I have the new holland 1003 stack wagon. Bought it 3 years ago. Love it. Never minded riding the wagon and stacking myself but now doing hay alone so it makes sense. Back in the barn and it puts stack right where you want it
Hay Farm Girl 👧 that’s hard work. I baled hay and straw for a couple of farms back in high school. Never needed fancy equipment. The baler spit out the bales and us kids stacked them on wagons. We didn’t know any better 👍
Great video and review. I am a small farmer who cuts about 10acres of hay. I ran into the same issue with finding no help. I built my own unit for picking up hay that requires no hydraulics and attaches to the tractor bucket. Works well but isn't perfect. We have not picked up our small squares by hand since I built it last season. So I consider it a success. I have another design I will be building in the near future but will require 3rd function remote hydrulics. Sometimes as small farmers were better off building what suites our needs than trying to afford equipment our operations funds can't support
@@This1LifeWeLive Yes welded up out square tubing and angle iron. It's not like the accumgrapple. I put it on my small 30hp compact since its shuttle shift. Makes things a lot faster. Designed for that little tractor in mind and this one holds 4 bales at a time. If you want I can email a few photos showing it in use. The next unit I am building is more similar to the accumgrapple but won't hold the bales like your unit does. But again it will need those 3rd function hydrulics.
We have had a maxolator for over 5 years. Absolutely love it but bales should be 36 inches not 39. I have also learned that you need to be very consistent with your bales witch means you need to feed the baler even all the time. I have switched the tractor I use on the baler to a ivt trans to be able to be able to feed better.
In rebaling consistant feed is imperative......being as we bale exactly how it comes off the rool...... no fluffing, because it creates too many fines......Plus the Massey stroke rate is higher than most side draw balers.....The optimum bale length for a Baron is 34 inches....
We use farmhand for both but they stop make them. It nice drop eight bales in one spot and pick up eight at a time .we got your from a farm sale makes handlings bales a dream
Our first year grapple accumulator system was pretty simple... the Farmall “C” was in first gear and set at idle... my 7 yr old brother would drive the straightaways... I (being big brother at 14) jumped up and helped him corner. My 9 yr old brother drug bales to the loading path. I gathered bales and tossed them onto the farm wagon. My dad stacked them there. My mom and sisters were in charge of iced tea and peanut butter sandwiches. When we got to the barn, I tossed them onto a platform, then climbed up and tossed them into the loft. My dad stacked them in the loft. While we were doing this, little brothers rested in the shade and guarded the peanut butter sandwiches from the farm dog and the geese... it worked pretty well except... when my little brothers guarded the sandwiches by eating them... The going rate at that time (1967) was $0.10 per bale for a hay crew using their own equipment. (Each crew hand received $0.015 for grass and $0.02 per bale for alfalfa.) Because the bread was homemade, the peanut butter was government commodities and gas was $0.21 per gallon... you might say we grappled and accumulated the hay darn near cheap!!! Wouldn’t trade the experience for anything... wouldn’t repeat it now for anyone!!
Bevis Bellair LOL... that was two years before the real Summer of Love... arguably one of the most transformative years in history... it is worth a Google!
I run a skid steer quick attach on my front end loader on my tractor I love it I can switch from forks to my bucket I also have the skid steer auger attachment on the front I ran my own hydraulic lines it cost me less than $300 to put in a new bow and the hydraulic lines so I can operate everything on the front end
If you do add a grapple on your bucket loader, you could add some long hydraulic lines from your rear outlets.Being low budget i think any shop with hydraulic supplies could custom length and some fittings and quick connectors could route up rh loader arm.
As you said, I think when you get it figured out it will be an asset. On a side note, a lot of tractor loaders do use the skidsteer style quick attach system. I know my M4 does, and it sure is convenient to be able to put any skidsteer attachment on the tractor!
That Kuhn grapple is $3950 here in central Iowa. The AF10 Kuhn accumulator is $12950. I really like this system. An inline baler makes a more consistent bale also and doesn't banana them.
As with any operation,ask yourself do we have enough work to justify the cost, secondly the baler has adjustments to make good bales in most crops ( eg. If the bales are lopsided adjusting the feed mechanism) . Banana bales may be too much vertical pressure,in order to make a good bale side resisters may have to be added,and of course consistent feeding is a must, most balers came from the factory equipped to do the job.
Admittedly we had two tractors but up until we moved to round bales we used a flat 8 grab though admittedly you could only pick up length ways otherwise it had a habit of breaking strings which was brought second hand for about the same as we sold it £200 twenty years later and a flat 8 accumulator again brought for about £200. To begin with my dad used a couple of flatbed trailers but the brought a trailer where we would stack the hay in blocks 6 high and straw 7 high in the field while it was being baled which we could catch up with then the baler would come off and the trailer go on which you would tip up, open the sides up back into the block, squeeze the sides in and tip it back up with the hay in it. With that it allowed us with two people to clear a field pretty quickly but then we had all the empty sheep sheds in the summer that if it looked like it may rain we could drop a couple of 1000 bales into which we could then stack properly later on.
I have watched the Maxilator videos as well. I have a skid loader, so that would be no prob. But my 575 NH baler has a thrower on it, and I am loath to give that up. The thing is, if I am baling into the throw wagons, when finished I can back them into the shed and they are under cover. If I am baling onto the ground, I then have to go back and load them onto a trailer and unload them into a shed. Here in Wisconsin, I am always baling trying to beat the rain, so I am not sure this system would help that much. I don't see the Accumagrapple working with a tractor loader at all, and you need to be at one with the skid loader to really make this work. Obviously you need to size the bales so that they match the grapple, that is a no brainer. I am pondering buying an older big square baler.
Suzanne I agree with you on the learning how to use the equipment. Thanks for the input.. But you have to way in the facts buy the equipment, hiring people to stack the hay on the wagon,and unloading it at the barn and stacking, fuel and maintenance costs.. What happens if that person gets injured on your property working for you during the haying operation? Thanks for you vlog
I’m late to the party but if you shorten your bales up to about 36 inches it will work perfect. I used to make 39 and 40 inch bales before I started using the Kuhns system but it just doesn’t work, they like 36 inch bales. The baler is easy to adjust. You won’t get 36 every time, but shoot for that as an average.
A couple more things to think about is bale density and consistency they need to be packed tight a 36 inch bale of dry hay should be pushing 60 pounds if it’s high moisture and you use preservative like I do at times they can get up to 70 pounds. To get consistent bales you have to feed hay very consistently which means consistent windrows from a good rake that doesn’t make “wads” of hay, rollabars do ok, rotary works best, wheel rakes are terrible for square baling unless it’s a high end one. Also ground speed is very important try to get 12 to 14 strokes of the plunger between each tie cycle if your getting under 12 you need to slow down if your getting over 14 that’s ok but you can speed up to increase production. If you go to fast you will get terrible shapes, loose bales, banana bales, inconsistent bales etc. I have several older videos like almost when I first started TH-cam of how to stack the 10 bale packs there is an art to it it takes time and experience to get good at it. One more thing when the bales are tight you need good twine I use plastic with 170 knot strength and it holds up way better than sisal. Using mechanical equipment is very different than doing things by hand, but once you learn it you can actually make better more consistent more desirable bales as long as the hay itself is good quality.
What we found out is our bale size adjuster was worn out and kept "slipping", so each time I set it, it would re-set itself :( But yes, after talking to a few other guys they DO need to be extra light and 36" (despite the users manual stating 42"). We are looking at getting a pull-behind accumulator, maybe the Farmhand one. Cheaper to buy used, and no back pressure on the bales. I'll tell Erik you stopped by, you are probably the main farming channel he watches (he prefers car channels overall)
Thanks for a fair and unbiased review. The best part is when we discovered the specifications on the literature were wrong.WHOOPS They should be 97.3 inches front to back and 83 inches side to side. Maybe you’d like to be on our podcast too? We like your channel.
I just talked to a friend that uses this accumulator and he takes all the bars out of the side and center. Might try leaving them in to gather the bales up then take them out for stacking.
I like the comment on useing the bale baskets tp get the hay to the barn then hand stacking a small Group in pile. Then useing the grapple to stack in the barn. Thats smart thinking!!! You sure you dont want to manage my hay operation???
Would it be possible to add another row of hooks to the end? Making up for the extended bail ends? I just love watching how you two keep working together so well.
@@mrdfarms9373 I actually got that rake brand new 5 years ago for $21,000 with 0 percent financing for 5 years. Just paid it off last month haha. Didn’t see the point in paying off early with 0 percent, payments where only like $360 a month. Not sure what they cost now.
@@DLHFarms Nice Dennis, your video’s are helping some folks out there struggling in their hay or firewood operations. It’s always a good deal with the 0% financing if you can afford the monthly payment and the cpa advised to buy some equipment 👍
I'm assuming that you're currently the owner of that Maxilator. Maybe, maybe, you could move that front row of grapple hooks forward so they can get a better grip on those front bales that are sticking out. Maybe you could put a couple of longer grapple hooks on that front grapple setup so you'd get some extra grip on the last two cross bales. Just a thought!
Tubeline make a good looking accumulator and for anybody getting banana bales ,it's probably something to do with your feeder arm either not pushing hay far enough into bale chamber or pushing it to far. Depends which way bales are bending
yup thats the one im looking at the tubeline 10+2 scott from north texas hay had one. he said his buddy had the kuhns and if you get a broken bale in the kuhns its a real pain to clean out.
@@ruralridez6165 have you any idea what price they are In the states. In UK it's £4000 for accumulator and £2000 for bale grab or it was last year when I priced it
I felt from the start that some accumulator system would work, still do, I don't get maxilator 's math either, I've picked up and stacked thousands of bales, if I were doing it today, I'd be using that, or a Kuhn accumulator, chronicles of a farm wife uses one like Dennis at DLH, North Texas hay had an accumulator that dragged bales on the ground behind the baler, you can still find his videos too, I think you're on the right track though
I would think Erik could come up with something better. In suprised some company hasn't. In the warehouse I worked in besides regular hilo we had slip machines which had wide thin forks and would grab a stack of whatever ( bleach was popular ) which was set on a cardboard sheet, pull it onto the forks and we would push it off onto a pallet. We also had squeeze machines which would compress a stack of freight and again drop it onto a pallet. All well and good in a warehouse. That said I would think a piece of equipment that was similar to the adjustable squeeze along with hooks could be made at a lower cost for smaller farms. Good luck with whichever way you guys take now you've seen the issues. Take care!
Suzanne - I bought the lowest cost Kuhns Mfg accumulator and grapple for less than $8,000. I went with the 4 and 8 as lowest cost. I have a Kubota L6060 with 3rd function. It works very well although like with your carts a missed bale is a pain. Your Maxilator specifies 39" bale so when put with 2 18" bales - 36" - makes no sense. Also it says 40# grass bales. I make much more dense grass hay bales, around 50 to 60 pounds. People commented on your loose bales and they would need to be really loose to make a 40# bale. If I were to do it again, however, I would get the larger accumulator but we too are on a budget. However watching Eric fight that Maxilator - it was painful - he was not his usual cheerful self.
My aging NH 1012 Stack wagon is much better suited to picking up and delivering square bales. Bale baskets hide the broken or mis-tied bales and accumulators required additional tractors or skid steers. Mine has self unload 1 bale at a time right onto an elevator or onto a customers trailer and truck. Only change is a 1/2 turn bale chute on the baler you can make out of wood or an old bale chute.
Next time when you are baling, try to load without the two last bales. They will fall of the wagon anyway. If you want to load 10 bales, look if it's possible if you can move your sidebales to the middle. That way they are locked up between the other bales. The system has to work. I've seen several other promotion video's and they seem to work very well. Mind you all they are using is straw and those bales load better.
For those who produce small Quanities of small squares it is pretty economical system.....We push to get our hay off the field and under cover..... 4x5 rounds fits our system of baling tronsporting storing and works with our conversion process ...... Expensive but cost effective......Being as we Market small squares to feed and Ag outlet stores They are freshly baled and loaded....giving each bale that fresh out the "Oven" appearance.......
It works if you have two people who can do hay at the same time, and one is VERY skilled at using the accumulator. It took Erik 3 years to do a full run with minimal swearing and fury. But he works a full time job so that leaves us with exactly 2 hrs to get hay collected and off the field. It's not enough time. We are looking instead at an 8 bale accumulator, it will also allow us to load up trailers as it will fit perfectly.
Boy have times changed. I'm 72 years old. As a teenager, I literally worked hundreds of hours baling hay. Either riding a hay rack behind the baler or stacking bales in a haymow. How much did it pay? $1.00 an hour. My town only had about 7,000 people. Farmers would put up a notice on the bulletin board in the barber shop that they would need help on given days. It didn't take long to earn a reputation as to what kind of worker you were. When you established a good reputation, you had more work than you could possibly do. In 1965, I bought a Remington 1100 vent rib shotgun with part of my hay baling money. I ordered it through the JC Penny's catalog. I had to have a parent with me when I picked it up. Oh, how much? $160.00. I remember my younger sister being jealous of the money I could make. She made $.25 an hour baby sitting and $.35 an hour setting up trays at the A&W Rootbeer stand. Baling hay a teenager was expected to work as a grown man and you did if you wanted to work. One day of screwing off and no more work. I wonder, if you could find that kind of teenager today and if you did, how much an hour it would take to keep them working? One yard I mowed for $.50 when I was 12 years old (my mower and gas), costs the current owner $25.00 to be mowed by a teenager today and the owner provides the mower and gas. Yes, lots of things are better today, but, lots of things are not.
you said your neighbor likes to weld. have him build a adapter to mount it on the tractor. Yeah you cam plumb extrea hydraulics to the front of your tractor or just have extra long hoses made to run to the back hydraulics. still kinda expensive but lower cost than the hard lines. lots of loaders installed that way. Then you just get some ziplock bags to keep the ends clean while you use the tractor for something you need rear hydraulics . Around here cheap electrical tape rolls and cheap zip ties are the fasten all remedy to keep loose stuff from getting in the way of important stuff or from jumping off and making an escape like your missing PTO shaft from years past. also baling twine from used bales makes a nifty loose stuff tye-er upper
So what if you keep doing what you are doing for bales in a smaller quantity and get a round baler for the larger amount? Then keep round bales outside under a tarp. Then you can have some block bales for those customers yet.
How do you keep the stacks from falling over? This year all of Erik's stacking jobs seem to fall over even at just 4 tall . . . He is doing the 20 bale and rotating the stack, but doesn't seem to help
@@This1LifeWeLive practice makes perfect. The steffen accumulator and grapple are designed to keep the groups of bales tight more than any other company I've seen. For example the grapple hooks grab the hay from opposite sides.. That might be a factor. We also have our bale weight up to 50 pounds or so which is much heavier than when we were doing them by hand.
Great info wtfg. Wondering if a good fabricator could add a ft.to maxolator and woulda worked for ur operation. Did u get baler fine tuned up. Felt ur pain when i seen that baler malfunction.
So, why can't you change the way you put the bales in? Put the 2 bales lengthwise first and then the 2 rows of 3 after that. The bales sticking out the end will then get hooked somewhere in the middle of the bales. The only problem is would the hooks go into the first 2 bales?
If you want one, you can find used ones everywhere as most people buy them then regret it . . . they are a good idea for a small, retired farmer who has alllll day. But this has slowed us waaaay down. We got 150 bales off the field in 3 hours . . . that's collected, stcked on wagon, then stacked in barn. And the stacks this year keep collapseing . . .
Thanks, good informing video. When I was a younger kids one of my friends had a hay cuber, I don't know if that is still used, was different Central California watching
I have a question for you you guys ever do bailon round bales you guys should try it will be good for the horses to the size square bales try to use it the round bales to PG or cows or cattle or whatever you have at the 🏡 try to get back to me check it out try it one time he was a brown Baylor and build your own bills up with the hay
I'm surprised an accumulator is so expensive. Less complicated than the grapple machine. But for efficiency I don't think the Maxilator could ever be as good running around chasing bales rather than having them all blocked up and ready to pick up as a unit.
@@ruralridez6165 that should work for you I built my own accumulater grapple and I believe that the dimensions are similar to what you have. I think that I went a little over 80 in wide and 84 in long. It handles 36 in bales pretty well. By the way, a skid steer is the way to go in my opinion for clearing the field. Much better visibility. I would use a tractor with it in grapple mode for unloading and stacking if I had that option.
i think i would have Eric Fabricate a hay shoot like on the bail carts on the front of the hay wagon then hook it up behind the bailer and have someone stacking the hay then use the grappler to unload the wagon
Have you looked at New Holland bale collector wagons ? Like a 1033 they hold 56 bales, should be abel to find one for less than $5000 no extra people needed that way
We actually saw one for the first time at New Holland a few months ago. Pretty cool systems but too big for our barn and smaller loading/unloading area :(
Actually round balers are much cheaper! For us it's storage and customer. We don't have much ground space to store rounds indoors, and horse customers usually don't have equipment for rounds. I prefer squares for my own horses as well :)
@@This1LifeWeLive that's makes sense. I was wondering about it when I was walking my daughter's 20 acres and passed all the round bales. When I was a kid I only remember seeing square bales
It won't work that way There are 4 separate chutes with dividers between them 2 of the dividers are shorter to accommodate the 2 turned bales To me, the best way to make this accumulater grapple work is to shorten the bales so that the last 2 don't hang out so far. Or to modify the machine to lengthen the reach needed to get good hold of the 2 last bales
Since hay farming is not something I have ever worked with, I have to go with the examples you gave. For myself, I would tell them that it was incomplete without the tractor attachment as part of the equipment. Secondly, I would send the failure to hold and stack videos to them. Then politely ask them to come and get the unit, as well as bring your full amount refund check.
@@ruralridez6165 I believe that might work very nicely. It should be easier to maneuver with out tearing up the field. I have to remind my buddy when he helps get the field cleared, to make wide turns . He's got a habit of spinning in place and tearing up the field
I would just weld another row of hooks on front of Accumulator so when it rolls over it will grab the front of the bell won’t fall off the front that’s what I would do
Don't think the tractor would be best suited to the accumulation part of this operation. You need to be very precise, especially spinning the last 2 bales and I don't think you'd have the visibility and touch with the tractor and I think it would get frustrating after a short while. A simple trailed accumulator is the way to go, I think
It's not so much the money issues as we've sent it out to be repaired before. But the repair shop gets overbooked with others needing help too that sometimes it's hard to get it in and back in time for next cut . . .
Sue, is baleing like child birth?......really painful at the time, but once its over it didn't seem so bad? You seem to have come to terms with the issues that were encountered.
I have never seen Dennis do square bales so no comment but when it comes to time, fast guys on the ground and two on the truck will keep your truck moving.... not what you want?? well then the square baler sounds good but the real cost is how many pieces of equipment to make run smooth and then will the cost be gone in say three years or less and what is the hay market next year... can you still make money on hay if everyone has a bumper crop. Its just because of supply and demand. If doing for ones self it would never really pay but the liniment sales would drop and dancing with your partner might just happen if your knuckles are not dragging the ground. I was a big guy and considered two men on a truck cause of tossing bales ten high and right into place making the stacking fast. I couldn't hold a glass or cup in either hand as they just crumble in my fingers. I ate enough food for two men and then they would work me till I fell down and couldn't move any more after two or three rests in ten hours. I used to fill a barn to the rafters every year by myself. I can't put my own pants on now at seventy three or even stand up straight so it really really wasn't worth it to me. I was a full time mechanic by my forties so damage done and too late to change me much except stopping doing the hay left me so stove up
I don't think that's a good system. We used hay racks behind the bailer . You have good ground for that. Works better than any other way . I saw something on your last video that I thought you should change. Always put hay on an elevator on edge. Because I have seen the paddles cut the twine when laying flat . Fyi 😊💝👍🌎🌞
It’s not complicated, the bales have to be a smidge longer than twice the width of the bales. Otherwise when you stack them, the two cross bales will be longer than the stack or flat ten.
I have always stacked flat here in KY. The only reason to stack on edge is to try save damp bales from molding. U can stack slightly damp hay on edge kind of loosely and get the to finish drying without molding sometimes.
From my observations your bale length and density were not ideal for mechanical handling. A 36" 60# bale works well. A EURO to Skid steer adapter will save you money as the loader implements typically cost $150 to $250 less each
Susann, I have an experiment for you. Drive down town and find some panhandlers and tell them you want to hire them for the day to unload hay. Tell them you will pay them fifteen dollars an hour. I bet I know what their answer to you will be!! That's why I don't ever donate to them.
Hdere in MI most pan handlers are NOT homeless. They are ctaually scammers and some very wealthy. We've seen them get swapped around in cars passing off their sign to the next guy. When my Dad worked in Lansing he saw one get up at the end of the day and walk down to his mercedes SUV and drive off, lol
I don't have to handle my small bales. The people I sell it to come pick it up. If you mention BEER you would be surprised how much help will show up. Lol.
Actually, this one is specifically designed for smaller farms. Their ad states you can collect and stack hundreds of bales in a day... not thousands of bales a day. We collected just shy of 1,000.
Some of the bales toward the end of making a 10 bale pallet have had those hooks punch them 8 to 10 times. EVERY time you pick up the next bale. You are mutilating the previous bales! With a REAL accumulator, the bales only get punched by the hooks ONCE. BUT, you guys know this. Like that politician once said, "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig." You bought a RED "pig" in a poke. If that's an accumulator, so is my pu truck....as long as someone places each individual bale into it.😝
I have the new holland 1003 stack wagon. Bought it 3 years ago. Love it. Never minded riding the wagon and stacking myself but now doing hay alone so it makes sense. Back in the barn and it puts stack right where you want it
Hay Farm Girl 👧 that’s hard work. I baled hay and straw for a couple of farms back in high school. Never needed fancy equipment. The baler spit out the bales and us kids stacked them on wagons. We didn’t know any better 👍
Great video and review. I am a small farmer who cuts about 10acres of hay. I ran into the same issue with finding no help. I built my own unit for picking up hay that requires no hydraulics and attaches to the tractor bucket. Works well but isn't perfect. We have not picked up our small squares by hand since I built it last season. So I consider it a success. I have another design I will be building in the near future but will require 3rd function remote hydrulics. Sometimes as small farmers were better off building what suites our needs than trying to afford equipment our operations funds can't support
Very well done! Did you weld something up similar to the grapple accumulator?
@@This1LifeWeLive
Yes welded up out square tubing and angle iron. It's not like the accumgrapple. I put it on my small 30hp compact since its shuttle shift. Makes things a lot faster. Designed for that little tractor in mind and this one holds 4 bales at a time. If you want I can email a few photos showing it in use. The next unit I am building is more similar to the accumgrapple but won't hold the bales like your unit does. But again it will need those 3rd function hydrulics.
We have had a maxolator for over 5 years. Absolutely love it but bales should be 36 inches not 39. I have also learned that you need to be very consistent with your bales witch means you need to feed the baler even all the time. I have switched the tractor I use on the baler to a ivt trans to be able to be able to feed better.
In rebaling consistant feed is imperative......being as we bale exactly how it comes off the rool...... no fluffing, because it creates too many fines......Plus the Massey stroke rate is higher than most side draw balers.....The optimum bale length for a Baron is 34 inches....
I figured her bales were long
We use farmhand for both but they stop make them. It nice drop eight bales in one spot and pick up eight at a time .we got your from a farm sale makes handlings bales a dream
Our first year grapple accumulator system was pretty simple... the Farmall “C” was in first gear and set at idle... my 7 yr old brother would drive the straightaways... I (being big brother at 14) jumped up and helped him corner. My 9 yr old brother drug bales to the loading path. I gathered bales and tossed them onto the farm wagon. My dad stacked them there.
My mom and sisters were in charge of iced tea and peanut butter sandwiches.
When we got to the barn, I tossed them onto a platform, then climbed up and tossed them into the loft. My dad stacked them in the loft.
While we were doing this, little brothers rested in the shade and guarded the peanut butter sandwiches from the farm dog and the geese... it worked pretty well except... when my little brothers guarded the sandwiches by eating them...
The going rate at that time (1967) was $0.10 per bale for a hay crew using their own equipment. (Each crew hand received $0.015 for grass and $0.02 per bale for alfalfa.) Because the bread was homemade, the peanut butter was government commodities and gas was $0.21 per gallon... you might say we grappled and accumulated the hay darn near cheap!!!
Wouldn’t trade the experience for anything... wouldn’t repeat it now for anyone!!
Your to old to do it again........1967 who remembers that.
@@bevisbellair5002 I do.
Bevis Bellair LOL... that was two years before the real Summer of Love... arguably one of the most transformative years in history... it is worth a Google!
Had the same thing in 76, I think Dad called it the heftum, once you heftum on the wagon you heftum into the mow.
@@robertlivingston1634 LOL… I like it!
I'm getting ready to make one of these. I will keep in mind to make in extra adjustments and I'll go a little longer. Thanks for the information.
Thank you for this video. It’s exactly what I needed to see before I decide to purchase a unit like this.
I run a skid steer quick attach on my front end loader on my tractor I love it I can switch from forks to my bucket I also have the skid steer auger attachment on the front I ran my own hydraulic lines it cost me less than $300 to put in a new bow and the hydraulic lines so I can operate everything on the front end
If you do add a grapple on your bucket loader, you could add some long hydraulic lines from your rear outlets.Being low budget i think any shop with hydraulic supplies could custom length and some fittings and quick connectors could route up rh loader arm.
agreed. We've done a few for custom equipment too. Our disk/harrow set-up needed extra long lines so we made some for that. Wasn't too pricey . . .
As you said, I think when you get it figured out it will be an asset. On a side note, a lot of tractor loaders do use the skidsteer style quick attach system. I know my M4 does, and it sure is convenient to be able to put any skidsteer attachment on the tractor!
One other thing I'd like to add,Throttle back on the skid steer and it will help operator sooth things out a bit when your doing close work.
That Kuhn grapple is $3950 here in central Iowa. The AF10 Kuhn accumulator is $12950. I really like this system. An inline baler makes a more consistent bale also and doesn't banana them.
I would love a massey baler
As with any operation,ask yourself do we have enough work to justify the cost, secondly the baler has adjustments to make good bales in most crops ( eg. If the bales are lopsided adjusting the feed mechanism) . Banana bales may be too much vertical pressure,in order to make a good bale side resisters may have to be added,and of course consistent feeding is a must, most balers came from the factory equipped to do the job.
Admittedly we had two tractors but up until we moved to round bales we used a flat 8 grab though admittedly you could only pick up length ways otherwise it had a habit of breaking strings which was brought second hand for about the same as we sold it £200 twenty years later and a flat 8 accumulator again brought for about £200. To begin with my dad used a couple of flatbed trailers but the brought a trailer where we would stack the hay in blocks 6 high and straw 7 high in the field while it was being baled which we could catch up with then the baler would come off and the trailer go on which you would tip up, open the sides up back into the block, squeeze the sides in and tip it back up with the hay in it. With that it allowed us with two people to clear a field pretty quickly but then we had all the empty sheep sheds in the summer that if it looked like it may rain we could drop a couple of 1000 bales into which we could then stack properly later on.
I have watched the Maxilator videos as well. I have a skid loader, so that would be no prob. But my 575 NH baler has a thrower on it, and I am loath to give that up. The thing is, if I am baling into the throw wagons, when finished I can back them into the shed and they are under cover. If I am baling onto the ground, I then have to go back and load them onto a trailer and unload them into a shed. Here in Wisconsin, I am always baling trying to beat the rain, so I am not sure this system would help that much. I don't see the Accumagrapple working with a tractor loader at all, and you need to be at one with the skid loader to really make this work. Obviously you need to size the bales so that they match the grapple, that is a no brainer. I am pondering buying an older big square baler.
Suzanne I agree with you on the learning how to use the equipment.
Thanks for the input.. But you have to way in the facts buy the equipment, hiring people to stack the hay on the wagon,and unloading it at the barn and stacking, fuel and
maintenance costs.. What happens if that person gets injured on your property working for you during the haying operation? Thanks for you vlog
I’m late to the party but if you shorten your bales up to about 36 inches it will work perfect. I used to make 39 and 40 inch bales before I started using the Kuhns system but it just doesn’t work, they like 36 inch bales. The baler is easy to adjust. You won’t get 36 every time, but shoot for that as an average.
A couple more things to think about is bale density and consistency they need to be packed tight a 36 inch bale of dry hay should be pushing 60 pounds if it’s high moisture and you use preservative like I do at times they can get up to 70 pounds. To get consistent bales you have to feed hay very consistently which means consistent windrows from a good rake that doesn’t make “wads” of hay, rollabars do ok, rotary works best, wheel rakes are terrible for square baling unless it’s a high end one. Also ground speed is very important try to get 12 to 14 strokes of the plunger between each tie cycle if your getting under 12 you need to slow down if your getting over 14 that’s ok but you can speed up to increase production. If you go to fast you will get terrible shapes, loose bales, banana bales, inconsistent bales etc. I have several older videos like almost when I first started TH-cam of how to stack the 10 bale packs there is an art to it it takes time and experience to get good at it. One more thing when the bales are tight you need good twine I use plastic with 170 knot strength and it holds up way better than sisal. Using mechanical equipment is very different than doing things by hand, but once you learn it you can actually make better more consistent more desirable bales as long as the hay itself is good quality.
What we found out is our bale size adjuster was worn out and kept "slipping", so each time I set it, it would re-set itself :( But yes, after talking to a few other guys they DO need to be extra light and 36" (despite the users manual stating 42"). We are looking at getting a pull-behind accumulator, maybe the Farmhand one. Cheaper to buy used, and no back pressure on the bales. I'll tell Erik you stopped by, you are probably the main farming channel he watches (he prefers car channels overall)
Thanks for a fair and unbiased review. The best part is when we discovered the specifications on the literature were wrong.WHOOPS They should be 97.3 inches front to back and 83 inches side to side. Maybe you’d like to be on our podcast too? We like your channel.
You’re getting real educated on farm and implantations of farming 👩🏼🌾
I just talked to a friend that uses this accumulator and he takes all the bars out of the side and center. Might try leaving them in to gather the bales up then take them out for stacking.
thats what we did
Maxilator/Accumulator...I feel like I'm watching Phineas and Ferb. LOL Keep up the good work.
I like the comment on useing the bale baskets tp get the hay to the barn then hand stacking a small
Group in pile.
Then useing the grapple to stack in the barn.
Thats smart thinking!!!
You sure you dont want to manage my hay operation???
We are looking at a similar system by WR Long. Thanks for the pointers and experiance. Also, check out WR Long for adding a third function to the FEL.
My WR Long is 93 inches long which is longer than hers. I have found it is important to have tight bales.
Did you go ahead and purchase the WR Long
Would it be possible to add another row of hooks to the end? Making up for the extended bail ends? I just love watching how you two keep working together so well.
As others have said, watch DLH Farms. Dennis has the operation down so no wasted motion. Very efficient.
yep I watch his stuff. He also has alot of money to buy all brand new equipment. I think his kabota hay rake was $30 thousand.
Rural Ridez616 you’re right, the Kubota RA2072 is at that 30k price point.
@@mrdfarms9373 I actually got that rake brand new 5 years ago for $21,000 with 0 percent financing for 5 years. Just paid it off last month haha. Didn’t see the point in paying off early with 0 percent, payments where only like $360 a month. Not sure what they cost now.
@@DLHFarms Nice Dennis, your video’s are helping some folks out there struggling in their hay or firewood operations.
It’s always a good deal with the 0% financing if you can afford the monthly payment and the cpa advised to buy some equipment 👍
I'm assuming that you're currently the owner of that Maxilator. Maybe, maybe, you could move that front row of grapple hooks forward so they can get a better grip on those front bales that are sticking out. Maybe you could put a couple of longer grapple hooks on that front grapple setup so you'd get some extra grip on the last two cross bales. Just a thought!
Tubeline make a good looking accumulator and for anybody getting banana bales ,it's probably something to do with your feeder arm either not pushing hay far enough into bale chamber or pushing it to far. Depends which way bales are bending
yup thats the one im looking at the tubeline 10+2 scott from north texas hay had one. he said his buddy had the kuhns and if you get a broken bale in the kuhns its a real pain to clean out.
@@ruralridez6165 have you any idea what price they are In the states. In UK it's £4000 for accumulator and £2000 for bale grab or it was last year when I priced it
@@jamesmuir3810 around $16000 us dollars for a complete 10 bale system.
Wonder how much is the 10 bale setup?
A Hesston type inline baler would help this operation. Not very good consistent bales.
I felt from the start that some accumulator system would work, still do, I don't get maxilator 's math either, I've picked up and stacked thousands of bales, if I were doing it today, I'd be using that, or a Kuhn accumulator, chronicles of a farm wife uses one like Dennis at DLH, North Texas hay had an accumulator that dragged bales on the ground behind the baler, you can still find his videos too, I think you're on the right track though
I would think Erik could come up with something better. In suprised some company hasn't.
In the warehouse I worked in besides regular hilo we had slip machines which had wide thin forks and would grab a stack of whatever ( bleach was popular ) which was set on a cardboard sheet, pull it onto the forks and we would push it off onto a pallet. We also had squeeze machines which would compress a stack of freight and again drop it onto a pallet. All well and good in a warehouse. That said I would think a piece of equipment that was similar to the adjustable squeeze along with hooks could be made at a lower cost for smaller farms. Good luck with whichever way you guys take now you've seen the issues.
Take care!
This is exactly why I watched this thx gr8 info now ill buy the right size
i put lines back to the front, $450 for all the fittings and hoses. on both the kabota and massey.
Suzanne - I bought the lowest cost Kuhns Mfg accumulator and grapple for less than $8,000. I went with the 4 and 8 as lowest cost. I have a Kubota L6060 with 3rd function. It works very well although like with your carts a missed bale is a pain. Your Maxilator specifies 39" bale so when put with 2 18" bales - 36" - makes no sense. Also it says 40# grass bales. I make much more dense grass hay bales, around 50 to 60 pounds. People commented on your loose bales and they would need to be really loose to make a 40# bale. If I were to do it again, however, I would get the larger accumulator but we too are on a budget. However watching Eric fight that Maxilator - it was painful - he was not his usual cheerful self.
My aging NH 1012 Stack wagon is much better suited to picking up and delivering square bales. Bale baskets hide the broken or mis-tied bales and accumulators required additional tractors or skid steers. Mine has self unload 1 bale at a time right onto an elevator or onto a customers trailer and truck. Only change is a 1/2 turn bale chute on the baler you can make out of wood or an old bale chute.
Next time when you are baling, try to load without the two last bales. They will fall of the wagon anyway. If you want to load 10 bales, look if it's possible if you can move your sidebales to the middle. That way they are locked up between the other bales. The system has to work. I've seen several other promotion video's and they seem to work very well. Mind you all they are using is straw and those bales load better.
For those who produce small Quanities of small squares it is pretty economical system.....We push to get our hay off the field and under cover..... 4x5 rounds fits our system of baling tronsporting storing and works with our conversion process ...... Expensive but cost effective......Being as we Market small squares to feed and Ag outlet stores They are freshly baled and loaded....giving each bale that fresh out the "Oven" appearance.......
It works if you have two people who can do hay at the same time, and one is VERY skilled at using the accumulator. It took Erik 3 years to do a full run with minimal swearing and fury. But he works a full time job so that leaves us with exactly 2 hrs to get hay collected and off the field. It's not enough time. We are looking instead at an 8 bale accumulator, it will also allow us to load up trailers as it will fit perfectly.
My Son,
Check out the Kuhn 4 bale grapple and add an 8 bale grapple. It works well on my farm, I make about 4000 bales a year. Works great for a one man show.
Boy have times changed. I'm 72 years old. As a teenager, I literally worked hundreds of hours baling hay. Either riding a hay rack behind the baler or stacking bales in a haymow. How much did it pay? $1.00 an hour. My town only had about 7,000 people. Farmers would put up a notice on the bulletin board in the barber shop that they would need help on given days. It didn't take long to earn a reputation as to what kind of worker you were. When you established a good reputation, you had more work than you could possibly do. In 1965, I bought a Remington 1100 vent rib shotgun with part of my hay baling money. I ordered it through the JC Penny's catalog. I had to have a parent with me when I picked it up. Oh, how much? $160.00. I remember my younger sister being jealous of the money I could make. She made $.25 an hour baby sitting and $.35 an hour setting up trays at the A&W Rootbeer stand. Baling hay a teenager was expected to work as a grown man and you did if you wanted to work. One day of screwing off and no more work. I wonder, if you could find that kind of teenager today and if you did, how much an hour it would take to keep them working? One yard I mowed for $.50 when I was 12 years old (my mower and gas), costs the current owner $25.00 to be mowed by a teenager today and the owner provides the mower and gas. Yes, lots of things are better today, but, lots of things are not.
Never seen a Maxilator, but the grapples around here seem to work pretty good.
get a used stackliner and a grapple both can be found used for less than 2k each
you said your neighbor likes to weld. have him build a adapter to mount it on the tractor. Yeah you cam plumb extrea hydraulics to the front of your tractor or just have extra long hoses made to run to the back hydraulics. still kinda expensive but lower cost than the hard lines. lots of loaders installed that way. Then you just get some ziplock bags to keep the ends clean while you use the tractor for something you need rear hydraulics . Around here cheap electrical tape rolls and cheap zip ties are the fasten all remedy to keep loose stuff from getting in the way of important stuff or from jumping off and making an escape like your missing PTO shaft from years past. also baling twine from used bales makes a nifty loose stuff tye-er upper
I think we just need a smaller tractor with skid styel hook up.
Great information. Its really nice to understand what I see as ride by on the e bike.
Grapple and accumulator are expensive. How much is your time worth stacking, unstacking, and loading for delivery?
So what if you keep doing what you are doing for bales in a smaller quantity and get a round baler for the larger amount? Then keep round bales outside under a tarp. Then you can have some block bales for those customers yet.
I recommend the Kuhns 1036F accumulator & model 510F grabber
Steffen 5508 with standard high lift allows me to go 11 layers high with a Kubota svl 90-2. More money up front but a better result.
How do you keep the stacks from falling over? This year all of Erik's stacking jobs seem to fall over even at just 4 tall . . . He is doing the 20 bale and rotating the stack, but doesn't seem to help
@@This1LifeWeLive practice makes perfect. The steffen accumulator and grapple are designed to keep the groups of bales tight more than any other company I've seen. For example the grapple hooks grab the hay from opposite sides.. That might be a factor. We also have our bale weight up to 50 pounds or so which is much heavier than when we were doing them by hand.
Have you tried putting the 2 cross bales First then the remaining 8?
the system doesnt work that way
Hey WT Farm Girl!👋 Thanks 4 the lesson! 😆❤👍
So are you going to keep it or return it?
Great info wtfg. Wondering if a good fabricator could add a ft.to maxolator and woulda worked for ur operation. Did u get baler fine tuned up. Felt ur pain when i seen that baler malfunction.
Great video from you,learn something new today.
So, why can't you change the way you put the bales in? Put the 2 bales lengthwise first and then the 2 rows of 3 after that. The bales sticking out the end will then get hooked somewhere in the middle of the bales. The only problem is would the hooks go into the first 2 bales?
There are dividers that keep the bales in the correct orientation. All the dividers are removable for using as just a grapple.
Thanks for this review.
If you want one, you can find used ones everywhere as most people buy them then regret it . . . they are a good idea for a small, retired farmer who has alllll day. But this has slowed us waaaay down. We got 150 bales off the field in 3 hours . . . that's collected, stcked on wagon, then stacked in barn. And the stacks this year keep collapseing . . .
Get the Kuhns and never look back we did this year and will never use the other again well worth the money
Thanks, good informing video.
When I was a younger kids one of my friends had a hay cuber, I don't know if that is still used, was different
Central California watching
I have heard of those!
Sounds like you are glad you have finished Fonzie season.... Heeeyy !!
I have a question for you you guys ever do bailon round bales you guys should try it will be good for the horses to the size square bales try to use it the round bales to PG or cows or cattle or whatever you have at the 🏡 try to get back to me check it out try it one time he was a brown Baylor and build your own bills up with the hay
I'm surprised an accumulator is so expensive. Less complicated than the grapple machine. But for efficiency I don't think the Maxilator could ever be as good running around chasing bales rather than having them all blocked up and ready to pick up as a unit.
i think the trick you need to do is dont put last 2 bails on and think it would good to do , love the video
I really want to give it a try with 36in bales packed a bit tighter
@@ruralridez6165 that should work for you
I built my own accumulater grapple and I believe that the dimensions are similar to what you have. I think that I went a little over 80 in wide and 84 in long. It handles 36 in bales pretty well.
By the way, a skid steer is the way to go in my opinion for clearing the field. Much better visibility. I would use a tractor with it in grapple mode for unloading and stacking if I had that option.
i think i would have Eric Fabricate a hay shoot like on the bail carts on the front of the hay wagon then hook it up behind the bailer and have someone stacking the hay then use the grappler to unload the wagon
Suzanne and I are trying to make this a one or two person operation. I had a bad case of tennis elbow and stacking hay did not help it at all.
I love you too you all doing a wonderful job you all are blessed think Jesus Christ everyday you have what it takes to make it
That was a good review Suzanne!
Have you looked at New Holland bale collector wagons ? Like a 1033 they hold 56 bales, should be abel to find one for less than $5000 no extra people needed that way
We actually saw one for the first time at New Holland a few months ago. Pretty cool systems but too big for our barn and smaller loading/unloading area :(
Interesting.... but summer time.... surely your tractor needs washed?
I know nothing about it. How do you decide whether to square bale or large round bales? Is it upfront cost of equipment?
Actually round balers are much cheaper! For us it's storage and customer. We don't have much ground space to store rounds indoors, and horse customers usually don't have equipment for rounds. I prefer squares for my own horses as well :)
@@This1LifeWeLive that's makes sense. I was wondering about it when I was walking my daughter's 20 acres and passed all the round bales. When I was a kid I only remember seeing square bales
We just started harvesting corn yesterday
Just in time for some double cropping.
What if you put the 2 sideways bales in first? Just a thought.
It won't work that way
There are 4 separate chutes with dividers between them 2 of the dividers are shorter to accommodate the 2 turned bales
To me, the best way to make this accumulater grapple work is to shorten the bales so that the last 2 don't hang out so far. Or to modify the machine to lengthen the reach needed to get good hold of the 2 last bales
Since hay farming is not something I have ever worked with, I have to go with the examples you gave. For myself, I would tell them that it was incomplete without the tractor attachment as part of the equipment. Secondly, I would send the failure to hold and stack videos to them. Then politely ask them to come and get the unit, as well as bring your full amount refund check.
Hi ! Invest in a bobcat now those are fun!☺✌✌👍👍
I kinda like the smaller kabota articulating loader
@@ruralridez6165 I believe that might work very nicely. It should be easier to maneuver with out tearing up the field.
I have to remind my buddy when he helps get the field cleared, to make wide turns . He's got a habit of spinning in place and tearing up the field
I would just weld another row of hooks on front of Accumulator so when it rolls over it will grab the front of the bell won’t fall off the front that’s what I would do
Don't think the tractor would be best suited to the accumulation part of this operation. You need to be very precise, especially spinning the last 2 bales and I don't think you'd have the visibility and touch with the tractor and I think it would get frustrating after a short while. A simple trailed accumulator is the way to go, I think
Definitely check out DLH farms
Dennis has nice equipment for doing hay fast and efficient. I would be perfect for you guys👍
Thanks 👍
@@DLHFarms
No problem Dennis
Why not put a thrower on the baler and throw into a hay wagon? I used to fit 170 bales on a wagon.. it was really full
I was thinking the same thing, I usually only get 160 bales in the wagon, and we got 4 thrower wagons for less than 3000 for all 4
170 bales one wagon load is close to over DOT weight regulations.
@@bevisbellair5002 that's why the wagon never left private property. Was not on a public road.
Its works great,
Sounds like you need to spend a little money on fixing the baler. Very interesting video
It's not so much the money issues as we've sent it out to be repaired before. But the repair shop gets overbooked with others needing help too that sometimes it's hard to get it in and back in time for next cut . . .
@@This1LifeWeLive But if fixing in the off season it's ready for the following season. You have an interesting delima.
Sue, is baleing like child birth?......really painful at the time, but once its over it didn't seem so bad? You seem to have come to terms with the issues that were encountered.
I have never seen Dennis do square bales so no comment but when it comes to time, fast guys on the ground and two on the truck will keep your truck moving.... not what you want?? well then the square baler sounds good but the real cost is how many pieces of equipment to make run smooth and then will the cost be gone in say three years or less and what is the hay market next year... can you still make money on hay if everyone has a bumper crop. Its just because of supply and demand. If doing for ones self it would never really pay but the liniment sales would drop and dancing with your partner might just happen if your knuckles are not dragging the ground. I was a big guy and considered two men on a truck cause of tossing bales ten high and right into place making the stacking fast. I couldn't hold a glass or cup in either hand as they just crumble in my fingers. I ate enough food for two men and then they would work me till I fell down and couldn't move any more after two or three rests in ten hours. I used to fill a barn to the rafters every year by myself. I can't put my own pants on now at seventy three or even stand up straight so it really really wasn't worth it to me. I was a full time mechanic by my forties so damage done and too late to change me much except stopping doing the hay left me so stove up
I don't think that's a good system.
We used hay racks behind the bailer . You have good ground for that. Works better than any other way .
I saw something on your last video that I thought you should change.
Always put hay on an elevator on edge. Because I have seen the paddles cut the twine when laying flat . Fyi 😊💝👍🌎🌞
What is the sledge like that goes on the baler for that exitment
Where is the product made? What a disappointment 🙁
Love your videos!
We have a agway accumulator and a grapple.
Going to have to buy a skid steer now
If she buys a skidloader, she should buy the accumulator too. U only live once.
@@bevisbellair5002 Yes then sell the hay for 10$ a bale.
It’s not complicated, the bales have to be a smidge longer than twice the width of the bales. Otherwise when you stack them, the two cross bales will be longer than the stack or flat ten.
That wasn't our problem though. The problem was getting thrm to fit into the grapple. Once stacked they could be any odd length and be fine.
Stacking the bales flat I see. That's a no no , needs to be on edge to store in the barn. How can we get that cured?
Most out here flat stack... I would want to visit a barn with edge stacked before I committed to doing it ;D
I have always stacked flat here in KY. The only reason to stack on edge is to try save damp bales from molding. U can stack slightly damp hay on edge kind of loosely and get the to finish drying without molding sometimes.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooope! I'm happy with my automatic bale wagon. Thanks anyhow nice sales lady! ;v) :vD
I'd take that extra 10 grand and see if there was more land that you could purchase or rent.
Renting yes, buying no. Land sells for $6,000 an acre out here
From my observations your bale length and density were not ideal for mechanical handling. A 36" 60# bale works well. A EURO to Skid steer adapter will save you money as the loader implements typically cost $150 to $250 less each
The next implement I would purchase is a new baler if I were your then possibly a smaller tractor
Susann, I have an experiment for you. Drive down town and find some panhandlers and tell them you want to hire them for the day to unload hay. Tell them you will pay them fifteen dollars an hour. I bet I know what their answer to you will be!! That's why I don't ever donate to them.
Hdere in MI most pan handlers are NOT homeless. They are ctaually scammers and some very wealthy. We've seen them get swapped around in cars passing off their sign to the next guy. When my Dad worked in Lansing he saw one get up at the end of the day and walk down to his mercedes SUV and drive off, lol
@@This1LifeWeLive my point exactly
I don't have to handle my small bales. The people I sell it to come pick it up. If you mention BEER you would be surprised how much help will show up. Lol.
My favorite is way to expensive for you and for me too. That's the New Holland automatic stack wagon. You just asked what my favorite was
Really can’t justify these systems with the small number of bales you make in a season
Actually, this one is specifically designed for smaller farms. Their ad states you can collect and stack hundreds of bales in a day... not thousands of bales a day. We collected just shy of 1,000.
Only have the right side guide not the middle they do work even if not that manufacturer.
Some of the bales toward the end of making a 10 bale pallet have had those hooks punch them 8 to 10 times. EVERY time you pick up the next bale. You are mutilating the previous bales! With a REAL accumulator, the bales only get punched by the hooks ONCE. BUT, you guys know this.
Like that politician once said, "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig." You bought a RED "pig" in a poke.
If that's an accumulator, so is my pu truck....as long as someone places each individual bale into it.😝
DLH farm uses accumulators
Yep I use Kuhns
If you make your bales 36 inches u will not have a problem I have a maxulator and a khuns
Maxilator......sounds all pervy......where can I get one of those 😂
get your bales the right size and tight. he needs more practice and patience
Did u guys get a bobcat
No just rented one