How to move a Round Bale without a tractor?
 

I can't justify buying a tractor right now, but because of the cost of hay and the need to feed all the critters in the pastures, I was looking at round bales instead of square bales (going through 4-5 square bales a week in one pasture alone).

Is the a person powered round bale mover available?

Or even a Pick Up mounted device that doesn't cost almost as much as a used tractor?

Big long hefty chain and a really tough oak tree. I recommend loading the round bale on a trailer as you could conceivable remove the bed of your truck this way. Make sure the chain is absolutely well secured and don't have any bystanders near.

We had the bale spike mounted in the bed of our old pickup. WE mounted an electric wench in the front of the pickup to operate the bale spike. It worked well for several years. When we finally got a tractor we removed the spike from the pickup and still use it on the tractor. The wench is still in the pickup, but I doubt it is any good. Watch Craigs list and you can pick up the parts cheap. Buslady

We use a hay spike mounted on an old "farm use only" F350, with a winch to raise and lower. Can also use a come-along instead of a winch to keep the cost down. Have also seen some cleverly made hay spikes on trailer axles that could be pulled with a riding mower, atv, etc.

ETA: Haha, Buslady, great minds think alike! We used the same contraption and posted it at the same time.

I buy 3 at a time and cover them with tarps. I set them in locations I can move the fence to keep the critters away from all but one. it seems to be working fine so far

They have different and more expensive models but this manual one looks like it would work. You could build one like this.

http://www.hayspear.com/c=Cb2BCV9Izq...and-winch.html

We use a tumblebug hay dolly and pull it with the pickup. I have even used one with an older car to move hay. Around here they are listed used on craigs list for very little to almost new price!

Back in Michigan, I had an old farm truck I used to haul hay in. It would hold 2 round bales with the tailgate down. I'd back up to a gap in the fence and let the cows eat right out of the truck bed. Redneck, yes I am. :)

We've been doing it without a tractor for 2 years now, even though we have an Allis tractor. We go to get our Brome bales, and put one in our truck and two on our car-hauler trailer. We back the trailer up to a spot where we want the bales and just roll it off by hand. Easy cheezy. just make sure you buy from someone who treats their hay nice or you'll get bales with flat bottoms and that is not any fun!

A manual round bale mover? Not a pitch fork eh? :)

You can pull them with a super heavy duty strap, put low arround on the bottom of the bale.

Yes they make a round bale mover for pickups or anything with a hitch. Usually they are designed to back up under the bale then pulling forward will load it..

http://www.americanlisted.com/georgi..._11927750.html

Depending on the circumstances you can drag them with a pickup and chain.. A chain wrapped horizonally will usually stay on while pulling. Sometimes the bale will roll and the chain will fall off. When improvising you'll find a way. If the ground has a little incline you can sometimes even push one a little ways. Two people can push a bale fairly easy.
I also accidently discovered a better way to feed round bales. I had a bale roll down a large hill and unroll itself. The cows cleaned up every straw! Makes maybe a hundred foot line of hay. Much better than the muddy mess and waste that results when using a ring.

Use a heavy sheet of plywood and pull it like a sled. Roll the bale on by hand or push it on with the truck bumper. Put a block under both sides to keep it from rolling off. Hitch to one end with a chain and drive away slowly.

Thanks, y'all. You've given me a lot of ideas, so keep'em coming.

Yep, these actually work quite nice and you can even move hay out on hiway with it. Nice if you buy hay out of some field where tractor isnt available to load it onto your truck or trailer. Slower than a spear, but very safe. Even small pickup or jeep can safely handle bale hay using this. Or tractor that is too small/old to use a spear.

I watched 5 guys roll a round bale across the yard and down to the pasture last spring. I do not reccommend this method, as I am pretty sure all 5 of them pulled something.

I roll mine. By hand. Every time. Usually myself, my 19 year old daughter and my 13 year old son. These are 1000-1200 lb round bales.

Friend of mine did it this way for years. She used a tow chain, instead, though.

Love this! :cowboy:

It worked great until my white cow discovered that when the hay was almost gone, she could climb up in the truck bed, then jump over the side and be OUTSIDE the fence!

I couldn't figure out how she kept getting out ... until I watched her from the window one day. :eek:
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i3...ein/want-2.jpg

I thought of just rolling but with my luck (Murphy keeps moving into the guest room) it would fall over and then I'd have to find a bunch of people to lift back up.

Thanks for all the ideas.

Lot of guys around here have small diesel tractors(think 20-25hp) - mainly for economy. They use these to keep from over-burdening and tearing up their tractors.

there is a small trailer that has forks and a winch on it that makes it possible for most any type of unit to move round bales,

links to either pictures or links,

http://www.lgportables.com/HAY%20BUGGY.jpg

http://snuopyee90.blog.com/2011/11/2...ay-bale-mover/

http://showcase.netins.net/web/dearb..._equipment.htm

http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/...ale_Mover.html

The way do it is the kids rolling, me pushing on the end to maneuver it and me holding it up if it starts tipping to one side- which typically only happens to older bales kept outside. Never had one flip over when we were rolling it but whenever we've needed to flip one it's either myself or myself and my daughter that flip it.

I used a skid made from 4" by 6" wooden runners.I made a large hook from some ready rod.Connect a 20' cable to the hook.I would sink the hook into the bale and pull it with the pickup to roll it onto the skid.I would then pull the skid to my location with the pickup and roll it off.Worked for a few years just fine.

My adult DD has a "Survivor Party" every year.
One year one of the challenges was a 'round bale' race.

Two huge round bales were rolled from point A to B.

She has great FUN parties!
Each year with a different theme.

However, a couple years back, there was an occurence of a dislocated shoulder~~~
:run:

Yep, same here. It's a tough job, but it sure beats moving square bales around!

If they are tight I roll mine by hand by myself. They weigh around 1,000 lbs. My area is pretty flat.

Sure does! Also knowing that if you're late to the barn, nobody's starving.

used to use a car hood
 

i use to use a car hood,,,i hooked to the hood and around the roll,,,of course my dad,always had car hoods under the barn windows,,,,we filled with cow dung pulled to the garden,,then hooked bawkwards with a fence post under chain and they dumped..........