The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Equipment => Topic started by: Lyor van Vliet on May 10, 2011, 01:38:40 pm
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Hello everyone,
I am an industrial design engineering student at the Technical University in Delft, the Netherlands and I am working on a final bachelor project for a company called Schuurman B.V. This company recently got in to accessories for quads for agricultural use. After some research I found out that there is a demand for hay balers for quads. Some people say they do not exist, others say they do but they are too expensive. Nevertheless, I've been looking for them but can not find them. So... I am wondering if anyone can give me a confirmation of their existence, and if not, would anyone be interested in one? It might be an opportunity for me to develop one.
Kind regards,
Lyor van Vliet
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Hello Lyor
I think there would be a lot of interest in a hay baler for a quad bike - horsey people and smallholders would be able to make some hay for themselves in their own small fields. Would you also have to make a hay bob for quads? Otherwise how would people turn and row up the cut grass?
I am not particularly mechanically minded, but don't balers work off the tractor PTO - and need quite a bit of horsepower?
I would be very interested to hear what you find out - although as we are passionate about making small bale hay we have tractors and all the gear so would be unlikely to want a quad version for ourselves. But people who get their hay from us, or ask us to make hay for them, may well be interested.
Best of luck
Sally
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i am not sure i am getting this one class used to make a small round baler but far to big for a quad they do make dung spreaders with an engine driving it Massey used to make an engine driven baler and reco and class used to make engine driven precisson chops
if there is one or not it would need to have the corresponding equipment mower hay bob baler and transporting equipment
also the original round baler was an allis Chalmers the bales were small very small the transportation and storage were there downfall in the late 50s early 60s
having checked logic equipment i am sure i have seenone somewhere :farmer:
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Nigel at Tractor Factory does one http://www.tractorfactory.co.uk/ViewItem.php?ItemID=97 (http://www.tractorfactory.co.uk/ViewItem.php?ItemID=97) And I recall he does a bale wrapper. We reckoned bales were going to cost us £25 each by the time we added a drum mower and tedder.
Doesn't say the PTO power requirement but 330kg is quite a lump to tow for a quad. Can't really see a standalone version - it's going to need 20hp at least.
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sorry waterhouse that baler is meant for a mini tractor on the logic site they do a trailor for normal round bales(600kgs max) :)
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There are small round balers for two wheeled tractors.
They are sold by RikoUK
http://www.alpinetractors.com/products.asp?prodsect=27 (http://www.alpinetractors.com/products.asp?prodsect=27)
But they are very expensive
I would definitely be interested in one for a quad bike
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Thank you all for your replies, they have been very useful. I did find someone who actually made one, this might give you a better idea if it would be interesting for you or not. Videos and pictures of the selfmade hay baler (it is in dutch):
Bouw van de mini CLAAS pers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxyzcjUZlZM#)
mini claas pers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xQGejWGMN0#ws)
(http://pictures.tractorfan.nl/groot/z/zelfbouw/263730-balenpers-zelfbouw.jpg)
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the title states quads that is the first hurdle any quads i have seen does not have a power take off the ones demonstrated are lawn tractors i can see the possibilities(scaled down versions of full sized ones)
once you have a working version that can handle in field crops there will be interest in it how big a demand is impossible to quantify
British leyland pioneered the modern mini tractor(at a time when tractors were getting bigger) for the market now to be wholly suplied by japan and china
good luck and happy tinkering :wave:
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What I really would like to know is if there would be any interest in hay balers for quads. The technical problems are mine to solve :). For now I am under the impression that IF the baler could compete in price with the small round balers for mini tractors it could be successful.
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I would potentially be interested in such a baler.
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me too. definately a market for small towable balers . that are not pto powered.
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Out of interest, those of you interested in a quad-towed baler, what would you use to cut, woofle and to row up?
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I would also be very interested...
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If the equipment was availble to cut, turn and row as Sally says, then we would most certainly be interested dependant on rpice for the whole set up. I can't see paying a contractor to cut, turn and line up for you and then paying for a baler on top.
There is a place which hires out bale wrappers for the day near to us which can be towed by a 4x4 ... we've used one when we've been unlucky with the weather and have had to resort to haylage rather than hay :)
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Hi Lyor
Having watched this thread for a little while, without anything serious coming up to help you studies, I wondered if a lawn tractor grass collector could form the basis of a simple baler.
Have a look at this link to see how such a device works:-
http://www.countax.com/pgc.htm (http://www.countax.com/pgc.htm)
I have one of these and the rotating brush does a good job of sweeping up the cut grass or straw. The box could then be modified so that you could drop a flap down onto the collected material before tying it into a small bale.
The collector clips onto the back of the lawn tractor using something similar to a 3 point linkage. This allows power to be transferred using a rubber belt. A towed collector would need a separate engine or a Cardan shaft from a power take off.
This would not give you a large or tightly compressed 'brick' of straw but it would be enough to store some in a small stack.
The lawn tractor I use has a 14hp engine and little power is required to drive this collector. I think it would require 1-2hp possibly less. The clever part would be a system for tying the bale so that it keep together in a rectangular shape.
The brush can pick up weeds and similar coarse material as well as fine grass clippings. So the machine would be quite versatile.
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Dear Lyror
This is really interesting. I design and build gardens and have craeteda number of large wild flower meadows..they are typically 1-8 acres so not really large enough for farmers to be interested in haymaking and anyway tehy are mad busy with their own stuff at that time of year. But if you coudl get a hay maker that could fit on back ofa quad that would be brilliant and usually small enough to be able to get into gardens etc. Even if tehy hay was not used fro hay its a brilliant way of coillectiung all the cuttings as these should be collected once teh seed has set to ensure the nutrient level remains poor. Let me know how you get on
Rob
www.gardendesignco.co.uk (http://www.gardendesignco.co.uk)