bundles depending on the size of bed.

-Slip sheet on a 1 ton flat deck that winches them off.

-Bale bed on a 1 ton with the side squeeze arms.

-Dump trailer

-Add a winch back bulkhead to our tilt deck trailer. There's a few videos of these in action, back into shed and tilt, winch the load off and it sets neatly. Can slide pallets under tail as bundles come off.

-Build hook lift decks like big pallets to set off at clients. Can have several so you have several loaded ready to go at your shed.

-Buy old pulp loader (common here) and set bundles off. Hard to get inside with this.

-Buy sliding tarp frames and build some flat bed wagons, get a rental fee for delivering hay on them such that they can store hay on them as many of my clients have poor storage

-Buy 30 mph tractor with front suspension and deliver with tractor instead of truck


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## JOR Farm (Aug 27, 2019)

https://www.auctiontime.com/listings/farm-equipment/auctions/online/197991445/1970-john-deere-bm
Not sure if this is how to share a link. But this is what I want. I figure with a small electric hydraulic pump i could deliver about 7 bandit bundles with a ton truck without waiting for them to unload by hand. I have never been called a patient man.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

JOR Farm said:


> https://www.auctiontime.com/listings/farm-equipment/auctions/online/197991445/1970-john-deere-bm
> Not sure if this is how to share a link. But this is what I want. I figure with a small electric hydraulic pump i could deliver about 7 bandit bundles with a ton truck without waiting for them to unload by hand. I have never been called a patient man.


I think that's a hesston designed and built trailer. I almost bought one years ago, on the cheap....shoulda/coulda


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

I can't put my finger on it, but IIRC there was a fellow HTalker that had a trailer system for delivering ss bales. Maybe something similar, could work for maybe delivering 4 bundles.

My other thought is around here we have semi trailers that have large hi-lo that rides on back of trailer. Generally used for unloading pallets of wood for buildings. Hi-lo picks itself up on rear of trailer/truck.

Larry


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## mstuck21 (Oct 4, 2019)

I have a dumb question.. do they make a self dumping trailer specifically for baron bundles or even large squares like they make for round bales? I think they usually hold a single row.. at least the ones I've seen in person. A neighbor has horses and only feeds round bales. The guy who delivers his hay has one of these trailers.. brings 5 bales at a time, pulls a lever, dumps 5 bales and drives off.. seems efficient.

Maybe there's a scenario where this works?


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## JOR Farm (Aug 27, 2019)

If someone made a self dumping one for square bundles it would be awesome. I have 2 stores close together that always want 2 bundles apiece they each have forklifts but I like to haul them crossways so it's still difficult for them to unload. And dawg I am pretty sure hesston designed that trailer no way John deere came up with that.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

mstuck21 said:


> I have a dumb question.. do they make a self dumping trailer specifically for baron bundles or even large squares like they make for round bales? I think they usually hold a single row.. at least the ones I've seen in person. A neighbor has horses and only feeds round bales. The guy who delivers his hay has one of these trailers.. brings 5 bales at a time, pulls a lever, dumps 5 bales and drives off.. seems efficient.
> Maybe there's a scenario where this works?


I have thought of modifying the cradles on a side by side self unloading round bale trailer, seems it could be done with minimal effort, just not sure how well it would function. Would probably have to have the metal slicked up to slide off, but seems it would work. Load them flat and they should (hopefully) fall upright....


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

r82230 said:


> I can't put my finger on it, but IIRC there was a fellow HTalker that had a trailer system for delivering ss bales. Maybe something similar, could work for maybe delivering 4 bundles.
> 
> My other thought is around here we have semi trailers that have large hi-lo that rides on back of trailer. Generally used for unloading pallets of wood for buildings. Hi-lo picks itself up on rear of trailer/truck.
> 
> Larry


We call them piggybacks here, used a lot for sod.....something similar would work but those are very heavy (sod,bricks,blocks) our bundles weigh around 1k pounds so it's a lot of overkill.....and perhaps CDL (not sure how they handle that donkey on the back) kinda pricey in their current form.


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

With 3x3 big square bales I have already pushed them off the side of the trailer and left them laying in a persons yard, works better if you have 2 or 3 people like when you deliver to the amish they just push them off by hand. A friend of mine delivers with a grain truck with the back off just raise the hoist and drive away. A single or tandem grain truck with the back and sides off would work but it doesn't put them away. And we do have a person in the area that is in a wheel chair from a farm accident he has a goose neck flatbed that dumps. Did sell to a therapeutic riding arena one year they would always have a neighbor come over with a skidsteer and unload and put the bales away. I think other years he sold them hay but that year he didn't have enough to sell them.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

How would a Big Tex type dump trailer work? Would be an expensive trailer to buy if only used for delivering hay.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

Tim/South said:


> How would a Big Tex type dump trailer work? Would be an expensive trailer to buy if only used for delivering hay.


Guys do that in our area . They tend to make the load shorter and higher just dump and move on home


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## pettibone (Jul 18, 2015)

Just get a van trailer with a Keith walking floor, works great for unloading hay or just about anything else even stuff on pallets, even hauled some bulk lime in the one I used to have.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

pettibone said:


> Just get a van trailer with a Keith walking floor, works great for unloading hay or just about anything else even stuff on pallets, even hauled some bulk lime in the one I used to have.


Yes they do work, but they are very pricey and this is hay we're delivering.....I've used them several times with folks that have them. Kinda slow....


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

JOR Farm said:


> If someone made a self dumping one for square bundles it would be awesome. I have 2 stores close together that always want 2 bundles apiece they each have forklifts but I like to haul them crossways so it's still difficult for them to unload. And dawg I am pretty sure hesston designed that trailer no way John deere came up with that.


I'm thinking you are hauling these stacked only one high (not that two high wouldn't work).

So, what if you laid down a couple of straps/ropes, two for every two bales even. These straps will be anchored/attached to the back of the trailer, with excess in front of each bale (or two bales), with the excess length to go over the top back towards the rear of trailer. Once you arrive at dumping location, you either hook straps to something solid and drive away or customer hooks on to straps and pulls them. Utilizing what I know as a 'rolling hitch' type pull off. Pulling/rolling the bales off the rear of the trailer. I suppose you could roll off the sides, too, if you had a trailer with no side obstructions.

I'd sketch this out, but drawing on a computer isn't as fast as drawing in the dirt/dust. Think of the bale(s) as being the pulley, with a rope/strap going around it. With one end of the strap anchored, the pulley has to move in the same direction as the other end of the strap is being pulled. Remembering that the pulley is only going to physically move 1/2 the distance, the other end of strap is moved/pulled.

Even if bale didn't roll, it would be pulled to the back of trailer and fall off it seems.

Clear as mud perhaps. :huh:

Larry

PS with this method the straps/ropes would be free after pulling bales off.


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## JOR Farm (Aug 27, 2019)

Clearer than mud. My gooseneck is a metal floor tilt trailer 24'. Lots of times I do just what you are saying if they have a regular little forklift I put a rope around 1 or 2 and pull them to the end of the trailer works great even double stacked.


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

Where are you delivering to? how much hay do they take at one time? do they just throw a tarp over it where you unloaded it outside or do they want it put in inside storage. I don't know about your bundles, how wide they are ? but the one person asked about a side dump like they have for round bales, I could see that working for 4 foot wide square bales trailer split in the middle and dump each side not as good with 3x3 because we haul 3 wide you would have a row in the middle. guess you could make it work just hauling 2 wide. I have used the strap trick on other things also such as a load of brush on a flatbed trailer or wagon. One thing is be careful when you pull loads off the back not to screw up the park in your automatic transmission.


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## JOR Farm (Aug 27, 2019)

Good point about the park gear. The truck I am usually on is my old '97 f350 7.3 5 speed. Those little forklifts are so weak and slow I normally reroute the strap while they are putting a bundle inside then they park on the strap and I pull up thus sliding another one to the end.


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