Cashel Bale Stacker

270WIN

Has anyone used one of these? Seem very handy for a lad that does not have a loader. I've about 150 bales to do every year and im taking up a big square of ground to store em.

adne

270WIN wrote: »

Has anyone used one of these? Seem very handy for a lad that does not have a loader. I've about 150 bales to do every year and im taking up a big square of ground to store em.

Have one the last 5 years. Very handy. Can stack the 8x4x4 big straws too 3 high with it.

I'm just about to buy a tractor with loader so mine is going for sale if you interested

hopeso

270WIN wrote: »

Has anyone used one of these? Seem very handy for a lad that does not have a loader. I've about 150 bales to do every year and im taking up a big square of ground to store em.

Is that the one with the paddles, or duck feet, I think they call them? For stacking bales with one of them, the handiest way is to tip the bottom bale up on it's end, and then leave the second bale on top, the way it sits on the ground out of the baler. I'd say one should be grand for the amount of bales you have.... A hydraulic top link would be almost essential....

270WIN

Im wondering if they would tear the plastic wrap when putting up the top bale?..im still unsure if a loader would be a better bet all round for me.

hopeso

270WIN wrote: »

Im wondering if they would tear the plastic wrap when putting up the top bale?..im still unsure if a loader would be a better bet all round for me.

They shouldn't tear it, using the method I suggested above.... Stacking both bales on their sides (the way they land from the baler) would be very difficult, if not impossible, without tearing the wrap......

hopeso

270WIN wrote: »

Im wondering if they would tear the plastic wrap when putting up the top bale?..im still unsure if a loader would be a better bet all round for me.

A loader, with a hydraulic handler, such as a McHale would certainly be a better bet, but very expensive for the amount of bales you're stacking. The loader would need a fairly heavy tractor too......

270WIN

Any idea what these stackers cost new?

9935452

hopeso wrote: »

270WIN wrote: »

Im wondering if they would tear the plastic wrap when putting up the top bale?..im still unsure if a loader would be a better bet all round for me.

They shouldn't tear it, using the method I suggested above.... Stacking both bales on their sides (the way they land from the baler) would be very difficult, if not impossible, without tearing the wrap......

Its not difficult at all.
There is a trick to it.
You basically drop one bale nearly on top of the other .
When you pull out it then rolls into place.
We had one for years and never damaged bales

9935452

270WIN wrote: »

Any idea what these stackers cost new?

Around the 1200 mark a few years ago.
You will need a hydraulic top link too so budget for that.

If you mount a trip bale handler to it you can use it to put bales into a round feeder

hopeso

270WIN wrote: »

Im wondering if they would tear the plastic wrap when putting up the top bale?..im still unsure if a loader would be a better bet all round for me.

Another option, which is half way between a front loader and the cashel stacker is to mount a McHale hydraulic bale handler onto a sheargrab mast. That's what I'm using here. You'd need the high lift mast to get enough height to be able to drop the top bale into place when you spread the arms... It does add a bit of weight though, especially as the bale is a good bit further back from the tractor....

TooOldBoots

Stay away from them, they are next to useless
You need a perfectly flat place to stack them, the Bale must be 100% round and rock solid.
The Ram is too short, should have at least 6 inchs more travel for comfort
The hose from the Ram is about 2 foot too long.
It takes a lot of practice even to stack them, you'd end up tearing at least a third of all the bales.
To upend the bale you have to pull out more than halfway then lift and let it tilt over. You then end up damaging the bale or stretching the plastic.
You can easily bust the back window of your tractor with one.

cacs

TooOldBoots wrote: »

Stay away from them, they are next to useless
You need a perfectly flat place to stack them, the Bale must be 100% round and rock solid.
The Ram is too short, should have at least 6 inchs more travel for comfort
The hose from the Ram is about 2 foot too long.
It takes a lot of practice even to stack them, you'd end up tearing at least a third of all the bales.
To upend the bale you have to pull out more than halfway then lift and let it tilt over. You then end up damaging the bale or stretching the plastic.
You can easily bust the back window of your tractor with one.

They sound like a great yoke

Never wrestle with pigs

I have one, piss easy to use. Best little thing I ever bought. I usually tip over the first bale and place the second ontop. You don't need a hydraulic top link, I just lower the link arms slowly when pulling out. It takes a bit of getting used to the same as anything. Much better on a bigger 4wd tractor than a small 2wd as you get that extra hight for comfort.

I also draw bales left in the field down the road with it in the winter. I take the paddles off and tip two over the bales and put one on each spike. I might get a double one next year.

TooOldBoots

Never wrestle with pigs wrote: »

I have one, piss easy to use. Best little thing I ever bought. I usually tip over the first bale and place the second ontop. You don't need a hydraulic top link, I just lower the link arms slowly when pulling out. It takes a bit of getting used to the same as anything. Much better on a bigger 4wd tractor than a small 2wd as you get that extra hight for comfort.

I also draw bales left in the field down the road with it in the winter. I take the paddles off and tip two over the bales and put one on each spike. I might get a double one next year.

You must be a sales rep for them so.

They are not "piss easy" to use.
To Tip the bale over you must pull out beyond halfway on the bale then lift. If you don't have a hydraulic top link as you say then how can you keep the paddles level to slide off the bale? And even then the bale tips abruptly and you end up either tearing the plastic with the ends of the paddles or stretching the plastic.


Can't see how you can draw 2 bales at a time as you say unless they are haybales or rock solid bales. Even then you would end up cracking the welds on the frame by doing that or at the least you'd end up twisting the box Iron base.

Never wrestle with pigs

TooOldBoots wrote: »

You must be a sales rep for them so.

They are not "piss easy" to use.
To Tip the bale over you must pull out beyond halfway on the bale then lift. If you don't have a hydraulic top link as you say then how can you keep the paddles level to slide off the bale? And even then the bale tips abruptly and you end up either tearing the plastic with the ends of the paddles or stretching the plastic.


Can't see how you can draw 2 bales at a time as you say unless they are haybales or rock solid bales. Even then you would end up cracking the welds on the frame by doing that or at the least you'd end up twisting the box Iron base.

Lol, definitely not a sales rep. I drove down to the arse of Kerry one night I saw one on done deal to see what it was like and brought it back second hand. Before trip handlers came around that's how they all were. You just lift a bit and give it a gentle nudge and it will go the rest of the way it's self.

Ya they are rock solid McHale bales but so are most these days. It's a fairly heavy built thing.

9935452

TooOldBoots wrote: »

Never wrestle with pigs wrote: »

I have one, piss easy to use. Best little thing I ever bought. I usually tip over the first bale and place the second ontop. You don't need a hydraulic top link, I just lower the link arms slowly when pulling out. It takes a bit of getting used to the same as anything. Much better on a bigger 4wd tractor than a small 2wd as you get that extra hight for comfort.

I also draw bales left in the field down the road with it in the winter. I take the paddles off and tip two over the bales and put one on each spike. I might get a double one next year.

You must be a sales rep for them so.

They are not "piss easy" to use.
To Tip the bale over you must pull out beyond halfway on the bale then lift. If you don't have a hydraulic top link as you say then how can you keep the paddles level to slide off the bale? And even then the bale tips abruptly and you end up either tearing the plastic with the ends of the paddles or stretching the plastic.


Can't see how you can draw 2 bales at a time as you say unless they are haybales or rock solid bales. Even then you would end up cracking the welds on the frame by doing that or at the least you'd end up twisting the box Iron base.

To be fair i found mine easy to use too. .
As the other poster thats the way bales always used to be tipped.
If you dont pull out far enough you will be lifting most of the weight of the bale and you will damage them then.
Regarding not needing a hydraulic top link its entirely possible when you get the setup right. Figure out which set of holes for the lift arm pins , top link on tractor, length of levelling arms etc and maybe a slightly long top link.
Ive had mine on a lot of different tractors and some wouldnt be able to get the bale high enough to stack them .
Others would clear the bale by 2 feet. .

Quick question for you regarding taking 2 bales on the back. How heavy do you think a dry fusion bale of silage is?

What we used ours for was in conjunction with a malone 6 bale transporter the one with the bars.
Load the trailer. Throw the handler up in the air. Pick the trailer up under the handler and back to the yard to unload.

https://youtu.be/ePdCtjBii0I

Never wrestle with pigs

9935452 wrote: »

Quick question for you regarding taking 2 bales on the back. How heavy do you think a dry fusion bale of silage is?

What we used ours for was in conjunction with a malone 6 bale transporter the one with the bars.
Load the trailer. Throw the handler up in the air. Pick the trailer up under the handler and back to the yard to unload.

https://youtu.be/ePdCtjBii0I

That's what I plan on getting next year hopefully. Would be a handy way of doing it. I don't have the time this time of year to drag bales back a few miles. I'd say they are around the 600kg mark but that's just a guess.

adne

TooOldBoots wrote: »

Stay away from them, they are next to useless
You need a perfectly flat place to stack them, the Bale must be 100% round and rock solid.
The Ram is too short, should have at least 6 inchs more travel for comfort
The hose from the Ram is about 2 foot too long.
It takes a lot of practice even to stack them, you'd end up tearing at least a third of all the bales.
To upend the bale you have to pull out more than halfway then lift and let it tilt over. You then end up damaging the bale or stretching the plastic.
You can easily bust the back window of your tractor with one.

Have to disagree. Have one 4 years. Handy to use once get used to it. Need hydraulic top link. Find it great tool as did not have loader to stack rounds (1 standing 1 flat on top).. can stack hay 3 high in shed with a bit of care. Can stack 8x4x4 of straw 3 high. Good for loading bales on flat bed trailer too as have extra clearance.

Front loader obviously a better choice but this cost me 1200 as opposed to changing tractor and buying loader served it's purpose

Nobbies

270WIN wrote: »

Has anyone used one of these? Seem very handy for a lad that does not have a loader. I've about 150 bales to do every year and im taking up a big square of ground to store em.

You should watch the video on YouTube of them.can't see a single lifter one though. bales do appear to tip at least a little abruptly as said earlier.also the bale sitting on top of another bale looks a little vulnerable to rolling one way or another??

I could do with something like that myself. Choices choices ???