Are Bale Unrollers any good

[Poorbuthappy]

Just looked it up! That is EXACTLY what I meant!! Where can I get one of these and how much are they? [emoji1317]

£4k+ possibly now with current exchange rates. Not sure who's importing them - there was a firm in Ireland and in Wales doing so.

 

[Whitepeak]

Thanks for the feedback, have you got the chain ones that feed both sides? Our passageways are only about as wide as the manitou so I think I might have to get a little tractor to put it on otherwise after I have fed one side I will drive over what I have fed out - or do you think I could reverse back feeding some both sides as I go back rather than feeding all one side and then the other?

The only experience I've had is a farm I worked on in Australia where we fed hay in the paddock with a trailed one. It worked great if you unrolled the bale in the direction the bale was made ie. undid the spiral. However if you tried unrolling it the other way it didn't work. So I don't think you'd be able to feed out down both sides of a passage without turning round. It would also mean you would need to be careful how you loaded a bale if say you always wanted to feed on the right hand side.
Newer designs might have better ways of teasing the bales open instead of simply unrolling them like that machine did however.

 

[DJC82]

Did you buy an unroller if so how do you get on with it? I'm looking at buying one at the moment to feed milking cows. Do they cope with fixed chamber bales of 1st cut silage misshapen and short grass?
Has anyone got a blaney unroller?

 

[Old Tip]

I have a dead simple version which is just two spikes on a motor, feeds out great if the bales dryish and evenly shaped but no good on wet misshapen ones.

 

[Benr]

Yes we bought a hustler. Very pleased with it, saved a lot of work and we can keep the silage much fresher by feeding every day rather than dumping bales down the feed fence.

All our bales are made with a Fusion. Some of the bottom bales were fairly squat and they fed fine. To be honest short grass is easier than long. We found if it was bit long over grown grass you could only really unroll it the same way it was baled

 

[Nithsdale]

Sounds like a two man job to me to avoid beheading the cattle!

Nah.

Our slatted shed, feed passage is only just wider as the tractor. Entry from 1 end, so you've got to drive the full 100ft past all cattle with first bale.

They soon learn to step back/pull their heads in to let you past, just go nice and steady

 

[steveR]

Is it just me....?

I used to use a Teagle Tomahawk decades ago for feeding silage and bedding, but gave up as it was not really doing what we wanted at the time. However, I have been looking again at the unrollers available on the market and have to say, some do look good bits of kit. However, in every case when watching the videos available, you almost never see the sheer bloody hassle of taking film and then netwrap off the bales (personally, I think string is still easier!) To my way of thinking, remove the film BEFORE putting the bale on or in the machine, but then comes the pain of net removal. Much easier to have a second loader vehicle and hold the bale in teh air until the wrap is removed?.

When will we see the edible/biodegradable string or net that would transform feeding silage and haylage?? I have thought that a return to sisal string for bedding straw would be a positive as it can just be chopped... Other than the rat problems, but hey, they chew plastic too...

 

[le bon paysan]

Does anyone use one to unroll round bale straw to bed down sheds? A poor mans straw chopper!

Yep, me

 

[Benr]

Is it just me....?

I used to use a Teagle Tomahawk decades ago for feeding silage and bedding, but gave up as it was not really doing what we wanted at the time. However, I have been looking again at the unrollers available on the market and have to say, some do look good bits of kit. However, in every case when watching the videos available, you almost never see the sheer bloody hassle of taking film and then netwrap off the bales (personally, I think string is still easier!) To my way of thinking, remove the film BEFORE putting the bale on or in the machine, but then comes the pain of net removal. Much easier to have a second loader vehicle and hold the bale in teh air until the wrap is removed?.

When will we see the edible/biodegradable string or net that would transform feeding silage and haylage?? I have thought that a return to sisal string for bedding straw would be achopped... Other than the rat problems, but hey, they chew plastic too...

With the hustler you load it with the 2 forks that you pick the machine up with
It is dead easy to get the wrap off as you just put the 2 forks as near as possible to the bottom of the bale, lift it up and back over it then just cut under the bale and up the back and pull it straight off

 

[steveR]

With the hustler you load it with the 2 forks that you pick the machine up with
It is dead easy to get the wrap off as you just put the 2 forks as near as possible to the bottom of the bale, lift it up and back over it then just cut under the bale and up the back and pull it straight off

I'll take your word for it Ben

I would believe a regular user far more than a Factory promo video ;-) I still think edible net is the way forward though...

 

[Benr]

Yeah I can't understand why they have the wrap going around with the bale in a promo video

 

[Red Fred]

With the hustler you load it with the 2 forks that you pick the machine up with
It is dead easy to get the wrap off as you just put the 2 forks as near as possible to the bottom of the bale, lift it up and back over it then just cut under the bale and up the back and pull it straight off

I do exactly the same with the Hustler, or do it with the loader, either way no wrap or net goes near the workings of the machine.

 

[J428TGS]

i have an old Cooks bale unroller, i put on two rams instead of the fixed 2x2 box so you alter the machine width for loading an when the bale comes done good machine but you need two tractors one to load an other with it on da back, i do like the looks of quad X10 machine self loading unroller is the way ahead

 

[Jonny B88]

Yes we bought a hustler. Very pleased with it, saved a lot of work and we can keep the silage much fresher by feeding every day rather than dumping bales down the feed fence.

All our bales are made with a Fusion. Some of the bottom bales were fairly squat and they fed fine. To be honest short grass is easier than long. We found if it was bit long over grown grass you could only really unroll it the same way it was baled

Have you the chained one or the chain less version? We bought the chainless one and mounted it on the front of the manitou. We found this year working 1st cut young leafy grass and misshapen bales it doesn't really work that great. Works better with longer stuff and straw

 

[Benr]

Ours is the chain one

 

[Foregoneconclusion]

Just got my sl300x model today.. ill be able to feed undercover in an old low shed for the first time in over 25 years with this.. once i get the hang of it.. Its mounted on the manitou.. it likely useable for clamp silage too with minor mod..

 

[Sir loin]

Trying to decide whether to invest or not in a Hustler. They claim that you can reduce haylage usage by 20%, if this is the case does it reduce what comes out of the other end (sh*te) by 20% and so straw usage by 20% also. Anyone that has a Hustler able to shed any light on this.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Trying to decide whether to invest or not in a Hustler. They claim that you can reduce haylage usage by 20%, if this is the case does it reduce what comes out of the other end (sh*te) by 20% and so straw usage by 20% also. Anyone that has a Hustler able to shed any light on this.

Would presume the 20% claim would be through reduced wastage?
If using chopped bales anyway I would think that's hard to do.
If feeding sucklers a restricted diet I could see the benefit but most other classes of livestock people are generally looking to increase intakes to push production.

 

[TelesnaAg]

There is like 20 million of these in Oz, the most favoured weapon of choice for feeding hay out. 1 big dairy farm here that strip grazes puts it along the strip and by nite grass and hay all gone.

Ant...

 

[Benr]

It will reduce wastage, but as you can keep it fresh the intakes will be up, which will probably mean more sh** but also more LWG from forage