# What is the best way to stack hay on a hay wagon?



## tmac196 (Aug 26, 2014)

It sounds like a nonsensical question. However, we have tried a few ways over the past two seasons and have not found the best way to stack for stability. Here is what we have tried. Assume the symbols represent the orientation of small square bales:

Row 1 (back of wagon against the fence): II I =

Row 2 (atop row 1): ==I

Row 3 (atop row 2): I I I =

Row 4 (atop row 3): = III

Row 5 (atop row 4): Repeat as row 1

A neighbor told me to stack like this:

Row 1: = I II

Row 2: II I =

Row 3: Same as row 1

Row 4: Same as row 2

Row 5: Same as row 1

I am open to suggestions and looking for the advice of experienced stackers.

:


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

It's really going to depend on the length of your bales and the dimensions of your wagon, primarily width. I feel like stacking, whether in the field or on a semi, is just something you figure out as you go depending on bale shape and density.


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

The single most important part of any haystack is uniform, heavy bales. If the bales are misshapen and loose it really wont matter how they are stacked.
That being said, when stacking by hand I use the following:
= I = , or = = I , or I = = . 
I usually do all three repeating the pattern.


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## bbos2 (Mar 20, 2015)

Not sayin mine is any better just another suggestion.

Bottom row. =l=
2Nd. l==
3Rd. ==l
4Th. l==
5Th. ==l
6Th. =l=
7Th lllll. 
When doing top row number 7 All bales are stacked the long way but the outside bales are flat and three middle bales are on edge. So from left to right I would go: flat, edge, edge, edge, flat. This will tie the top together at the same time keep a row of "5" that way when counting loaded bales you can count all rows by 5. Also if your strapping it will grab all top row bales.

This is how I use to stack all flat rack wagons and short trip trailer loads Before I went to stackwagon and hay fork. Long haul flatbed semi loads are stacked totally different to achieve full load compacity using longitudinal straps. Won't get into that


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## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

And make sure they are tight together. You can stack any method mentioned above but the bales must be pushed tight together. When your wagon is rocking back and forth in the field, the whole load should be moving uniformly. Same on a truck. We used to haul from another barn and would load 50 on the truck and not tie down. Coming back one day being young and stupid, driving to fast on dirt road, crested a hill and there was a little bump in the road. Looked in the mirror and the load lifted up and settled back on the truck, never lost a bale. That is a tight well stacked load.


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

I stack the way bbos does. Works fine. Yes I have lost a few bales in the past, probably cuz I was I was going faster than the rack would allow.


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