BALE BASKETS

[Brian Hough II]

Hey Folks,

I was just wondering if anyone on here uses Bale Baskets or Hay baskets, whatever they are called. I first found out about them from another forum I was reading. I am having trouble locating any for sale around me. Everyone here in New Jersey seems to use cruisers to pick up their bales. I was looking at a pull type stack wagon but I have to run it down the road a bit to get to the barn. In theory a bale basket would be perfect. I don't always have enough help to use a flat wagon; however, this is all I have experience with. Just wondering what everyone thinks about them. The way I figure it this would allow me to bale by myself. I did hear that you better have a good baler cause if the bales keep breaking its a pain to get out of the chute and basket. So I don't know. I'm looking at getting at NH 570 or 5070. Just have not decided.

[Grant Hildabrand]

have you considered using an accumulator? if you have a front end loader, that may be the way to go...

[Brian Hough II]

Grant,
I have thought about this; however I do not currently have a front end loader or bale hand. Also here in New Jersey there are no such thing as 1000 acre farms. My ground is spread over a 25 mile radius. So that its another piece of equipment to get there and everything. I am just starting out so kind of looking for a cheaper alternative to paying a local college kid to help bale.

[CB Sowder]

Grant,
A bale basket, if we are thinking of the same things, just collects behind the baler? Then you pull baler and basket to the barn and dump? All those bales in a pile to sort and stack by your self. With an accumulator you can bunch and then stack by your self. Put the front end loader on your baling tractor. Bale and stack, then go back and get it. They make cheaper accumulators that just slide on the ground behind the baler. Put a loader on the baling tractor, slide accumulator on a wagon hooked to the baler, take off down the road. Get to the field, slide the slide off, un hook the wagon, bale, un hook the baler, load your wagon, put the slide on top, hook all back up, go to the house.
CB

[scott]

does anyone have experience with making dry round bales and then rebaling them later as square bales?

[Brian Hough II]

We have never baled round bales. However I do take small bales of alfalfa and rebale them into extra small bales for rabbit food, etc. You get about 40 tiny bales from one regular small bale. Then sell them to pet stores and feed stores for a dollar each. So instead of getting $6.50- $7.00 for a bale I am getting $40.00 a bale.(minus twine and labor). it works for us. I never thought about putting a loader on the baleing tractor. That is def a possibility. I would imagine an accumulator is much more expensive then one or two bale baskets though.

[K2]

If your making serious hay and bringing to a central point you need to be able to run down the road fast. I would suggest a NH bale wagon and an NH stack retreiver mounted on a truck. We actual made a portable back stop that we could push stacks against in the field. The pull type NH stack wagon wont cost you more than the 3-4 baskets you would need to buy to keep moving. We could generally get 2000 bales a day +/-.

[Grant Hildabrand]

I had never heard of a bale basket before. but I think I found a link to what you were talking about: http://www.puffergas.com/reviews/balebasket.html

what I was talking about was an accumulator, not a bale wagon...

anyways, best of luck to you in your search.

[Brian Hough II]

I appreciate everyone's help. I am just getting started and do not make enough hay and money to warrant a stack wagon "cruiser". I also do not like the tow behind jobs because you need a tractor towing it to use the hydraulics. Tractor tires are not getting cheaper and the roads around me are not too easy on them. I think I am definately going to look into the accumulator. But not sure. I may just end up buying a bale basket to try out or getting a thrower/ kicker on the baler. We will see. Thanks again.

[DEREK]

tell u the truth a bale basket aint worth the hassle, it is a pain, i would reccomend a kicker and kicker wagon.